Nexus Mage
by Kyandi-Akatensei
Summary: A guild is a family, or so Fairy Tail thinks. For Rette, a family was the last thing she needed, or wanted. Family could be used against her, but something about this guild draws her in. But who is this girl known as the Nexus Mage and just what is the past she's refusing to share?
1. Light Shines Brighter

Summary: A guild is a family, or so Fairy Tail thinks. For Rette, a family was the last thing she needed, or wanted. Family could be used against her, but something about this guild draws her in. But who is this girl known as the Nexus Mage and just what is the past she's refusing to share?

Kyandi: Hello everyone! For those of you who don't know me, I'm known as Kyandi Akatensei, or Kyandi-sama. As my dear lovely readers, you may simply call me Kyandi. Normally I'm seen mostly in the Prince of Tennis fandom, but I do branch out when I find an anime/manga or something else that catches my attention. Hence what brought me here! Normally I do character interactions at the beginning and end of my chapters, just for giggles, but I believe, just for this chapter, I'll leave that until the end. So without any further silly gilly nonsense, please enjoy and review. I do love reviews. No flaming though, please. I do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 1 Light Shines Brighter

"YOU PYRO BREATH/ICE PUNK!"

Another day, another fight.

It seemed a day couldn't pass in the guild hall of Fairy Tail without a fight breaking out among the guild's two most rowdiest members. Which usually ended with something getting broken, burned, or frozen. Lucy sat at the bar beside Macao watching as Gray and Natsu went at it, as usual. The two couldn't ever be in the same room without getting into some kind of fight. The only time they ever so much as pretended to get along was when Ezra was around. Every other time they argued, fought, and usually ended up in a fist fight. Or magic fight.

"Don't they ever get tired of that?" Lucy asked Mirajane.

Mirajane gave her a smile as she cleared plates from the bar. In the time that Lucy had been with the Fairy Tail guild she should have figured out for herself that Natsu and Gray could never be in the same room without fighting.

"I don't suppose they do." Macao said from Lucy's side.

Lucy shook her head but there was a smile on her face. She couldn't really be annoyed with their fighting. She really did love being apart of Fairy Tail. That included all of fighting, insanity, and everything in-between.

She turned back around to speak to Mirajane, as Ezra dealt with Gray and Natsu. She had just got the two to stop fighting when there was a loud scream and crash from outside the guild hall. Everyone fell silent, turning to the doors.

"What was that?" Loke asked.

"Sounded close." Elfman remarked.

There was another crash that shook the ground, this one close enough to rattle the cutlery on the tables of the hall. The shaking rattled people, knocking a few around until they caught their balance.

"Master, that was really close. Should we check it out?" Macao asked.

Makarov nodded. He was at the front as the others crowded at the guild hall doors. Outside had become a battle ground. An unfair battle ground. Three men dressed in solid black and purple and bearing the insignia of a dark guild were ganging up on a single person dressed in a cloak, the hood pulled up and over their face. From the looks of the cloak and what they could see of the person beneath, whoever the person was, was badly beaten up. At the moment the person was on their knees, breathing heavily.

"You done runnin' yet?" one of the three dark mages asked with a snide laugh.

The person didn't reply. Just braced an arm on a knee, getting ready for whatever the dark mages could throw at them.

"Heh, fine. Continue being stubborn. You should have just joined when you were told to." one of the dark mages added.

The center mage, a man that had to be their leader, held out a hand, a dark purple magic circle appearing. He used a shade spell to attack the cloak person. One gloved hand came out of the cloak and a yellow-white circle appeared just before the shade spell hit. Smoke billowed out, hiding the person from view. Pieces of cloak flew up into the air. Mirajane gasped, hoping whoever it was, was alright.

Then the smoke parted and something shot up out of the smoke. Long, graceful wings made of pure, soft glowing light carried a person clear of the smoke. The wings, despite being made of light, were detailed and resembled the bat-like wings one would find on a dragon. Without the cloak, they could see it was a young girl around seventeen or eighteen years old. Long hair of a silver color swung in a curtain down to her thighs, the chin length, side swept bangs hiding her eyes from those below. She looked to be about as tall as Gray and had a curvy body to rival Ezra's.

She had clothed said body in black shorts and a sleeveless, low neck, apple green crop-top, but both were so torn and beaten that they looked like they would fall off her at any moment. She had lost both shoes, her bare feet ripped up and bloody, and her sun kissed skin that looked like honey mixed with cream, was bruised and battered. Even her hair was dirty and had spots tangled up with dried blood. About the only piece of clothing not in danger of falling apart was the pair of black, fingerless gloves on her hands.

She looked like she had been fighting off the dark mages for a couple of days at least. A scar raced across her stomach from her right hip, towards her left rib cage, just barely missing her belly button, and a belt around her thin waist bore a beat up, black leather pouch and a long knife about the length of her forearm. A thick, black choker sat around her neck, a crystal flickering with a gold flame, hanging from it.

The dark mages looked up at her, their leader growling to himself.

"Just give up already! It's been five days! I'm getting tired of you and your persistent tricks, girl!" he yelled at the girl. "You're on your last leg. That spell is using up the last of your magical energy!"

One of his companion shot another spell at her, but the girl dropped, tucking her wings of light in to drop like a rock. She leveled out about ten feet from the ground and shot away from the dark mages in a straight line. Despite being beaten and tired, she moved fast enough to avoid spells, tumbling and twisting to keep from getting hit. Another hit would probably finish her and she seemed well aware of that, trying to escape before they could land it. But with three enemies and in the tired state she was in, there was only so much she could do just to avoid being shot down.

"Master, what do we do?" Mira asked, looking at Makarov.

The girl obviously didn't belong to a guild, or this dark guild wouldn't be so hard up on forcing her to join. And she obviously didn't want to join.

An explosion in the sky, drew their attentions to the sky where one dark mage had just hit the girl with a powerful spell, trying to knock her out of the sky. When the smoke cleared, she was simply gone. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was in the air behind the mages. The three turned as her hands came up, another magic circle appearing.

"Light of Creation: Light Burst!"

The three mages panicked just before an explosion of light blew up in their faces, knocking them down the street until they crashed into a building side, all three crumpling to the ground. They probably wouldn't be moving for a while. The girl obviously had poured the last of her magic energy into the spell for her wings vanished and she fell from the sky.

"Elfman!" Makarov called.

Elfman charged forward, catching the girl before she hit the ground. When he returned to Makarov and the others, the girl was out cold, hanging limply in Elfman's arms. Up close she was even more battered than they thought.

"Poor thing. She looks like she hasn't had a rest at all." Levy remarked, peering up at the girl.

"Master?" Mirajane asked.

"Take her to the infirmary. We'll care for her until she's better." Makarov ordered.

It would give the girl somewhere safe to rest and, if she wanted to, when she woke up, they could have a new member of the guild who used Light of Creation magic.

If she wanted to, that is.

-0-0-0-0-

"Is she still sleeping?"

Lucy, Natsu, and Gray looked up when Mira returned to the bar after having checked on their new charge resting in the infirmary. Mira nodded to Makarov who had asked the question. When they had brought the girl into the infirmary, Lucy and Ezra had helped Mira to clean the girl up and bandage her injuries. The poor girl had days worth of grim on her and had been covered, nearly head to toe, in bruises and cuts. To replace the tattered and useless clothes she was wearing, Mira had Elfman bring one of her spare dresses from home.

"She seems to be resting more comfortably though." Mira said.

"Some local magic knights took those dark mage guys." Gray remarked from where he sat at a table with Lucy and Natsu.

"Do you really think they've been chasing her for five days?" Lucy asked.

"From the looks of her injuries and the dirt caked on her, I would say it's a safe bet." Ezra remarked.

"What will we do when she wakes up, Master?" Mira asked.

"As I said, we'll take care of her until she is better. I want to hear her side of the story." Makarov answered.

"She can't be a part of a guild if they were after her so feircely." Cana remarked.

"Then she can join Fairy Tail." Natsu said idly, scarfing down food as he talked.

"That's only if she wants too, Natsu. She might not want to join a guild." Lucy told him.

"Why wouldn't she?" Natsu replied.

Lucy opened her mouth to speak when the there was a yell from farther in the building. A crash followed it. It sounded like someone wasn't too happy.

"Hey! What did you do that for!?" came a yell from down the hall towards the infirmary.

Everyone turned as someone came running into the room, hitting the brakes when they saw the number of people in the room. Feet bare, save for bandages, slid on the hardwood floors, silver hair, now clean, flying in a wild dance as the very girl they had been talking about, came to an instant halt. Hands curled in the material of the white, knee length, strapless dress she had been dressed in as wide eyes scanned the guild hall. Bandages covered most of her exposed skin. They wrapped around both hands, the gloves missing, around her right thigh, her whole left shoulder and down to her left elbow, her right forearm, her head, and one whole cheek. She was still wearing her choker since neither Mira nor Ezra had felt right about removing it.

Even clad in a dress that cinched under her full breast and clung to her upper body like a second skin, it was her eyes, not her body, that drew attention. Her eyes were a little on the wide side and were a bright magenta near the pupil that faded to a soft lavender at the edges. Long, pale grey lashes framed the eyes and really made the color of her eyes pop. Add in the adorable beauty of her face and she was easily pretty. But then there was the indifferent, straight lance look on her face as she scanned the room.

Her face didn't betray any emotion, but the tight grip of her hands on the dress betrayed her anxiety. Somewhere along the way, she had found her belt and it's attached knife and pouch, and had cinched it back about her waist.

"Oh, you're awak-"

Mira was cut off as the girl suddenly made a b-line straight for the front door, taking a running leap over a table in her hurry to reach the doors.

"Hey! Wait a minute!"

The girl ignored all protest and only slid to a halt when Elfman blocked the door. She back tracked quickly, her hand diving into her pouch. There was no telling what kind of potion or other enchanted object she could have in there, since no one had bothered to look in it. Elfman took a step back, but all she pulled out of the pouch was a whistle made out of a brilliant green crystal. She put it to her lips and blew. No sound came out but Happy instantly covered his ears, complaining that it hurt his ears. The girl then dropped to the floor, covering her head with her arms in a protective gesture.

"What's going on?" Elfman questioned.

A crash from behind him, was his answer. Elfman turned, jumping out of the way as something flew into the guild hall knocking plates and cups off a table. The creature turned out to be a female, flying cat like Happy. She was a small, silver creature, with jet black paws, a long-furred tail, black tipped ears, and wide blue-purple eyes. She had a small, white, one shoulder dress, two gold, hoop earrings in each ear, and a gold bangle around her left, back paw.

She swooped in, wrapping little fore paws around the back of the girl's dress and hauled the girl up into the air before anyone could say or do anything. The cat carried the girl to a rafter, setting her down before landing beside the girl as she half hid behind a pillar. Members of the guild gathered around the base of the pillar, looking up at the girl who only shrank behind the pillar even more. Her face still betrayed nothing of her emotions, but her actions spoke volumes on how uneasy she was.

"Alright, that's enough. Everyone back up." Makarov called, jumping down from the bar to walk towards the pillar and look up at the girl and cat.

The cat turned to fix her eyes on the old man as he approached and when she felt the man was close enough to her and her charge, she hissed at him, her ears going back against her head. Makarov stopped, not pushing the cat's boundaries. He leaned to the side to peer up past the pillar at the girl. Magenta-lavender eyes watched him from behind the pillar.

"It's alright, child. No one here means you harm." he told her.

The girl shifted, leaning a little to the side to peer down at Makarov, her long hair hanging in a curtain around her. The cat stayed close to her side, still keeping her eyes on everyone.

"The last mage that told me that was a liar. I don't like liars." the girl said in a voice that was both soft and musical, and indifferent and bored at the same time.

The cat huffed her agreement, turning her head to watch the others sharply.

"Well I'm not lying. Do you know where you are?" Makarov asked.

The girl shook her head. In her running, she had probably not paid attention to anything around her. That included what city she was in.

"This is the Fairy Tail guild hall in Magnolia. I am the guild master, Makarov. What's your's and your friend's names?" Makarov asked, trying to coax the girl out.

The girl eyed him, not letting on as to if she recognized the name of the guild or not. She seemed to be debating on rather to answer him or not. Natsu was becoming impatient with the girl but Ezra kept him back and quiet, giving the master the space he needed.

"Rette. Rette Starrilia. This is Thyme." the girl said finally, patting the cat's head when she said her name.

"Well then, Rette, Thyme, it's good to meet ya. Why not come down from there and we'll talk. I'm sure you're hungry." Makarov told her, giving her a smile.

At the mention of food, the girl perked up and her stomach let out a growl loud enough for the whole guild hall to hear. One hand went to her stomach as the cat looked up at her. She obviously hadn't ate in a while. After the incident in Clover and the time they spent lost with no food on the way home, Makarov, Ezra, Gray, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy knew how she felt.

It seemed that the promise of food was all it took for the girl to decided that she would be better on the ground instead of in the rafters. Slowly, Rette eased herself out from behind the pillar, pushing herself to a stand. Thyme flew up, picking the girl up and flew her down to the floor, setting her on the ground lightly before landing on her shoulder.

Everyone remained tense as Rette was sat at the bar and a plate of food was sat before her. Rette stared at the food before she picked up the plate and turned to Thyme. Thyme sniffed the food, then gave her head a shake. With a nod, Rette turned, sat the plate down, picked up a fork, and started to eat, taking her time so not to get sick. Everyone in the room relaxed.

"Why did you have your cat smell it?" Gray asked.

"Thyme can sniff out magical energy. If anything had been done to the food, she would have known." Rette answered.

So the girl had distrust beaten into her. It explained why she had over reacted when she had woken up in the infirmary.

"Rette, do you remember what happened to you before you passed out?" Makarov asked.

Retted nodded, her mouth currently busy with chewing. She took half of her roll and turned to offer it to Thyme. The cat gladly took it, basically swallowing it whole. It wasn't fish or any other kind of meat she liked, but she wasn't going to complain.

"Dark mages were after me." she said, patting Thyme's head.

"But why?" Mirajane asked.

"The same reason other dark guilds come after me. They want me to join their guilds and get mad when I tell them to get a life." was the bored sounding reply. "These guys were just more persistent than the others."

Rette sat back, heaving a sigh and pushing her empty plate away from her. It felt great to have something in her stomach for once.

"Well you sure ate that quick. You must be quite hungry." Mirajane said.

"That's because I haven't had anything to eat in the last five days. Every time I tried to stop to find something to eat, those guys would show up and I'd have to move on." Rette replied.

"Where was this little lady during all of that? She should have been able to fly you away." Gray asked, pointing to Thyme.

The cat perked up when she Gray mentioned her, blinking once in acknowledgement. Then, with Gray's last sentence, she hung her head. Rette reached out, patting her head, silently assuring her that she didn't blame her.

"Thyme and I got separated when they launched their first attack. She had obtain an injury to one of her wings and had a hard time playing catch up. I was taking the chance that she was nearby when I blew her whistle earlier." Rette said. "So it's not her fault."

Thyme perked up and nuzzled her face against Rette's affectionately. Rette scratched behind her ears and Thyme leaned into the touch, nuzzling into Rette's hand. It took away from her fierce, equally indifferent look when she purred at the touch from her human.

"And you use light magic? That's a lost magic." Wakaba remarked.

Rette turned to look at the two, blinking in confusion.

"You've got it wrong."

Everyone looked at Rette as she sat up straight. She sat down the fork in her hand and turned to look at those nearest to her.

"I mean, yes, I use light magic which is a lost magic, but that's not my style of magic. I practice Unison magic." Rette told them.

When she got nothing but blank stares, Rette heaved a sigh. It was always this way when someone heard what kind of magic she used. She usually had to explain it to them. Unison magic wasn't a very well known or commonly practiced form of magic.

"You know...magic involving the combination of two different magics. Like a Unison Raid, but with only one person."

Silence stretched over the guild hall as all attention fell on Rette. Even Makarov was staring at the girl. Then finally...

"SAY WHAT!?"

END

Kyandi: And there's the first chapter. I already have the first couple of chapters written out and the story is pretty much going to follow the anime. And since she's been introduced, my OC, Rette will be joining me in the character interactions. Right Rette.

Rette: If you say so. It was a pretty short first chapter.

Kyandi: Yeah, I know and I apologize for that. Usually my chapters are anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 words each. Sometimes, though rarely, they will go over 10,000 or under 4,000.

Rette: But normally she usually hits the 4,000 mark easily.

Kyandi: Normally, yes. But I do have more chapters to update, so everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall be back shortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	2. Decision

Kyandi: I told you I'd be back soon!

Rette: She has no life.

Kyandi: Must every OC I make tell my readers that?

Rette: I only speak the truth.

Kyandi: Is not! I have a very productive life thank you and will not argue about it now.

Rette: If you say so.

Kyandi: Please, I pray of you, ignore her. She's only important in the story.

Rette: Hey!

Kyandi: I only speak the truth.

Rette: Oh haha. Very funny.

Kyandi: I thought it was. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: She does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 2 Decision

Eighteen year old Rette Starrilia rubbed her ears after having a guild hall full of people yelled in her ears. Even poor Thyme clamped paws over her abused ears. She had never had someone react quite the way that the Fairy Tail guild was acting. Surprise, definitely, but not so loudly spoken.

"Is it really that much of a shock?" she asked.

"How can you use a magic like that? Doesn't a Unison Raid take two people?" Gray asked.

"I've never even heard of Unison Magic." Cana remarked.

"That's because I'm the first person to ever use it. And yes, Unison Raid takes two, but Unison Magic, only takes one." Rette said.

She shrugged when everyone looked at her, her expression still indifferent and bored looking. Did her expression ever change?

"It takes a precise use of magic energy to combine and wield two different magics. If you put too much or too little of one type into the mix, than the whole thing becomes unbalanced and will blow up in your face. And then you need to have two magics that will compliment each other. There are several factors you have to take into consideration. It takes a large store of magic energy and the precise use of that energy. It took many years practicing before I could properly wield it. Even now I have to be careful or I can waste large sums of my energy with one spell." Rette explained.

"Okay, so it takes two magics?" Gray asked.

Rette nodded.

"And one of those is light magic?" Gray asked.

Another nod from Rette.

"Than what is the other one?" Lucy asked.

"Crystallization magic."

Blank stares were directed at her once more. Rette heaved a sigh. She had yet to meet someone who already knew of her magic. When she had been learning magic, she hadn't gone for magic well known or common, wanting to be different from others. Instead of explaining, she held up her right hand. It took a little focusing since her magic energy was only beginning to return, but soon a blue-purple magic circle formed and a crystal form of the Fairy Tail emblem came to life above her hand. It dropped into her palm when it was fully form.

"See? Crystallization is a lost magic too, so I wouldn't be surprised if you never heard of it." she asked.

She turned and gave Mira the crystal. The white haired woman took the crystal with a smile, turning it over in her fingers to look at it.

"That's so cool!" Natsu cheered. "Turn Gray into one!"

"Hey!" Gray snapped turning on Natsu.

The two started to fight, Rette watching. These Fairy Tail mages were just as strange as she had heard they were. But it was refreshing to see two who were so free with themselves.

"Sorry about that. They do that a lot." Mira told Rette, making the girl turn to her.

"No. It's fine. Boys will be boys." Rette replied.

Thyme huffed in agreement, watching the two boys fight. Those watching were starting to get the feeling that Thyme didn't talk much. If at all.

"Oh! Right. About the meal," Rette said, reaching into the pouch on her belt to pull out a wallet. "I can pay for it."

Mira shook her head, waving a hand. Rette stared at her as she smiled at her.

"I got it. Don't worry about it." Mira told her.

Rette looked down at her wallet. She was grateful, especially since she was running low on funds. She slipped her wallet back into the pouch with a thanks to Mirajane. She was especially grateful when Mira sat a second plate in front of her, adding a fresh fish for Thyme, who gratefully took it.

"I'm glad I ended up in Magnolia though. I was here once when I was younger and liked it a lot. I've been trying to come back since, but it seems my path keeps getting derailed. It finally took being chased here by members of a dark guild." Rette remarked.

"So this is common for you?" Erza asked.

Rette nodded, her eyes focused on the food in front of her. She was starting to feel better now that she was getting food in her body, but she was also really starting to feel her injuries. She had been beaten pretty badly over the last five days.

"Since I don't belong to a guild, they come after me fiercely. But I have absolutely no interest in joining a dark guild." Rette said, finishing her food off.

With that Rette slide off the bar stool and turned to Makarov giving him a grateful bow.

"Thank you for all you've done. I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble. Thyme and I will take our leave now." Rette said.

All fighting stopped as everyone turned to look at Rette. She wasn't even fully healed, her magic energy was only just starting to come back, and she wanted to leave again? She would be a sitting duck for any other dark mages to come after her. Makarov looked the girl over, heaving a sigh.

"You aren't even fully healed. And you know more of them would just come after you again. Without a guild to claim you, you'll be chased continually." Makarov remarked.

Rette's eyes never left Makarov's, but one hand pressed into her stomach where more bandages were hidden by the dress.

"I am aware of that." she said.

"Then join us!" Natsu said.

"He has a point. You can't get proper jobs if you aren't apart of a guild as it is." Gray said.

Rette's eyes drifted to Natsu and Gray and then down to the floor, a thoughtful look falling on her face. Thyme nudged her arm, making her look at her as her ears laid flat on her head. She laid a hand on the cat's head, her eyes returning to the floor.

"Don't feel rushed, child." Makarov said, Rette looking up at him as he spoke. "Take your time to heal and think about it. You can stay in the infirmary here. At least you'll be safe until you're healed."

"Thank you, sir." Rette said, bowing to him again. "If you're sure, then Thyme and I will press upon you for a little while longer."

Mirajane saw to it that Rette was comfortable in the infirmary once more. Rette watched as Mirajane left, closing the door behind her and turned her attention to Thyme who was sitting at the foot of the bed, watching her with questioning eyes.

"What do you think I should do, Thyme?" Rette asked the cat.

Thyme huffed, let out a small noise and gave a seemingly random nod. Rette gave her a scratch under the chin.

"Maybe, old friend. Maybe."

She had time to think. Just a little time and she would have her answer.

-0-0-0-0-

Due to the arrival of their new guest, Erza put off her rematch with Natsu, claiming it needed to be peaceful around the guild hall so Rette could recover. Rette remained in the infirmary, her cat, Thyme, her constantly companion. Now and then Mira would vanish into the infirmary to check on the girl. On the fifth day, Rette finally came out of the infirmary looking better than she had when she had first arrived. She still had a few bandages on her arms and legs and bruises still colored her skin, but other wise she was looking a lot better and her magical energy had fully returned.

"Oh, Rette! Feeling better now?" Mira asked when the girl appeared.

The guild hall fell quiet as everyone turned to face the girl. She was dressed in another of Mira's spare dresses and was still barefoot but she didn't seem to be in pain. Thyme padded out into the guild hall ahead of Rette, sitting down on the bar as Rette joined her.

"Yes, much better. Thank you. I think I'm good enough to leave the infirmary now." Rette said.

"Oh? You're leaving?" Makarov asked.

Rette shook her head. She turned to Makarov her face expressionless but her eyes holding a determined fire.

"I'd like to answer your question formally now, sir. If you'll let me." she said, polite and proper.

"Which question was that?" Makarov asked, scratching his head.

"The question about joining Fairy Tail, sir." Rette replied, not the least bit put out that he didn't remember.

"Oh? And what would that be?" he asked.

"If it is alright with you, sir...Thyme and I would like to join the guild." Rette said firmly.

Makarov chuckled, liking the fire in the girl's eyes. She might be a little formal, but she had spirit underneath that straight mask of hers.

"Well then, welcome to the guild." he told her.

Rette nodded as cheers went up from everyone watching. They now had two new members between Lucy and Rette. Three, if they wanted to count Thyme. Mirajane got the magic stamp that would brand the two with the emblem of Fairy Tail.

"Where do you want it?" Mira asked.

Rette instant pointed to the exposed spot between her collar bones. She held still as Mira put the mark on her. Rette's fingers instantly went to the lavender colored mark as Mira turned to Thyme. Thyme gave Rette a look, which seemed to be enough for Rette to understand what she wanted.

"She wants you to just put it here on her left ear." Rette said, pointing to the back of Thyme's left ear.

"Wait! You can understand her without her talking!?" Gray and Natsu exclaimed as Mira applied the mark to the cat, leaving behind a white mark that showed through the fur.

"Of course I can. Thyme is like...my best friend. She understands human speech and I understand her. You're friends with a talking cat. How is this strange?" Rette asked, making a good enough point that they couldn't really argue.

"Well welcome to the guild, Rette!" Wakaba greeted, many of the others coming over to greet her.

Rette had never been good in social situations. Being the center of attention was a little unsettling, but she dealt with it. To run away would be rude. Especially since she had decided to join the guild. She just wasn't sure what she was suppose to do. Especially when a few of the men commented on how cute she was. She was completely at a loss then.

"Alright you guys, that's enough." Mira told them, shooing them all along.

Rette was allowed room to breath again and heaved a sigh. Her eyes scanned the hall until they landed on the job board.

"I suppose we'll have to find us a job, Thyme." Rette remarked.

"Why such a hurry? You're just starting to feel better." Makarov remarked.

"True, but I can't continue to live in the infirmary, sir. And my funds are extremely low." Rette replied.

"Don't you have family you can borrow some from?" Gray asked idly.

"No. I don't."

Lucy smacked Gray for being mindlessly insensitive but Rette didn't seem all that upset about it.

"My parents have been gone since I was eleven. I've had a few people who have taught me magic over the years, but for the last six years it's just been Thyme and I. And I was alone for a year before that." Rette explained. "So if I want money to buy anything, I'll have to work to get it."

"You should, at least, team up with someone until you're back to one hundred percent." Mira told her.

"I don't know anyone here. And I have Thyme. We've been doing odd, magic jobs here and there for a while and we'd start out small, but I honestly don't think I could laze in bed another day, bumming off the guild." Rette told her. "As it is, I'm going to have to spend the last of my money to buy clothes so I'm not constantly having to take your's, Mira. I'm sure you want your dresses back."

Mira smiled at her, assuring her it was alright. But Rette insisted that she need to pull her own weight and take care of herself. Makarov couldn't really stop her, so Rette and Thyme claimed a job off the board that was capturing bandits for one hundred thousand jewel. She assured everyone who protested that she and Thyme could handle it, and left to prepare herself for the job.

"Master?" Mira asked, looking at Makarov.

"She's insistent on taking care of her own and as I've said before, Fairy Tail mages are able to take care of themselves. We'll see how she does." Makarov answered.

If anything, if she wasn't back in a few days than, more than likely, Natsu would go after her as he did with Macao. Hopefully, worse wouldn't come to worse.

-0-0-0-0-

"Fight! Fight!"

The chant sounded over the street as people gathered around Erza and Natsu, two days later for their rematch. Lucy pushed her way through the people to the front, Gray behind her after having gone to her house to remind her about the fight. She couldn't believe they were actually doing this.

"No way! They're really going through with it!?" Lucy exclaimed, shoving a man to the side.

"Oh, hey Lucy!" Mira greeted.

"Well if those two value their manhood, then they better go through with it." Elfman replied.

"Erza's not a man." Mira told her brother.

"But you gotta admit, she's manly." Macao replied.

"Aren't you worried that this fight could tear our strongest team apart?" Lucy asked.

"What are you talking about? Our strongest team?" Gray asked.

"You, Natsu, and Erza, you dummy. You're the three strongest mages in the guild!" Lucy replied.

"We are? Yeah right. What idiot fed you that lie?" Gray replied.

Unknowingly calling Mira a idiot sent the woman into tears and left Gray to try to cheer her up by telling her he didn't mean she was an idiot.

"I'll hand it to Natsu and Gray, they're tough little dudes, but neither of them are even close to being the strongest. There are guys in Fairy Tail who are stronger than both of them combined. Like this guy!" Elfman said, pointing to himself with the last sentence.

"But calling Erza the strongest woman in the guild is a pretty safe bet." Levy said.

"As for the guys, it's a pretty tough call, but I'd put my money on Laxus or Mystogan." Droy added.

"All I meant was that the three of them work well together and have the best team chemistry in all of Fairy Tail." Mira said, still crying.

"Okay and this is coming from the same person who sent me on a mission to keep Natsu and Gray from killing each other when Erza wasn't around?" Lucy asked.

"Gotta say, I'm pretty psyched to see how this fight will turn out." Elfman said.

"Oh yeah? I'm sure she'll end up mopping the floor with him." Gray replied.

"What's going on?"

Everyone turned to the person who spoke, surprised when their eyes landed on none other than Rette and Thyme, back from their mission.

"Oh, Rette! Welcome back." Mira greeted.

"What are you wearing!?" Gray asked, a few of the other guys blushing when they saw Rette's outfit.

The girl had swapped the full dress she had left in for a pair of short, black shorts with sides laced up with red ribbons and a tied on red skirt with a splash of white, glittery stars along the hem. Both of which sat low on her hips. She had matched it with a white halter top that cut off just before the bottom of her rib cage and had a deep neckline. It bared her back and shoulders and showcased her Fairy Tail emblem and enough cleavage to make a man's nose bleed. She was wearing a pair of black, fingerless gloves, and knee-high, black boots to finish the look, with her choker still in place around her neck, and a belt hung around her waist, holding her knife, and two pouches.

Rette looked down at her clothes, not seeing a problem with her outfit of choice.

"What? I like this. It covers what needs to be covered and gives me freedom. Better than you. Mira's told me about your habit of stripping." Rette replied.

Gray flinched. He couldn't really say anything else about her clothing choices when she used that against him.

"How was your job, Rette?" Lucy asked.

"It was actually pretty easy. The bandits took one look at Thyme and I and started laughing at us. They clearly underestimated us. They had a few strong mages among them, but there's not a lot of magic you can preform when your trapped in crystal. It was pretty easy for a hundred thousand jewel job." Rette replied, Thyme nodding her head in pride at a job well done.

Several of the others shivered at the idea of being crystallized on the spot. They hadn't known Rette long, but the idea of her using her magic on them was almost as scary as Erza.

"Anyway, what's going on?"

Rette stepped up next to Mira to peer out at Erza and Natsu as they started to fight. Thyme shifted on Rette's shoulder, her tail wrapping loosely around Rette's neck.

"Natsu challenged Erza to a rematch a little while ago and they're finally going at it." Gray told her.

"Seems like a waste of time and energy to me, personally. I haven't been around all of you long and even I can tell she'll win." Rette replied, crossing her arms.

"Yeah well, you can't tell Natsu that. He won't listen." Lucy replied.

"That seems to be the common mind set of teenage boys." Rette replied idly, not noticing when Gray took offense to that. "Is that a Requip spell?"

Rette watched as Erza requipped into her Flame Empress armor. She hadn't seen many people use the spell before and certainly hadn't seen any requip as fast as Erza.

"Yeah, Erza uses it to requip into different armors and weapons." Lucy told her.

"Sounds useful in a fight." Rette remarked.

The crowd cheered as the two fought, Natsu's flames nearly cooking a handful of on lookers when he tried to get Erza. Rette was impressed. She had tried fire magic only once in her life and had almost burned herself alive with it. She wasn't going to try casting with it again.

"Whoa!" Lucy exclaimed.

"See. It's a good fight, huh?" Elfman remarked.

"This fight sucks." Gray retorted.

"Is that because you aren't in on it?" Rette asked.

"As if!" was Gray's reply.

Rette's eyes followed the two as they attacked and defended. Natsu looked like he was getting a little frustrated with not being able to land a good hit on Erza. The two were about to hit head on when someone hit a gong, the sound making silence fall over the crowd. People parted to let a frog lady through, Natsu and Erza turning to her.

"This fight is over." the frog lady declared.

Murmurs rose from the crowd. Rette tilted her head to the side, wondering what this was all about.

"May I have your attention, please. I have come here on the behalf of the magic council. As a result of the Isnwald incident, a member of your guild has been charged with eleven counts of criminal property damage. Erza Scarlet, you are under arrest!"

-0-0-0-0-

"Could someone please explain to me what's going on and how the dark guild Isnwald figures into this?"

Rette sat on a stool at the bar, looking at the other members of the guild. Erza had been taken away and Natsu, when Macao caught him trying to sneak away, had been turned into a salamander which was now trapped under an over turned glass cup on the counter of the bar.

"Not long before you came here, Erza, Lucy, Happy, Natsu, and I had to deal with a plan Isnwald cooked up to wipe out all of the guild masters using a demon flute called Lullaby." Gray told her.

"In the process they destroyed the meeting hall in Clover." Mira added.

"And that's a reason to arrest Erza? Sorry, but I fail to understand this." Rette replied.

"Come on, guys, let me out!" Natsu yelled from under the glass.

"Natsu, try to calm down." Mira told him.

"Let me out! Pretty, pretty please!" Natsu said.

"You'll go on a rampage." Mira replied.

"I'll be good, I swear! Now please just turn me back to the way I was before!" Natsu begged.

"The second we turn you back, you'll run off to save Erza." Mira told him.

"Give me a break. I couldn't care less what happens to her." Natsu replied.

"Even if you wanted to help her, it's not like we can face off with the council." Gray remarked.

"But don't those jerks on the council realize that Erza did what she had to do to save the lives of the guild masters from those evil bad guys and their death flute?" Natsu asked.

"If the magic council says your guilty then your guilty, end of story. They don't care what we have to say." Gray told him.

"Even I find that a little twisted and idiotic." Rette remarked, Thyme nodding in agreement.

"I just don't get it. We've destroyed plenty of stuff in the past and they never made a big deal out of it." Elfman said.

"I know, it doesn't make sense." Laki said.

"It's like there's some other reason for this." Lucy said.

"Sounds like they're just trying to save their own skins from being blamed. Like their just using Erza as a scapegoat. At least, that's how it appears to me." Rette said, slipping off her bar stool to walk over to the job board, her eyes scanning the jobs posted.

"You might have a point there." Gray said.

"This is wrong. We should be there to testify." Lucy said, rising to a stand.

"We're not going to court." Makarov said firmly.

"But why not, Master? We all know she's innocent. We can't just sit here and let them lock her away." Lucy protested.

"Even if we left this very second, there's no way we'd make it in time." Makarov told her.

"But-"

Lucy was cut off as Natsu started in about wanting out again, claiming that it was getting hard to breath under the glass. When Makarov asked him if he was sure he wanted out, Natsu fell uncharacteristically quiet. Makarov hit him with a spell that turned him back, but it turned out to be Macao pretending to be Natsu. Rette looked over her shoulder at him before looking at Thyme.

"Why didn't you tell me that wasn't Natsu? You can sniff out his magic energy." Rette remarked.

Thyme huffed that she was tired and settled down on Rette's shoulder. Rette shook her head at the cat and turned back to the board as Macao explained that he had owed Natsu a favor and had turned himself into a salamander to help Natsu.

"Do you know where he went?" Lucy asked.

"He went after Erza, didn't he?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, afraid so." Macao replied.

"You've gotta be kidding me! That little idiot will probably try to fight the whole council!" Elfman said.

"Would everyone just calm down. We have no choice but to just wait and see what happens." Makarov said.

"In that case, I'll be taking another job. I have money for a place, but I need money for furniture and clothing too." Rette said, pulling a job listing from the board.

She turned to Makarov, showing him the job she had taken.

"Sitting around here, worrying, won't do any good. So I'll be productive." Rette added.

Makarov nodded, agreeing with her choice of how to use her time. It was better than sitting there and worrying over something that could possibly turn out just fine.

"Are you sure, Rette? You don't want to stick around and see how this goes?" Gray asked.

"No. I've never been that good at sitting around and over thinking things. And if I leave Thyme idle too long, it could spell disaster. This one shouldn't take me but a few days. Besides, it's Erza and Natsu. I'm sure they will be fine." Rette replied, waving over her shoulder.

With that Rette left, Thyme flying after her. The others watched her go.

"I get the feeling she doesn't like being around a lot of people." Lucy remarked.

The others agreed though they wouldn't bring it up with Rette. She didn't seem like the type that would be too pleased with idle gossip about her. And one Erza was enough.

END

Kyandi: Natsu is so funny.

Rette: It's never a boring day, that's for sure.

Kyandi: Sad thing is...I have a sibling like him.

Rette: ...I'm so glad I'm an only child.

Kyandi: It's not so bad...when she's asleep.

Rette: Exactly. I'll stick to being an only child, thank you.

Kyandi: Not like you have much of a choice.

Rette: Thank you so much for reminding me.

Kyandi: Oops. Sorry. Moving on! Everyone please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye bye!


	3. Idiocy

Kyandi: You are probably tired of seeing me by now, huh?

Rette: Considering that a new chapter comes with you? Probably not.

Kyandi: I was being sarcastic.

Rette:...I don't get it.

Kyandi: Of course you don't. I'll explain later.

Rette: I'm not sure I want to know.

Kyandi: Too bad. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 3 Idiocy

"Master! I don't know what's happened, but one of the S-class quest is missing!"

Makarov spewed his tea as everyone else dropped what they were doing to turn. Mirajane had just come running down the stairs from the second floor to tell Makarov after finding the quest missing from the second floor board. None of their S-Class mages had claimed the quest which meant that someone had stolen it.

"Say what!? One of the jobs from the second floor is missing?" Wakaba asked.

"But the jobs up there are S-class. Anyone know who took off with it?" Macao asked.

"Well, it's either someone really strong, or really stupid." Laki replied.

"I know." Laxus called from the second floor. "A little, blue cat flew up here and ripped it off the board."

"It was Happy!?" Mira asked in surprise.

Several of the others remarked how Happy must have stolen it for Natsu and Lucy, while others remarked how stupid they were for taking on that kind of job. Considering the danger and difficulty that came along with S-Class quest, those who called them stupid and idiots were pretty much about right.

"That's a serious breech of the rules. Hey, Gramps, stuff like that will get ya kicked out of the guild, am I right?" Laxus called, sounding almost cheerful about that. "Not that it matters. It's not like those three losers are gonna make it back alive from an S-class quest."

Mirajane, angry with how Laxus was talking and acting, went up the stairs, approaching Laxus with hands on her hips. He should have more concern for his guild mates, not sound overly cheerful and amused at the idea of Natsu, Lucy, and Happy getting themselves hurt, or worse, killed.

"Laxus, if you knew, why didn't you stop him?" she asked.

"Oh, lighten up. All I saw was a blue cat flying off with a piece of paper in it's mouth, trying to act all sneaky. I had no idea it was Happy. Besides, Natsu's not cleared for S-class. I never dreamed he'd break the rules." Laxus said.

If Rette had been there in the guild hall she probably would have made a comment about how Laxus was the stupid one because, honestly, how many flying, blue cats did the man know? Either Laxus was really stupid or he had just came up with a lame excuse.

More than likely, it was the latter.

In which case, he was still being pretty stupid.

Laxus looked up at Mira as she turned a dark, displeased look on him. It was a look that normally would have scared some of the others. Especially given her past powers and abilities. But the look only made him chuckle.

"You haven't given me that look in a while." he remarked.

"This isn't good. Well, what job was it?" Makarov asked.

"For lifting the curse on Galuna Island." Mira replied, still giving a smirking Laxus a hard look.

"What!?"

People around the guild freaked out. Many claimed that the three were even dumber than they thought. To go to an island widely known as a cursed place, idiocy was the only answer.

"Laxus! Go and fetch them at once!" Makarov ordered.

"Yeah right. I've got better things to do, Gramps. And besides, everybody in Fairy Tail is suppose to be able to take care of themselves. Right?" Laxus replied.

"I don't care how you feel about Natsu. The fact is, you're the only one strong enough to bring him back by force!" Makarov told him.

Gray, who had been listening silently to the whole thing, stood up then, turning to look at Makarov. He didn't agree with Makarov on that statement.

"Sorry Master, but I'm afraid I gotta disagree with you." Gray told him.

In the end, Makarov sent Gray to bring Natsu, Lucy, and Happy back. A job that the ice mage had claimed he could do easily. But when the night and the whole next day passed with no sign of Gray and the others, Makarov had a good idea on what had happened. He was pretty sure that Natsu and Lucy had managed to talk Gray into joining them on the job. There couldn't possibly be any over explanation.

Laxus was still finding this all amusing and was still refusing to go and bring Natsu and the others back, claiming that it was none of his business. Mira had used a communication lacrima to contact Ezra to tell her to hurry back home. If Laxus wouldn't go and bring them back, than Ezra would. And truthfully...she would probably be more efficient in the task anyway.

"Mira." Makarov called.

Mira looked up at Makarov who had spent the time thinking. He was pretty sure that Ezra could handle the four on her own, but he wanted to be sure that she would get them back in one piece. For that, she just might need some help.

"Call Rette and have her hurry back as well." Makarov ordered.

Rette personally wasn't the strongest he could send, but this would give her some good experience working with others in the guild. Experience that Makarov could tell she needed. It was like the girl had never worked with anyone aside from Thyme in her entire life. The girl needed some human friends and she didn't seem to be very good at making them on her own. Not to mention that the girl didn't seem like the type to easily get talked into doing something she shouldn't. Laxus leaned over the rail to look down below.

"Rette, Master?" Mira asked.

"Ezra should be able to handle them by herself, but Rette would make the job all the easier for her given her Crystallization magic. And we all know she could use the experience working with others." Makarov explained.

Mira nodded and turned back to the lacrima to contact Rette. Rette was surprised when she finally got in contact with her. She hadn't expected Mira to suddenly contact her. Needless to say, it had the young girl's attention completely snagged.

"Mira? This is a surprise. I normally don't get calls from others." Rette said through the connection.

"Rette are you done with your recent job?" Mira asked, cutting to the chase.

"Yeah, I finished yesterday and am on my way back now. Did you need something?" Rette asked.

"Is there anyway you can get back soon? Master has an urgent job for you?" Mira told her.

Rette thought for a moment, her image in the lacrima turning as if she was looking behind her. She was probably looking at Thyme, silently asking her opinion on the matter. Finally she turned back to look at Mira. Her expression never changed from it's normal indifferent setting, but her eyes betrayed her interest in whatever job the master could possibly have for her.

"Well, it'll spend a little more magic energy than I was hoping to use, but I can be back in two hours tops. Maybe sooner. Will that work?" Rette asked her.

Mira nodded glad that Rette didn't deny her like Laxus had been denying Makarov. She told Rette to hurry before ending the connection. She turned to Makarov then.

"Rette is on her way." Mira told him.

Makarov nodded. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the two women to show up. Ezra would probably return sooner than Rette, since her job had been closer to home and Rette's. And sure enough, Ezra beat Rette back and had Makarov and Mira fill her in. They had just finished when the doors to the guild opened again.

"Hey Rette!" someone greeted from across the hall.

Laxus peered over the rail of the second floor having never met this Rette person. He was surprised when his eyes landed on the girl as she walked in, Thyme on her heels. She waved to those who greeted her as she headed toward the bar, a bag handing from one shoulder. Once again she was wearing an outfit consisting of short shorts, a tied on skirt, and, this time, a tube top with a sleeveless, short vest worn open over it. All of it in a mix of gold and black.

Rette hurried up to the bar, not stopping to talk to anyone. Thyme landed on her shoulder, wrapping her long tail around her neck. Laxus' eyes followed her as she crossed the hall. She was pretty, he decided, but he didn't know what to make of the aloof expression on her face. She almost appeared bored, despite the hurried pace of her steps.

"You called for me, Master?" she asked as she neared the bar.

"Yes. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy took off with one of the S-class jobs from the second floor. We sent Gray to bring them back but nearly two days have passed since then. I want you and Thyme to go with Ezra and bring them back." Makarov told her.

This really surprised Rette. She was pretty sure that there were stronger members in the guild that would have been more suited to a job like this. She was in no way close to being one of the strongest. And she was a new member too. She hadn't expected to be trusted like this so soon. If ever. Because of her shock, she didn't answer right away, causing Ezra to turn to her.

"Will you go with me?" Ezra asked.

"I don't have a problem with it. Right, Thyme?" Rette said, looking at her cat, who nodded in agreement.

"And who is this?" Laxus suddenly called from the second floor.

Rette took a step back from the bar and looked up at him. Laxus grinned when he got a look at Rette's odd colored eyes. Not to mention that from where he was sitting...he could see down her top. Rette didn't seem to care.

"That's right, you weren't here when Rette joined. Laxus, this is Rette Starrilia. Her and her cat friend, Thyme, are new members." Ezra said. "Rette, this is Laxus."

Rette tilted her head to the side as she looked up at Laxus who just had to add that he was the strongest member of Fairy Tail with a laugh. Ezra glared at him, but didn't say anything. Rette's eyes shifted to Ezra for a moment and then moved back up to Laxus. She hadn't seen him fight before and therefore couldn't honestly agree or disagree with his statement about him being the strongest. That didn't mean he had to get a big head and act all cocky and arrogant.

And yes, she knew that cocky and arrogant were basically the same thing.

She figured he deserved both.

"Huh..."

Everyone looked at Rette as her head tilted the other way, her eyes never once leaving Laxus. Laxus grinned back down her, thinking that she was staring at him so because she had fallen for his charm.

Boy was he wrong.

"You're quite the annoying man, aren't you?"

Most of those in the guild hall held back laughs as Laxus lost his grin at Rette's comment. Rette, her expression never changing, turned towards the doors, ready to leave and to blow off Laxus. He wasn't interesting enough for her to bother wasting her time on him.

"Are we going now, Ezra?" Rette asked over her shoulder.

Ezra smiled as she nodded to Mira and Makarov before following Rette. Laxus wasn't happy with the comment and the indifferent tone and look she had given him. But she was just another little bug scuttling across the floor under his boots. He didn't care what she thought.

Not one bit.

But, boy, had it gotten under his skin.

-0-0-0-0-

Rette found it...interesting, to travel with Ezra. The red haired mage traveled with lots of bags piled on a wagon, and with the current angry mood she was in, it was usually quiet. They made good time on the trip to the port city, Hargeon where Ezra and Rette, forcibly, took over a pirate ship, forcing their captain to take them to Galuna Island even though he had expressed wishing otherwise.

"Uh...why do you two wanna go to Galuna Island? It's scary." the captain said, turning to look at the two.

"Just shut up and steer." Ezra told him sharply.

Rette was currently sitting on a barrel, her legs and arms crossed. Her expression was still indifferent, giving nothing away, but, on the inside...she was fighting the need to hurl. Something about the swaying of the ship was making her sick to her stomach. Then again, any kind of swaying, rocking, or bouncing mode of transportation, made her stomach roll end over end. It knocked her balance so out of whack that she felt like she was tumbling around and around.

And thinking that made her stomach turn over, threatening to spill it's contents.

Thyme was resting on her shoulder which was her favorite perched, rubbing a circle in Rette's back with one paw, trying to sooth her. It did nothing to make Rette's stomach feel better, but at least she knew her feline friend was there for her.

"If you drop us off somewhere, you two can have the boat. Please I'm beggin' ya, ladies. I heard that island is cursed and anyone who steps foot on that soil is turned into a demon." the captain added.

"We'll take that chance." Rette remarked, keeping her tone even despite her rolling stomach.

Personally, she didn't believe in curses. Not of the likes the captain was describing. There was always a reason behind such things and all spells could be reversed if one was willing to look long and hard for the answer. So she wasn't really all that worried about this curse the captain was talking about. And Ezra didn't seem to be all that worried either.

"But why do ya have to go there!?" the captain asked.

"When rules are broken, the guilty must be punished. And that is all we can tell you." Ezra said.

Of course she earned the admiration of the crew, who fell in love with her coolness and beauty. A few even held a thing for Rette with her uninterested appearance as she sat there on the barrel and her "bravery" for wanting to go to the island.

Rette didn't care one bit.

To be honest, it wasn't really bravery. She didn't believe there was any danger for her. At least not from a curse. If anything was dangerous to her, than it was another mage or some kind of creature. Not a curse.

"Ezra, I have a question." Rette said, turning to look at the red head.

"What is it?" Ezra asked.

"Do you really believe this island to be cursed? Personally I don't believe that to be the case." Rette said.

"You may be right, but until we get there, we won't know the situation." Ezra replied.

"Are you really going to listen to what they have to say on the situation before you take them home?" Rette asked, stealing a knowing glance at Ezra.

"No. Our job is to take them back. Nothing more."

Rette propped an elbow on her top knee, dropping her chin into her awaiting hand. Ezra talked like she was going to be unwavering in her judgement when she found the others, but Rette didn't think that would be the case. No matter how tough Ezra was, she still had a beating heart in that chest covered in armor. As for Rette, she didn't feel any anger. She would do as the master asked her, but she didn't feel the anger that Ezra did.

Probably because Rette hadn't been with the guild long enough to feel as strongly about its rules as Ezra did.

"And I have a question for you, Rette, if it's not too personal." Ezra remarked.

"Oh? What is it?" Rette asked.

Her mind was split between fighting the urge to puke and listening to Ezra, her eyes on the sky since that made her feel less like emptying her stomach.

"Why did you decide to join Fairy Tail?"

Rette thought about her answer for a moment, thinking over how to answer it before she did. She had always been taught to ask herself the same questions when asked for information.

Would keeping the information to herself benefit her?

The answer to that in this case would be, not really.

Could the information be used against her?

Rette couldn't really see Ezra using the information against her, so that was another no.

And the last one...would her tattered heart take a blow from answering?

Rette didn't think it would. So she had no problem with answering Ezra's question.

"Well, I agreed with Master Makarov about the dark mages continuing to come after me without a guild to claim me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to find a decent job if I didn't have a guild, but truthfully...I don't know. I just felt...welcomed, and accepted sitting there in the guild hall. It had such a cozy, family feel to it. I must admit, that's something I've sorely been lacking in my life. So I thought, if I was going to join a guild, surely I would find no better one than Fairy Tail." Rette answered.

The answer obviously pleased Ezra for a smile fell on her face. She turned and laid a hand on Rette's shoulder, making the girl look up at her in surprise.

"And we're glad to have you." Ezra told her.

Rette nodded. She didn't usually show emotion, found it hard to express herself. Whenever she tried, the words just wouldn't come to her. And trying to express it physically was even harder since she wasn't an overly affectionate person to begin with. But that being said, she had meant what she had said. Every last word. She just hoped they would find Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Lucy in one piece. It would be a shame to lose four members right when she had just joined.

What a way to make a girl feel jinxed.

END

Kyandi: Sorry this chapter is so short. I don't really remember why it was so short but I do remember that I had a reason. Huh...that's going to bother me now.

Rette: You really should write that kind of thing down.

Kyandi: That's the thing...normally I do. I can't imagine why I didn't this time.

Rette: Too busy or in a rush?

Kyandi: Maybe. Oh well. I'm sure I'll remember it when I'm not thinking about it. That always seems to be the case. Once again, I'm sorry for the short chapter!

Rette: She's working on making them longer.

Kyandi: I promise I am, but when I feel that a chapter needs to end, it ends to end.

Rette: Perhaps we should wrap this up and get to their next chapter.

Kyandi: Right! Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return shortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	4. Dark Memory Lane

Kyandi: Greetings, my lovely readers. Sorry it took me so long.

Rette: We have returned, though.

Kyandi: Yep! And I bring you a new chapter. I've just had a lot of projects on my hands recently.

Rette: That is what you get for taking on more than you can handle.

Kyandi: Hey, Mr. Kettle, Mr. Pot called. He's says you're black.

Rette: What do pots, kettles, and their color have to do with this?

Kyandi: Oh heavens! You make me want to slap myself.

Rette: However you get your kicks...

Kyandi: Lets just move on! Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 4 Dark Memory Lane

Rette was beyond grateful when they finally arrived at the island and she was able to get back on solid ground. She really hated the swaying feeling of ships. It was why she was glad she had been born in a village smack dab in the middle of a mountain range, far away from water. Though, she couldn't help thinking that if she had been born in a port town, then maybe she might have been used to the swaying of ships on the water.

Maybe.

The moment they arrived, Thyme went in search of any familiar magic energies. Erza and Rette waited on the shore line until she came back to let Rette know that Lucy was nearby. Rette passed the message onto Erza and the two followed the little flying cat. What they found maybe Rette grimace. She had never liked rats. To find Lucy about to be flattened by a giant rat dressed like a gothic baby, was horrifying in the least.

Rette did not envy Lucy.

Staying off to the side, with Thyme sitting on her shoulder, Rette watched Erza taking down the rat, putting it down next to its fallen master. Lucy, over joyed to be saved, had completely forgotten the trouble she was in and called out cheerfully to Erza. When Erza turned a dark look on her, Lucy seemed to freeze in her tracks. Rette and Thyme tilted their heads to the side as they watched.

"Lucy, I assume you know why Rette, Thyme, and I are here. You do don't you?" Erza asked.

"To take us back?" Lucy guessed.

Lucy tried to turn on the charm, clapping her hands together and putting her best smile on her face. Rette could still tell she was scared out of her mind. Rette didn't blame her. Erza could be a scary woman.

"Promise you won't hurt me?" Lucy asked.

Rette could have told Lucy that it wouldn't work. She was too deep in trouble. Erza gave Lucy a stern look and the girl dropped to sit properly on the ground, her legs tucked under her and her head bowed. Rette had joined Erza at her side by then and was looking down at Lucy, her arms crossed loosely over her exposed stomach. Thyme's ears perking up drew Rette's attention up as Happy found them.

"Hey, I've been looking all over for you!" Happy called, oblivious to the trouble he was flying into. "I'm glad you're okay. I was wor-"

Rette turned to look at Happy as he froze, finally realizing who was with Lucy. In fear and a panic, he wheeled around and tried to fly away as fast as he could. Erza still caught him, bring him back, hanging upside down by his tail. Rette bent over and poked the blue cat, making him sway, but he was out of it from sheer fear.

"Now where's Natsu?" Erza asked.

"Listen, I'm sorry we came here without permission, but some really awful things have been happening on this island. There's this guy and his minions who are trying to revive a frozen demon! And the island's villagers are suffering because of this magic spell they're using. They turn into monsters!" Lucy explained.

Rette stood up straight, fixing her eyes on Lucy. Villagers turning into monsters? Rette had seen several types of magic in her years of traveling both alone and with Thyme, but she had never heard of a spell that could turn humans into monsters. Then again, she had never been overly fond of the dark arts and had never really paid them much attention, so for all she knew, there could be.

"We just thought, that if we worked together, we might be able to help them." Lucy asked.

"None of that is my concern." Erza replied.

"Please Erza, let us finish this job! We can't leave things this way!" Lucy exclaimed.

Lucy backed up with a gasp when Erza drew a sword, pointing it at her. Rette didn't move or say a word. She simply observed from where she stood.

"I don't think you understand. The three of you have betrayed Master Makarov. You'll be lucky if you walk away with your lives." Erza said.

Now that was going a little too far in Rette's opinion. She highly doubted that Erza would kill them or that Makarov would allow it. But she didn't say that out. She valued her head being where it was a little too much.

-0-0-0-0-

When Gray next awoke, he found himself in a tent located in a storage area that the villagers had take refuge in after their village had been destroyed. A village girl came up to him when he stepped out of the tent and explained to him what had happened. He was glad to hear that everyone had made it out alright and had asked where Natsu and Lucy were. The girl showed him to a tent where they were staying and, without a single suspicion, he walked inside.

Only to be confronted with the sight of Erza sitting on a stool, Lucy and Happy tied up beside her.

"You made me wait. Not smart." Erza said darkly.

Gray instantly tried to turn and run away, only to run smack dab into Rette's up-held hand. She caught him by the face and shoved him back a few steps. He stared at her in shock.

"Rette!?" he exclaimed.

Rette crossed her arms, blocking the exit. She wouldn't let him leave. He turned back around to face Erza, his eyes going to Lucy and Happy.

"Why are they tied up?" he asked.

"Lucy's got me up to speed with everything that's happened. I thought you were sent here to stop Natsu and these two fools. Needless to say, I'm disappointed." Erza said, getting to her feet.

"Where is he anyway?" Gray asked.

"That's something we'd all like to know." Erza replied.

"Thyme tried to track his magical energy, but this island is covered in a thick layer of magical residue from the spell that Lucy told us about. Thyme and I both, just get led in circles." Rette said, speaking up.

Thyme was sitting on a barrel off to the side, rubbing her nose with her paws. She sneezed and rubbed even harder, like she had something caught in her nose. Gray looked at the two before turning back as Lucy spoke up.

"The last time I saw him, he was fighting against the Cold Emperor's lackies. But when we went back to where the village was, there wasn't any sign of him. Wherever he is, I hope he's okay. Anyway, since we couldn't find him, Erza demanded we take her to you, but I had no idea where you ended up." Lucy said.

"So Thyme and I did some scouting from the air, and from up there, we could see that the villagers had moved into this storage area." Happy added.

Erza stepped past Gray, heading for the tent flap. Rette stepped aside, watching the scene before her.

"Okay. We're going to search for Natsu and then we're going back to the guild." Erza ordered.

"But we can't leave the island, just yet! If Lucy filled you in, then you know exactly what these villagers are going through, right now." Gray said, turning to her.

"And what would be your point?" Erza asked, giving him a glare.

Gray looked at her in a stunned expression. He turned his eyes to Rette, looking for some help but Rette's expression was indifferent, as it always was. She simply stood there, her arms crossed loosely over her chest.

"Rette and I came here solely to apprehend these fools for breaking the rules of the guild. I'm not interested in anything other than that." Erza told Gray.

"Rules!? Have you even seen what has happened to the people on this island?" Gray demanded.

"I have." Erza replied.

"And you're still just going to turn your back on them?" Gray asked.

"Their request is posted on the boards of every guild hall. The villagers would be better served by mages who are cleared for S class." Erza said.

"You mean...like you, Erza?"

Erza turned a menacing glare on Rette, but the girl was unaffected. She merely shrugged her shoulders. She had made a point and she wasn't sorry for it. Erza turned her attention back to Gray.

"You're not qualified." Erza told Gray.

"How can you be so heartless!?" Gray demanded.

Erza turned a dark glare on him. Rette didn't think Erza was being heartless. Just single minded. Of course, his outburst seemed to anger Erza and she requipped a sword into her hand, demanding if he, too, was going to break the rules of the guild. She pointed the swords tip at Gray, telling him that if that was the case, then he would face the same punishment. In response, Gray took hold of the sword, pointing the tip at his guild mark on his chest. He met Erza's gaze evenly, refusing to back down.

"Do what you must. For me, there's no other choice to be made. I can't walk away from what I know is right." Gray told Erza.

He released the sword and stepped around Erza to leave the tent. Rette let him past her and he stopped at the exit to look back at Erza.

"I'm seeing this through to the end and you can't stop me." he declared before leaving.

Rette looked at the tent flap as if fell back into place behind him and then turned her eyes to Erza. She could see the slight shaking of Erza's grip on her sword. Though she might be stepping over the line, Rette stood up straight.

"You know, Erza, he has a point."

Erza turned her glare on Rette, but the girl didn't even notice it. She had seen enough dark glares in her life that Erza's didn't effect her. She was pretty sure the red head wouldn't do anything to her.

"Can you really blame him for doing what he believes is right? Not to mention, think of how this would make Fairy Tail look." Rette said.

"What do you mean?" Erza asked.

"I mean, whether they are cleared for S class quest or not, they still showed up here, still promised to help these villagers. If they just up and leave without doing as promised, word will spread and the reputation of the guild will plummet." Rette replied.

Erza's dark look faltered. She stared at Rette as that sank into her head. Rette knew she had pretty much won the argument at that point. Erza, instead of saying anything, rounded on Lucy and Happy, freaking the two out.

"Please don't get mad at us! We don't have any control over Gray!" Lucy cried.

"He's not feeling like himself right now because he lost a fight to his old friend!" Happy added.

The two squeezed their eyes close in fear as Erza slashed at them with her sword. To their surprise, and joy, Erza cut through the ropes binding them and freed them.

"These events are intolerable. We'll deal with the immediate problems for now." Erza said.

Lucy and Happy cheered a thank you to Erza, though from the dark look on the red head woman's face, she still wasn't all that happy. She promised the two that they were still going to face punishment when they returned as she headed out of the tent. She shot Rette a hard look as she walked past her, but Rette didn't act like she noticed.

It was going to be an...interesting "stay" on the island, but maybe Rette could learn something about how guildmates worked together.

Maybe.

-0-0-0-0-

After Erza declared that they would stay and finish the job, Thyme returned from another scouting of the island to inform Rette that a strong source of magic was gathering at the temple and that, through it all, she had caught a wiff of Natsu's. The others watched as Thyme and Rette stared at each other for a long moment, before Rette broke eye contact and relayed the message to them.

"Wait...the two of you can talk without speaking!? How!?" Happy asked.

"We just can." Rette replied.

The four stared at her, eyes wide and jaw hanging in the case of the boys. Thyme climbed up onto Rette's shoulder, half hiding behind Rette's head as if it embarrassed her for others to know she could speak to Rette, somehow, without ever opening her mouth.

"What? Natsu was raised by a dragon, Happy is a talking and flying cat, and there are about a dozen other anomalies in our guild. How is this strange?" Rette asked.

Having made her point, Rette turned on her heel and started in the direction of the temple. The others looked at each other. They couldn't really argue with that. They followed her, the six of them racing towards the temple. As they ran, Gray explained to them about his old friend, Lyon and his wish to revive the demon, Deliora, so he could beat it and therefore, be considered stronger than their teacher.

"Are you kidding me? He seriously wants to fight that demon?" Lucy asked.

"Seems a bit idiotic, if you ask me? We are talking about a demon from the Book of Zeref." Rette remarked.

With that from the girl, Gray slowed to a stop. The others came to a stop behind him. For a moment he stood in silence. Rette wondered if she had said something to upset Gray. She didn't think so, but what did she know about interacting with others?

"Even back when we were kids, Lyon's always dreamed of surpassing Ur's magic ability. But since she's gone and he can't challenge her directly, he's decided its up to him to kill Deliora. Cause it's the one thing she couldn't do." Gray said.

"Well yeah. I guess that would be the only way to challenge someone who's dead." Lucy remarked.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"Listen. There's something...something I never got to tell him." Gray said, turning to face them. "I kept it secret. Ur made me promise to never let him know. But I have to. Ur may not be with us...but she's still alive."

Rette raised her gaze to look up at Gray. Had Gray, himself, said that Ur was dead? Now he was saying she was still alive. It was a good way to confuse someone.

"What do you mean?" Erza asked.

"It's been ten years. Deliora attacked my home town. I've never seen such destruction. The whole place was wiped out in less than a day." Gray said, starting the tale of how he met Ur and Lyon.

Rette's hand came to a rest over her stomach, fingers curling slightly, the nails biting into her skin as Gray described the destruction the demon had caused to his home. He may have never seen such a thing before...but she had. She had seen several similar scenes in her early childhood. The only difference was that they had been caused by a demon, but a mage. A mage with a heart as black as a night with no moon hanging in the heavens.

Gray told them of the vow he made, to bring Deliora down. How that vow had been the start of the whole thing and how Ur had taken Gray under her wing, teaching him, her Maker magic. Rette, Erza, Lucy, and Happy listened as Gray told them of how he had gone after Deliora and Ur and Lyon had gone after him. To save Gray, Ur had used the Ice Shell, the spell using her own body to lock the demon away in ice. Rette could understand how, in a sense, Ur was still alive. She was alive in the form of the ice that held the demon trapped in it's current state.

When the tale was done, they moved on, Rette half lost in her own thoughts. She could understand Gray's driving need to destroy Deliora back then. When someone lost everything to something or someone, revenge was the reasonable answer. At least most of the time. Mirajane had once told Rette that every mage in Fairy Tail had their share of dark past. Rette understood that too. The pain was what made them all try harder, made them all want to be better.

Rette was no exception to that.

Her past was just as riddled with heartache and pain, as any other member of the guild. The difference between her and Gray, though, was that Rette didn't want revenge. When she thought of her early childhood, of the horrors and hurt it held, she didn't feel the need for revenge.

She felt fear.

Fear, and hurt, and anger.

But the anger was a dull twinge compare to the fear and hurt. She had never sought out revenge, but had avoid facing the source of her pain, for she knew, she could never defeat it. She knew she needed to get stronger, to grow and improve. Only then could she even think of trying to over come the fear and face her past.

But she still had a long way to go.

-0-0-0-0-

"Hey guys, is it just me or does that temple look a little...crooked, right now?"

Rette's and Thyme's head tilted to the side as they looked at the temple. Lucy was right. It was definitely crooked. Rette corrected her head before she gave herself a krick in the neck.

"What happened to it?" Happy asked.

"I'll give you three guesses, but I have a feeling you'll only need one and it has pink hair." Rette remarked, hands on her hips.

"With that, I'm guessin' Natsu." Gray said.

"Me too." Erza agreed.

"I don't know how he managed to pull it off, but he's the only one who would do something that crazy." Gray remarked.

"I would think it obvious. Even in my short time with the guild I've realized that Natsu has a...knack for destroying things." Rette said idly.

"True enough. It's a pretty great idea, if he did it on purpose. Since the temple's tilted like that, the moonlight won't hit Deliora." Gray agreed.

"You mean his habit of destroying stuff actually came in useful for once?" Lucy asked.

Rette fixed her eyes on Happy as he freaked out about his head being stuck in it's tilted position. Thyme suddenly tensed on her shoulder, letting out a low, warning hiss. Rette rounded on the spot, just as Erza did. Rette saw the flash of sunlight on metal seconds before she cast her Sun Wings spell and dove into the air, avoiding strange looking weapons that came flying their way. Erza pushed Lucy and Happy out of the way and she and Gray jumped out of the way.

"Who's there!?" Erza demanded.

Hovering in the air, Rette looked down as cloaked figures came out of hiding, wielding the strange weapons that had been thrown at them.

"We've tracked you down, Fairy Tail!" one announced.

"We won't allow you to interfere." another declared.

"These guys." Gray spat with annoyance.

"Lyon's minions?" Ezra questioned.

Rette's eyes shifted back and forth, her dragon-like wings beating a steady beat in the air. They were completely surrounded by the minions. She didn't sense any strong magic from any of them, and only a handful of them even seemed to be mages.

"Erza?" Rette asked, looking at the red head.

"I can handle this myself." Erza replied, requipping a sword into her hand.

"You sure?" Gray asked.

"I'll take care of them. You go and settle things with Lyon." Erza told him.

Though he was surprised, Gray nodded. Lucy pulled her whip from her belt, snapping it as she got ready to join Erza.

"We'll fight with her. You just go do what you gotta do." Lucy told Gray, Happy agreeing.

"Here, Gray." Gray looked up as Rette offered him her hand. "I'll give you a lift to the temple."

Gray smiled, taking her hand.

"Thanks, you guys." he said.

Rette took hold of his hands, pulling him up off the ground. When she had him high enough, she switched her grip to hook her arms under his, locking her hands at his chest.

"Hold on tight." she told him before giving a mighty beat of her wings.

They shot into the sky before, with another beat of her wings, they raced towards the temple. Rette dodged a few of those strange weapons as they were thrown at her, but never faltered in her forward motion. Rette had to raise her chin to see past Gray's hair, but otherwise, she didn't seem effected by the extra weight.

"You sure I'm not too heavy for you?" Gray asked.

"No, you're fine. I had to do a lot of heavy lifting in my life. You're actually one of the lighter things I've had to carry." Rette replied in her usual aloof tone.

Gray glanced over his shoulder at her, catching sight of her face as her hair whipped back over her cheeks. Thyme was perched between the girl's shoulder blades, holding on tightly to her shoulders. Rette never once looked down at him.

"Thanks, Rette." he told her.

"Don't thank me, Gray. We're guildmates. Aren't we suppose to have each other's back? Isn't that how a guild works?" Rette asked.

Gray chuckled to himself. For all that she acted like a loner, when push came to shove, it seemed she was just as ready to jump to the aid of a guildmate as the rest of them were.

"Yeah, it is." he agreed.

"Just...be careful."

Gray glanced back at Rette again. He hadn't ever heard her express concern for any of them. She always seemed so sure they could handle themselves. As she had been when Erza had been arrested.

"I know what the drive for revenge can do to a person. It makes them do things that they normally would not. I don't know this Lyon, but it seems to me that his need for revenge and to live up to your master, has twisted his heart and mind. Be careful." Rette told him.

Was it his imagination or did he hear a little bitterness in her tone. Whether he had or not, he didn't know, for her tone instantly went back to it's normal indifference.

"I'll set you down at the temple, but then I will return and lend Erza, Lucy, and Happy, my help." she told him.

"Yeah. And I'll be careful." Gray told her.

Rette gave a curt nod. With a tilt of one large wing, she began to swoop down towards the temple. She tucked both wings in, dropping towards the steps and flared them back out to stop their sudden drop. Careful, she set him on the steps. Gray turned towards as she rose a few feet into the air.

"Try to keep Natsu out of trouble. We don't need him burning down the whole island." Rette told him.

"I'll try. Thanks again." Gray told her.

Rette shook her head, long silver strands of hair whipping around her. Thyme pawed a few strands away from her, but remained clinging to Rette's back, speechless.

"As I said before, don't thank me. I do what I can for my comrades." Rette told him.

With that, Rette dropped and swept out over the trees, heading back towards Lucy, Erza, and Happy. Gray watched her go.

Comrades?

It seemed Rette didn't quite get what Fairy Tail was about. But she would in time. That much Gray knew. Everyone, eventually, figured out that Fairy Tail was a family.

He just had a feeling it would take a little more with Rette.

END

Kyandi: Now who's the slow one?

Rette: Still you.

Kyandi: You're mean!

Rette: Am I? I wasn't attempting cruelty.

Kyandi: It was still mean!

Rette: My apologies, then.

Kyandi: Are you really apologizing?

Rette: Whatever it takes to get you to move on.

Kyandi: Fine. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye, bye!


	5. Bonds

Kyandi: Hey everyone. Sorry it took me a while. Life is throwing me for a loop that I'm not handling too well.

Rette: But she has thrown herself into her writing.

Kyandi: Right, so here's you a new chapter.

Rette: We won't make this too long.

Kyandi: Nope. So everyone enjoy and please review. I really could use some encouraging reviews right now.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 5 Bonds

"Anyone else find this to be repetitive and tedious?"

Rette said this as she dodged another attack by one of Lyon's followers. She had returned to Erza, Lucy, and Happy to find they hadn't made much progress with getting past the people. Every time they knocked down one of them, it was like they just got back up again. It was annoying and the only thing that had annoyed her like this in months was...well, Laxus. But that was because the man was so full of himself. This was different.

"Whether it is or not, we have to keep going." Erza replied.

"Joy." was the only reply Erza got from Rette.

Rette dodged a lunging attack from one follower, and sent the person stumbling back, falling onto his butt, with a solid kick to the stomach. At this rate, they would be exhausted before they ever joined Gray and Natsu at the temple. Rette bounced back onto her left foot, swinging her right up for another kick when the ground started shaking and a loud grinding noise filled the air. Rette, knocked off balance, fell backwards. Erza caught her, pushing her back to her feet.

"Thanks." Rette told her.

Erza nodded, turning to look around. Rette did too, Thyme landing on her shoulder and covering her sensitive ears with her paws. Rette reached up and pet her hand, silently reassuring her feline friend that it was alright.

"What's that sound?" Erza asked.

Lucy gasping had Erza and Rette both turning to look towards her. Rette saw what had caught her attention, almost instantly. In the distance...the temple had been returned to it's proper position. Rette marveled at the large scale magic it must have taken to fix the temple.

"Who wants to bet that Natsu is throwing a raging fit right now?" Rette asked, looking up at the temple.

Erza and Lucy agreed. After going through the trouble of wrecking the temple to begin with, it probably really ticked Natsu off for it to be fixed.

"We need to finish up here and get to that temple." Erza said.

Better said than done, in Rette's opinion.

She was close to saying screw it to the whole thing and crystallizing every last one of the followers. At least then they wouldn't be getting back up, or in the way. But she had a feeling that Erza wouldn't agree with the idea. Especially since Rette wasn't sure she turn them back.

The sun was setting by the time Rette found herself back to back with Lucy and Erza.

"Notice anything strange?" Erza asked.

"You mean besides their aggravating persistence?" Rette replied. "Why, yes, I have."

If it wasn't for the indifferent, aloof way in which she spoke, Erza and Lucy both would have sworn the girl was being sarcastic.

"Yeah. Even though there's a bunch of them, their magic seems weak for some reason." Lucy said.

"There are probably only a hand full of wizards among them. I had noticed the lack of magical strength too." Rette remarked.

"Exactly. As far as I can tell, there are only five wizards among them." Erza agreed.

"Aw, man. Guess that means I'm gonna have to go easy on them." Happy said.

Thyme and Rette both turned dubious looks on the blue tom. Lucy sweat dropped, Rette shaking her head. For a little scardy cat-no pun intended-Happy sure was making it sound like he was big and bad. Something he obviously **wasn't**.

Finishing the fight became their top priority and they finally managed it. In doing so they found out that the followers were the survivors of a town Deliora had destroyed. They had believed in Lyon and had wanted revenge so badly, they had followed his idea without questioning. Rette thought it was pretty blind, but she kept her opinion to herself. She was more concerned about Natsu and Gray. They left the followers behind and finally made it to the temple. No sooner had they entered the building, Rette was forced to clamp her hands over her ears with a gasp of pain when a roar suddenly bounced off the walls.

"What!? What is that noise?" Ezra asked.

"So loud!" Rette said, Thyme nodding in agreement as she clamped her paws over her ears.

"Wh-wha!? What was that voice just now!? I mean, was it really a voice!?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe it was your tummy, Lucy!" Happy suggested.

"You're probably kidding, but it's still annoying." Lucy informed him.

Rette wasn't listening to the two as she stopped beside Ezra. Thyme was still rubbing her poor ears. To her sharp cat ears, the roar had probably been ten times as loud as it had been for them.

"Could it be that Deliora demon they were talking about?" Ezra asked.

"No...can't be...It has revived already!?" Lucy asked, freaking out.

Rette shook her head at Lucy's over reaction. She doubted it was really cause for her to be that upset.

"Wait! I've seen that light before!" Happy said, pointing to a hole ahead of them where a beam of light was streaming through to floors below.

"The Moon Drip?" Rette asked.

Another roar pierced Rette's eardrums, making her wince and rub at her ears. Thyme let out a soft moan, pressing her ears down. Rette stroked her head, silently offering her comfort. There wasn't much more she could do for her feline friend.

"We heard Deliora's roar, but the Moon Drip ritual is still going on. Meaning, Deliora is not fully revived yet." Ezra mused.

"Meaning we could still stop it." Rette added.

Ezra nodded, scanning the room. When her eyes found a flight of stairs, she pointed to them, calling for the rest to follow her.

"Eh!? Deliora is down there." Lucy said.

"If we interrupt the ritual we can still stop the revival!" Ezra told her.

"A half revived demon is easier to deal with." Rette added in tone that could almost be considered joking.

Her companions turned their eyes to her in surprise, but Rette's expression was the same as always and her eyes were fixed forward as she ran. They weren't sure but maybe, just maybe...Rette had been joking.

When they reached the top of the stairs, they came out on top of the temple, the moonlight shining down on a single person. A person Rette instantly dubbed Pochi, because of his dog like features. Thyme, upon seeing him, hissed, her ears going back. She had never liked dogs. Not that Rette could blame her. She wasn't a big fan of dogs either.

Ezra flew past Rette, attacking the man to stop him and the ceremony. Lucy and Rette followed at a slower pace as the beam vanishing into the temple, faded away.

"Yay! Moon Drip stopped!" Lucy cheered.

"Wait. So he was the only one doing it?" Happy questioned.

"Seems so." Rette remarked, though she still had a prickly feeling on her skin from the magic in the air.

"It's too late already! You failed!" the dog faced man yelled from where he laid. "The ritual is done!"

Rette raised an arm, shading her eyes as the beam returned, stronger than before, lighting up the night sky with it's blinding light. Rette expected a surge of magic energy in the air with the release of the demon, but if anything...it seemed to fade instead. Rette walked to the edge of the roof and looked down.

"Erza. Lucy, Happy. Look." Rette called over her shoulder.

The other three joined her at the edge. Water streamed out of the temple, flooding into the ocean to be swept away with the waves. Rette guessed that was what was left of the ice that had sealed Deliora. The last remains of Gray's teacher being swept out into the vastness of the ocean. Curious as to what had happened, they went in search of Natsu and Gray, after Erza talked to Tobi, the dog faced man. When they found them, Happy flew at Natsu, over joyed to see him well aside from some mild injuries. Rette stayed, watching Lucy join them.

She watched as Natsu finally noticed Erza's arrival and tried to run away from her. Though he didn't get very far. Amused, though she didn't show it, Rette turned her eyes towards Gray, where he was helping Lyon to his feet. Though they had fought, and Rette was sure they would continue to have a rivalry between them, it was clear they were held together by a bond that just couldn't be broken.

No matter how hard they tried.

Thyme turned her eyes to Rette, raising a paw to place it on Rette's cheek. Rette looked at the feline, seeing the questioning look in her eyes. Rette reached up and scratched behind Thyme's ear, silently assuring her that she was fine. With Thyme assured, Rette turned back to watching the others. She couldn't help but think that it must be wonderful to have such bonds. People with those bonds always seemed happier, even when pain came their way.

Was it those bonds that made the pain easier to handle?

Or was it those relationships that made the pain go away completely?

Though Rette and Thyme were inseparable, when asked to describe their relationship, Rette couldn't do it. They didn't need each other, but they chose to remain with each other. Neither had to depend on the other, but sometimes it was just more natural to offer the help the other might need. There was concern there, sometimes, and they certainly looked for each other if the other was out of sight. Thyme was the closest thing to a best friend Rette could claim. Though she doubted the title really summed up what they were to each other, they were all each other had. But when it came down to it, despite that, they kept each other at arm's length.

Well...as much as they could.

It wasn't always easy given what they were capable of together, the literal magic they could use together, but they did it. More out of the need to give each other the space they both needed.

So Rette couldn't really classify it as the deep friendship the others had, though they were friends of some sort.

It was more like a mutual understanding of what the other needed and wanted.

Erza broke Rette out of her musings, calling out to her as they decided to move locations. Once moved, Natsu basically started bouncing around, cheering and yelling about how they had accomplished an S-class quest. Lucy joined in, gushing about the possibility of being allowed to go onto the second floor of the guild hall now.

"Do you think they will figure out that they haven't accomplished anything?" Rette asked Erza lowly.

Erza heaved a sigh before turning to the others, a scarily stern look on her face. A look that had the four of the freezing on the spot as they finally realized that they were still going to get punished for having taken off with the quest in the first place.

"Oh no! That's right, we're still gonna get punished!" Lucy cried.

"You have something to take care of before that." Erza said.

When they only got confused looks in return, Erza heaved a sigh again.

"Wasn't the original goal of the quest to help the villagers with their turning-into-demons problem?" Rette asked, watching as it dawned on them.

"Your S-class quest hasn't ended yet." Erza said firmly.

"B-but Deliora died...and so the curse on the village should be..." Lucy scrambled for a reply.

"No...that phenomenon you call the curse isn't because of Deliora. Moon Drip's enormous magic power harmed people. There's no way this situation will change because Deliora collapsed, right?" Erza corrected.

"The harm has already been done." Rette agreed.

"Oh no!" Lucy cried.

"Then let's go heal them real quick!" Natsu cheered.

"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.

"How?" Gray asked.

Rette, who was standing close to Gray, turned and looked toward Lyon, who was sitting a little ways away from them. Seeing where she was looking, Gray turned to his old friend, asking him if he knew what was going on.

"I dunno." Lyon replied.

"But if you guys don't know about it, how will we break the curse?" Lucy asked.

"We've known about the existence of the village ever since we came to this island three years ago. Though, we didn't interfere with the villagers at all. They've never visited us, either." Lyon replied.

"Never, for three years?" Erza asked.

Rette looked at Erza, the two's eyes meeting. Even Rette found that strange. The Moon Drip ritual was big and bright. It should be visible all over the island. Rette knew she would have been curious as to what was going on. There's no way the villagers wouldn't have been tempted to find out what was going on on their island.

"Come to think of it, the light of the Moon Drip should've shone down on the ruins every night. It's weird that they've never investigated this place." Lucy said, speaking Rette's thoughts.

"I have some doubts about the Moon Drip's influences on a human body." Lyon said.

"What? Don't tell me you're saying "it's not our fault"." Natus mocked.

"No, he has a point."

All eyes turned to Rette, who had her arms crossed lightly over her stomach, her head tilted to the side in thought.

"What do you mean, Rette?" Gray asked.

"Think about it. Lyon and his followers...have been exposed to the Moon Drip this whole time as well." Rette argued.

Seeing her point, they turned to gape at Lyon. It was true. Lyon and his followers had been exposed to the Moon Drip for just as long as the villagers, and yet, they showed no changes. Lyon nodded, agreeing with Rette.

"Be careful. They're hiding something. Well...I guess from here on it's the guild's job, right?" Lyon added.

"I won't let you...you destroyed the village and-"

Erza cut Natsu off by reaching out to grab his face, stopping the movement of his jaw. Rette was pretty sure that Erza was remembering what Tobi had told her about all of Lyon's followers being victims of Deliora's destruction and how Lyon was simply avenging them.

"They had their own justice. There's no use complaining about the past. Let's go." Erza told Natsu, turning him to lead him away.

Rette followed, leaving Gray to say whatever he wanted to Lyon. She didn't really get bonds like Gray's and Lyon's but she knew when someone had something to say to someone else. Gray rejoined them soon enough and they made their way to the storage area where the villagers had been camped out. When they arrived, they found the place empty of the villagers.

"This is where everyone was?" Natsu asked.

"Yup, cause the village was destroyed. But...what happened?" Lucy questioned.

Gray vanished into a tent to grab some first aid supplies while the rest of them looked around. Rette scanned their surroundings. It didn't look like the villagers had been attacked or anything. There were no signs of a struggle. Not that one person could have taken the whole village anyway. A villager suddenly calling out to them as he ran into the area, drew Rette's attention. He begged them to follow him back to where the village had been at one point.

Rette and Thyme looked at each other, both wondering what could be going on. Thyme shrugged her shoulders and shifted to sit on Rette's shoulder, her tail wrapping around the girl's neck. They joined their guildmates in following the villager. What they found, had Rette's eyebrows snapping down in confusion.

The village had been returned to it former state and was no long the crater it had been when she, Thyme, and Erza had arrived. Rette had never seen magic like this and she was sure that was what it was. She could still feel a slight magical presence in the village that seemed to coat everything. It had Thyme raising her nose to sniff the air.

She might have questioned it further but she was drawn in by the conversation Lucy was having with the leader of the village. Something about destroying the moon for the villagers. Erza, also drawn into the conversation, insisted that destroying the moon was a simple enough task.

Rette had to wonder what strange mushroom Erza ate.

But she asked no questions, just went with it. Erza had the villagers gather up and she questioned them further about why they never investigated the strange light from the Moon Drip. To Rette's amusement, Erza, while pacing, fell into a pitfall trap that Lucy had set up before the village's destruction. For some reason, that had been restored as well, causing the woman to fall in. Erza, as if nothing had happened, climbed right back out and continued where she left off.

Rette thought it was hilarious, though no one would have guessed it by looking at her.

When asked why they didn't investigate the ruins, the village leader replied that it was a village rule, a tradition, not to approach the ruins. Lucy pointed out that with how severe the situation was, that wasn't really a good excuse. To which Rette agreed. With that the leader told them the truth. How they had tried to investigate the the ruins but for some reason, even if they walked a straight line, they always ended up at the village gate once more. They couldn't get close to the ruins.

Rette's brain started ticking away then, connecting pieces from what she knew of the magic preformed at the temple. It was all starting to add up, though the answer was a little out there for her. Erza seemed to have figured it out too and, after requipping her armor, announced that she was going to destroy the moon. With Natsu's help. The two climbed to the top of a watch tower, leaving the others on the ground below.

"Destroying...the moon...even if its Erza, I don't think that's possible." Gray said.

"H-How...is she gonna do it?" Lucy asked.

"It's Erza. I have a feeling she'll manage just fine." Rette remarked idly as she watched.

Of course, this made the others stare at her, but she didn't pay attention to it. With Natsu's added fire power, Erza threw her spear, sending the thing rocketing into the sky. To those below, it looked like the spear actually managed to reach the moon, cracking it. But as they watched, the cracks increased beyond the moon, shattering what appeared to be a shell over the island, instead of the moon. It shocked the villagers as well as Lucy, Gray, Natsu, and Happy. Rette wasn't so shocked.

"What's going on!?" Natsu asked.

"It's a layer of evil." Rette remarked.

"A layer?" Happy asked.

"Yes. Think of it as exhaust fumes produced by the Moon Drip. They crystallized and created a layer in the sky. That's why the moon looked purple." Erza explained. "You figured it out, Rette?"

"It was a form of crystallization. That is a field of specialty for me. It explains why I felt like the island was coated in magic and why Thyme couldn't sniff out magical energies easily." Rette explained.

She shrugged when her guildmates turned surprised look on her. When it came to any kind of crystallized magic, she was the person to turn to. It just took having the right information for her to figure out what was going on.

Erza went on to explain that the villagers weren't being turned into demons by the Moon Drip, but had been demons from the start and simply had their memories effected by the magic of the Moon Drip. It was even revealed that the villager leader's son, who was thought to have been killed, was still alive. To celebrate, they held a feast. Rette bowed out gracefully about half way through. While she was starting to like her guildmates, being the center of attention was something she just didn't like. She liked crowds even less.

The next morning, they gathered their things to leave. Erza refused the seven million jewel reward, though she took the golden gate key for Lucy. It had Gray and Natsu complaining, but Rette didn't really care one way or the other. She wasn't hurting for money. What Rette did care about...was the fact that she had to get back on the ship.

"A pirate ship!?" Gray exclaimed.

"Don't tell me you two hijacked it!" Happy added.

"I did not hijack anything. That was all Erza's doing." Rette replied.

"No! I don't want to ride that!" Lucy complained.

To which Rette agreed.

"If you're gonna swim, I'll accompany you." Natsu told Lucy.

Though Rette hated the idea of the rocking and swaying ship, she would rather deal with that than have to swim the distance between the island and mainland. Lucy agreed and they all boarded the ship. Rette was more than happy when they finally reached the dock and was even more happy when they finally reached Magholia. She was going to take what money she had saved up until then and find her a home. It was about time she finally began to put down roots somewhere.

She left the others the moment they got back into town, letting them continue on to the guild. She already had another job lined up and wanted to head out right after she found herself and Thyme a home. The others wished her luck and continued on their way.

Before leaving on her last job, Rette had found an ad about a house on a cliff overlooking the sea. She would be able to walk out the back door and be greeted with the fresh air off the ocean. And if she wanted to go to, she could even see the Fairy Tail guild hall. The owner was selling, and it was far more than just renting a place, but Rette wanted a home of her own.

The house was a two story, white stone and oak building with large, arched windows, a purple tiled roof, and a balcony on the second floor, over looking the cliff side. Rette feel in love with it at first sight. She only had to glance around inside to decide that she wanted the house. Thyme readily agreed. Mostly because she loved the little tower off the side of the house that housed a small room just big enough for the cat to use as her own.

Rette paid for the house and took a seat in the window seat of the living room to see what she had left. The was completely empty and she would, at least, need a bed before the day was up. Thyme went exploring the house, flying up the stairs to look around the upstairs. Rette counted out what she had left. It was enough that she could find herself a bed and a few other necessities for the house.

"Thyme."

The cat came drifting into the room from the kitchen. She seemed happy enough with the house and the smile on Thyme's face made Rette feel pride at her choice. It was to be Thyme's home just as much as hers after all.

"What say we go shopping for some necessities?" Rette asked.

Thyme nodded eagerly. They wouldn't have to leave for their next job just yet, and Rette wanted to have a bed for when she came home. The two headed out to go shopping. It was easy enough to find a bed Rette liked for a good price. They even found a small, child size bed for Thyme to use. Rette ended up spending most of her remaining money on things she knew they would need. Pots, pans, plates, cups, and cutlery for the kitchen, towels and other toiletries for the bathroom, a dresser for Rette, curtains, a rug for Thyme's tower bedroom, and a table and chairs for the kitchen. The rest would have to wait for when she came home.

Using her Crystal Minions, Rette crated the items home and she and Thyme went about the process of starting to make the house, their home. It wasn't much, but it was just a start. Thyme was more than happy with her new little personal space and Rette loved the large, fluffy, feather bed she had set up opposite of the balcony doors in her room. It was a start.

For all of her life, or at least a majority of it, Rette had lacked a home in her life. It had just been aimless traveling, from one place to the other. She had no where to call home and the lack of stability in her life had messed with her for sure. But now...now she had a guild, she had a home. Two things she had sworn she would never dare to have.

And the feeling was great.

As they left the house, to head out for their next job, Rette looked around, taking in the arched doorways, wooden floors, and stone steps. Slowly, but surely, she was making a home, a place she could always come back to.

What more could she ask for?

-0-0-0-0-

Across town, the situation varied greatly from Rette's and Thyme's happy moment with their new home. Erza, Gray, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had returned to the guild hall to find it had been destroyed, metal beams protruding from the very walls.

"What happened here?" Erza questioned, the others looking up at the guild hall with various degrees of shock and anger.

"Phantom."

The group turned to find Mirajane behind them, her eyes down cast in sadness.

"It's mortifying...but we were done in."

Just when they had succeed at something great, they came home to find this. No matter the reason, Fairy Tail wouldn't stand for it. Mira lead them down to the basement where they had set up temporary base. Walking into the basement, it was doom and gloom all around the room. Many were drowning their sorrows in their drinks. Even Makarov was drunk.

"Yo. Welcome back." Makarov greeted them in slurred cheer.

"This isn't happy hour, is it!?" Natsu yelled at the old man.

"Oooh, right you are." Makarov agreed. "How dare you go on an S-class quest without permission!? Punishment! I'll give you your punishment now! Prepare yourself!"

"It's not the time for that now!" Natsu yelled back.

Makarov gave each of them a wack on the head with a very stern "Bad!". Except Lucy, who he smacked across the backside.

"Master! Behave yourself." Mira scolded, hands on her hips.

"Master! Do you understand our current situation!?" Erza asked.

"They wrecked our guild!" Natsu added.

"Well, calm down. It's not something to make a fuss about." Makarov insisted.

Needless to say, this shocked them. Makarov simply chugged more of his drink, either too drunk or too upset to throw a fit like Natsu was.

"Phantom, right? This is as far as those idiots'll go. I don't see why they even bothered to attack an empty guild." Makarov remarked.

"Empty guild?" Erza asked.

"It seems they did this in the middle of the night. Normally Rette would stay late, to help clean up for me. I'm glad she was away with you." Mira said.

"There's no need to get cross with someone that resorts to surprise attacks. Leave them be." Makarov said, waving a hand idly.

Natsu slammed a hand down on the table, no where near ready to accept that. It was their guild home, the home of their family. This wasn't acceptable in any way.

"I can't accept it! I won't feel right until I smash them down!" Natsu yelled.

"This discussion is over. We'll take on job requests here until the first floor is fixed." Makarov declared.

"We don't have time for jobs!" Natsu insisted.

"Natsu! Cut it out!" Makarov snapped, raising his hand.

Instead of hitting Natsu, he smacked Lucy across the butt again, earning another scolding from Mirajane. Makarov ignored her and jumped from the table, declaring that he had to use the restroom. Natsu tried yelling at him, but the old man was gone.

"Natsu...I'm sure Master is just as shocked as us. But warfare between guilds is prohibited by the council." Mira told Natsu.

"They were the ones who attacked us first!" Natsu argued.

"That's beside the issue." Mira told him.

"If this is how Master feels about it...we have to accept that." Erza said, though she, just as well as the others, wasn't happy about it.

Whether she said that or not...none of them were ready to accept it.

END

Kyandi: This chapter ended up coming out longer than I meant for it to.

Rette: The result of her throwing herself into her work.

Kyandi: Yep. My eyes hurt from staring at a computer screen for so long, but I feel good.

Rette: We won't hang around long. She has other chapters to work on.

Kyandi: That I do. So everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We will be back as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye.


	6. Protecting My Own

Kyandi: Hello, everyone. Guess who is back?

Rette: Turn-off Turnip?

Kyandi: **NO!** That is an inside joke not to be repeated. Especially not in your indifferent tone!

Rette: You keep saying it a lot, so it got stuck in my head.

Kyandi: No excuses! I'm sorry everyone. While the joke is funny, Rette should not be saying it.

Rette: Then quit saying it over and over when I'm trying to sleep. Things said around me repeatedly when I'm sleeping, get stuck in my head.

Kyandi: Then maybe I need to repeat other things while you're sleeping.

Rette: Like?

Kyandi: *whispers in ear*

Rette: ...I will slay you.

Kyandi: Hehe! Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette:...

Kyandi: Say it.

Rette...no.

Kyandi: Do I need to threaten you?

Rette:...Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Kyandi: Good girl.

Rette:...

Chapter 6 Protecting My Own

After a long night in which Lucy had to share her room with not only Erza but Natsu, Gray, and Happy, the next morning found Lucy, horrified, in the park. Someone from Phantom had hung Levy, Jet, and Droy from a tree, after having beat them all three pretty badly. The emblem for Phantom had been drawn on Levy's stomach. Makarov made his way through the crowd, his anger obvious in the very air that surrounded him.

"Wrecking our shoddy bar I could bear with...but no parent can remain silent after seeing their children's blood." Makarov said, crushing the very staff in his hand. "This means war."

Lucy stayed behind, to watch after Levy, Jet, and Droy while the rest of the guild made their way to the Phantom guild hall, seeking revenge for the injury to their guild mates and for the destruction of their guild hall. Unknown to the others in Fairy Tail, that was what the Phantom Master, Jose, had been hoping for. Despite Jose's plan, they took the members of the guild by surprise, busting into the guild hall with all the destructive force at Natsu's disposal.

With Makarov at the lead, Fairy Tail plowed through the Phantom guild members, destroying anything in their way. Phantom fought back, but with anger fueling them, and the element of surprise on their side, Fairy Tail had the upper hand.

"'Erza! I'm putting you in charge here. Jose is probably at the top floor. I'm gonna tear him a new one." Makarov called to Erza.

Erza nodded, calling for him to take care. As soon as Makarov vanished up the stairs in search of the other master, Gajeel joined the fight, dropping in front the rafters above. He attacked, hitting both friend and foe, a grin on his face. Natsu took him on, Dragon Slayer for Dragon Slayer. Much to Gajeel's joy. Of course, jumping in to the fight with Gajeel meant using Elfman as a stepping stone, but Natsu didn't notice or care. He was seeing red and the source of that was Gajeel.

From above there was a crash and whole building shook, announcing that Makarov had found Jose.

"This is gonna get ugly." Gray remarked, a wary grin on his face.

"This is Master Makarov's "Fury". A giant's fury...no one can stop." Erza said in agreement.

Screams of fear rose from the Phantom members as the meaning behind that sunk in. Upstairs, though, things took a turn for the worse. The Jose that Makarov though he had found turned out to be just a projection of the real man. He wasn't really even in the building. With that projection, Jose revealed that the whole point of the recent attacks was so he could get his hands on his true goal; Lucy. While Makarov was preoccupied with what Jose was saying, one of Jose's Elemental Four, Aria of the Sky, appeared behind Makarov, using a spell to completely drain Makarov of his magic.

It sent the old man crashing down to the first floor, far below. Members of Fairy Tail, all over the building, stopped, staring in horror at the fallen form of their master. Erza rushed to his side, picking him up. None of them could sense any magical power from Makarov. With Makarov down, Fairy Tail's morale fell and the battle shifted in the favor of Phantom. Seeing that it was going down hill for them, Erza called a retreat. She would not see more of her comrades fall when they had lost their master.

Over hearing Gajeel's conversation with Aria about Lucy being kidnapped while the rest of Fairy Tail was there fighting, Natsu grabbed one of the Phantom members, instead, insisting that member tell him where their headquarters was. With that man in tow, Natsu went in search of Lucy. Finding her was easy, saving her almost even more so. Seeing how Lucy, after kicking Jose between the legs, had jumped from her cell, sending her free falling to the ground below. Catching her was an easy task and Natsu took her home, back to their guild.

They arrived to find that Makarov had been taken to Porlyusica in hopes that she could heal him and restore his magic. The rest of the members were busy either bandaging wounds or planning their next plan of attack. Lucy sat and watched the others from the side lines. She had told them all about Phantom's true reason behind the attack. How her father had hired them to bring her back and how attacking and destroying Fairy Tail had just been an added bonus for them. Knowing that, the others knew that Phantom wasn't going to give up. They would come after Lucy again.

Knowing that, Cana went to work using her card magic to try to locate Mystogen while Mira used a lacrima to contact Laxus.

"No good! I can't find where Mystogen is!" Cana grumbled.

"I see...That's too bad." Mira replied.

"If their target is Lucy, then they'll come to attack us again. Many are injured...we'd be in a tough spot." Cana added.

"Master is seriously wounded. We cannot find Mystogen. Even Rette is gone and her light magic might help. You're our only hope...Laxus." Mira said, looking at the lacrima where Laxus' image was reflected back at her.

" _Huh?_ "

Laxus made a face into the lacrima.

"Please come back...it's an emergency." Mira told him.

In the lacrima's image, Laxus laughed, a hand pressed to his face. Though what he found so funny, they didn't know.

" _Serves that shitty geezer right! It doesn't concern me. Go ahead and take care of it yourself_." Laxus told them.

"Laxus!" Cana exclaimed.

" _Isn't that how it is? That geezer started this fight. Why do we have to clean up his mess?_ " Laxus asked.

"Lucy, our comrade, is being targeted." Mira replied.

" _Huh? Who's that? Ah...that big boobed, blonde newbie, huh. Tell her if she becomes my woman, I'll help out. And tell that geezer to hurry up and retire so he can give me the master's position._ " Laxus said.

"How dare you..." Cana growled.

" _Hey, hey...is that how you talk to someone when asking a favor? Why don't you just strip for me? Or better yet, that Rette girl! I'm pretty weak for sexy_ -"

Laxus was cut off when Mira shattered the communication lacrima. She was shaking from her anger and disbelief, tears running down her face.

"I cannot believe it...is such a person...really a member of Fairy Tail..." Mira said. "Fine, next time, I'll fight, too!"

"Wh-what are you talking about!?" Cana asked.

"Cause I was here, but Lucy got kidnapped, and..."

Cana cut Mira off by laying a hand on her shoulder. She gave the shoulder a squeeze, trying to comfort her.

"No. You'll be a burden to the others in your current situation. Even though you are a former S-class mage." Cana told her. "And we still have Rette. She might not be Mystogen or Laxus, but she'll be one more able body fighter."

Mira nodded, wiping tears from her face. They got out a new communication lacrima and contacted Rette. Rette, due to her crystallization magic, had been able to craft her own, mini-communication lacrima, which she carried with her at all times. Mira connected to that and Rette answered pretty quickly. The girl's indifferent image appeared in the lacrima, one eyebrow raised in questioning. The last time they had called her, she had been requested to return to join Erza in bringing Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Happy back from an S-class quest. She wondered what it could be this time.

" _Mira? Is something wrong?_ " Rette asked.

"Rette. Are you close to coming home?" Mira asked.

" _I just finished my job yesterday. I'm making my way home now. Is something wrong? You look like you've been crying._ " Rette remarked.

Though she wasn't always observant of what was going on, too focused on other things, Rette could prove to have very keen sight when she wanted to. This time she picked up on the fact that Mira had been crying. Mira gave her a weak smile. She explained to Rette what was going on, Rette listening intently as Mira told her everything. Mira chose to leave out what Laxus had said about Rette. She didn't think that Rette would be too pleased with what Laxus said.

"Master's seriously hurt, we can't find Mystogen, and Laxus refuses to return...Please tell me we can count on you to come back." Mira said.

In the lacrima, Rette seemed to be in deep thought. She half turned, as if someone behind her had called her attention. Her eyebrows furrowed down for a moment, but then she gave a nod and turned back to face Mira. Rette had probably been looking at Thyme for her opinion on the situation. When she looked back at Mira, her expression was the normal aloof one, but her eyes were determined.

" _You're my guild mates, Mira...no matter what you need, I'll come. Give me two hours tops. I'll be back as fast as possible._ " Rette said.

Mira and Cana's faces lit up with smiles. Mira knew she could count on Rette. For all that she didn't show much emotion and didn't react to much, she was a devoted to the guild. She would come and she would do so as fast as she could.

"Thank you, Rette!" Mira told her.

" _Don't thank me, Mira. Never thank me. I might not be well acquainted with how guilds and friendships work, but I do know one thing...you protect what's your's. And Fairy Tail is my guild. I'll be there as quick as possible._ "

With a nod from Rette, she ended the communication but not before seeing the smiles on Mira's and Cana's faces. Rette stared at the lacrima in her hand before sliding it back into the bag hanging from one shoulder. She stood outside the inn she had stayed at the night before and Thyme was currently sitting on the low gate beside her. She gave Rette a curious look as Rette made sure the lacrima was safely tucked into her bag.

"We have to go, Thyme. Quickly. Our guild needs us." Rette told Thyme.

Thyme nodded and jumped to Rette's shoulder. Rette took off down the street, weaving her way past others as she headed for the edge of the town she was in. Once she was clear of the town, she would use her Sun Wings spell to make her way, quickly, back home. It would use magic energy she would rather preserve, but she had promised she would return as quickly as she could. She had a couple of magic potions that would restore magic energy used, though. Thinking about that, she started searching the pouches on her bag for the small vials.

Doing that, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and rammed into someone. She bounced off a wide chest and just barely kept her feet. Thyme growled deep in her throat and when Rette looked up at the person she had run into, she understood why. Looking back down at her...was Laxus.

"Oh...it's you." Rette said in a bored and indifferent tone.

A nerve ticked at the corner of Laxus' left eye. She had been about to apologize, but the moment she saw Laxus, that apology had flown out the window.

"Is that any way to greet a person? A person you just ran into?" Laxus asked.

"Look, I really don't have time for you and your annoying ways. Unlike you, I'm heading back to help our guild mates. If you'll excuse me." Rette replied, trying to step around him.

Laxus stepped back into her way. Rette looked up at him, but didn't let anything she was feeling show on her face. That would only encourage him to keep getting in her way. She looked back up at him, meeting his gaze square on.

"You're being annoying again." she told him, rather bluntly and rudely.

He was really growing tired of her way of greeting him. In the few times he had seen her around the guild hall, he had never seen her speak to any of the others this way. Only to him. He had no idea why, either. He was a great person.

Not that Rette seemed to share his opinion of himself.

"Why are you rushing back there? The old geezer got himself in that mess, he can get himself out of it." Laxus told her.

"That doesn't matter. It doesn't matter to me whose mess it is. Someone is attacking our guild. I don't care about your reasons for not going. That's your choice and no one has the right to tell you other wise. But this is my choice. My guild is in danger and I protect what is mine. Stay here if you want, don't back if that's what you wish. That's your choice, but I'm going back. Now move, you silly, annoying man." Rette told him.

Even if her tone and expression were indifferent, Laxus swore he saw a fire blaze in her eyes. But before he could check that, she stepped around him and continued on her way, Thyme hissing at him over her shoulder. Laxus turned to watch her.

"But just so you know...you can't honestly want to be master of something you aren't even willing to defend now when it needs help." she called back to him.

Before he could say or do anything, she vanished off down the street. What did she know? She couldn't possibly understand anything. If she wanted to rush back there and get beaten with the rest of the guild, then that was her choice.

But seriously...why did she insist on calling him annoying!?

-0-0-0-0-

If things could get worse, then they did. Not even an hour after contacting Rette, the very foundation of the Fairy Tail guild hall began to shake, startling those currently resting and plotting their next move in the basement. Concerned and freaked out, everyone rushed outside, Erza even rushing out of her shower, to find a guild hall, moving on robotic legs, heading their way across the water.

"Wha-what is that!?" someone yelled as it approached.

"The guild is walking!" Wakaba exclaimed.

"Is it Phantom?" Macao asked.

No one answered, but with Phantom's emblem all over the walking guild hall, it was hard to think it was anyone but Phantom. Horror and fear colored everyone's faces as they watched the spider-like guild hall get closer and closer.

"I never imagined...they'd attack us like this." Erza said, her eyes wide.

As they watched, part of the build shifted, opening up to reveal a cannon. It extended out, taking aim at the Fairy Tail guild hall. Erza felt a chill go down her spine. No matter what it was, she knew it was bad. She rounded on the others, yelling for them to take cover, get down, something. She turned then, heading away from the others and closer to the water line, requipping into her Herculean armor, declaring that she would not let Phantom take down Fairy Tail. She would defend her guild where, at the moment, the injured Makarov couldn't.

Natsu tried to stop her, but Gray held him back. There was nothing they could do but believe in Erza to defend them and not die in the process. Lucy, Natsu, and the rest of the guild watched in mortification as the cannon was fired. Erza met the blast, head on, standing her ground as best she could. Even with the high defensive power of her armor, bits of it began to crumble away in the wake of the cannon's power. Finally, Erza was blown back, knocked to the ground. She had saved the others, their guild hall, but had suffered damage for the task. Natsu and Gray ran to her side to check on her.

"After Makarov...now Erza is unable to fight too." came Jose's voice over speakers. "You don't stand a chance. Hand over Lucy Heartfilia right now."

Protests and shouts of denial instantly went up from the other Fairy Tail members. They would not betray a comrade like that. She was apart of their family now and they wouldn't hand her over for anything. Lucy stood in their midst, crying at how guilty she felt. Her guild mates were hurt, their guild hall a mess, their master injured, all because of her. For them to continue to defend her...the guilt was over whelming.

"Our answer won't change no matter what! We'll take you down!" Natsu declared.

"Then we'll fire an even bigger and stronger Jupiter! Now struggle in this fifteen minute terror until it's reloaded!" Jose proclaimed.

As if the thought of another blast wasn't bad enough, phantom soldiers were unleased upon them. Jose would spare no mercy for the members of Fairy Tail.

"Feel the pain, Fairy Tail. You have two choices. Get killed by my soldiers, or die by Jupiter." Jose announced, malice in his voice.

"Impossible... is he going to kill his men with Jupiter as well?" one man asked in horror.

"H-he's just threatening us...he won't fire it..." another added.

"Yes...he will." Cana insisted. "That's Jose's magic, "Shade". They're not human. They're just ghost soldiers that Jose created. Rette's light magic would come in handy right about now. But that aside...we have to do something about Jupiter."

"I'll go smash it down!" Natsu declared, pounding a fist into the palm of his other hand.

"Natsu..." Cana whispered, looking at him.

"Fifteen minutes, right? I'll do it." Natsu insisted.

Happy scooped Natsu up, carrying him to the Phantom guild hall. Gray and Elfman followed him, declaring that they would help, leaving the others to deal with the phantom soldiers. Mira, to protect Lucy, dragged her away, intending to send Lucy to a hideout to wait out the fight. Lucy refused to go, claiming it was her fault that all of the fighting was happening and she would stay and fight with the others. Mira insisted that the others didn't see it that way and when it looked like Lucy was going to continue to protest, Mira used a spell to put Lucy to sleep. She then had Reedus take Lucy away and transformed herself into Lucy, hoping to fool Jose long enough for Natsu and the others to take down the cannon.

Mira remained in the guild hall with the unconscious Erza, watching the fight from the shattered windows. Time ticked down the fifteen minutes, the others defending as best they could against the phantom soldiers while they prayed that Natsu would destroy the cannon in time. Just when the cannon was powering up, about to fire another blast on them, Natsu came through, destroying the cannon from the inside. There was an explosion and the cannon began to crumble.

Cheers went up from the Fairy Tail fighters. Jose was furious for having lost his cannon. He gave the order and the walking guild hall shifted, transforming into a mechanical giant, with arms as well as legs. The giant approached the Fairy Tail guild hall, only stopping when it towered over it. The arms started moving then, drawing a magic circle in the air.

"It's a magical seal! This building thing is a mage!?" Cana exclaimed.

Mira gasped when she saw the spell the giant was casting. Abyss Break. A forbidden spell that would not only destroy their guild hall, them with it, but the whole town. Mira, after learning that her brother was inside the giant along with Gray and Natsu, left the guild hall, refusing to sit back any longer. She ignored the pleas of the others to stay back.

"I'm the one you're after right?! Stop attacking the guild right now!" Mira yelled, drawing Jose's attention to her.

But Jose just tsked lowly under his breath as he looked down at Mira.

"Disappear, little impostor." Jose said, much to Mira's surprise. "I knew right from the very start that Lucy wasn't there. There's no way that the person who was targeted would be sent to the front lines."

Mira's shoulders slumped in defeat. She felt useless, standing there. What else could she possibly do? She thought of Elfman and how it was dangerous for him to be fighting. Distracted, she didn't see the giant reach for her until the giant hand grabbed her. Yells rose from the others.

"Attempting to deceive us...I don't think I like you, girl. I'll just smash you to pieces." Jose declared.

Mira cried out as the hand started to squeeze her. From where she was, she could see through a hole in the giant's chest. Elfman was there, fighting Sol of the Elemental Four. Seeing his sister in that state pushed Elfman over the edge and he performed a full-body Take Over. Something he had not attempted since the death of his younger sister. He defeated Sol. To Mira's surprise, he retained control of himself and freed her. The two then noticed that the giant was drawing the magic circle as a slower pace. Mira quickly figured out that the giant was powered by the Elemental Four and by defeating them, it slowed down. With that figured out, they headed into the giant to let Gray and Natsu know.

Down below, fighting continued. Many were growing tired, burning through their magical energy quickly as they fought. Cana staggered, dropping to one knee in a spell of dizziness. Macoa turned to her and yelled her name when two phantom soldiers were on her instantly. Cana's head snapped up, her teeth gritting but neither could reach her before a whip made of light lashed out, cutting them in half and burning away the last remains of the shade magic that had formed them.

"That magic..." Cana muttered before looking up into the sky. "Rette!"

Rette swooped down, her Sun Wings spreading to allow her to hover over the ground. She had a whip of light in her left hand and Thyme was sitting on her right shoulder. Cheers of delighted greeting rose from many of those near her.

"Are you alright, Cana?" Rette asked.

"Yeah. You got here faster than you said you would." Cana said, pushing herself to her feet.

"Motivation can add a little fuel to the fire when you need it." Rette replied.

Cana grinned at that. Rette turned and looked around her. Everywhere she looked she saw her comrades, beaten and tired, fighting off phantom soldiers. She could find hide or hair of Erza, Gray, Natsu, Happy, or Lucy. Or even Mira and Elfman for that matter. Rette turned back to Cana.

"Fill me in on what's going on here." Rette said.

Cana quickly explained everything to her, quickly supplying Rette with answers as to the whereabouts of their missing guild mates. Rette nodded, hands on her hips. Whenever a phantom would come too close, she would crack her whip out, either driving them back or lashing them in half, the light of the whip burning away their existence. The phantoms seemed drawn to Rette's wings of light, as if they wanted to snuff out that light.

"I see. Well then...allow me to give you a bit of a break so you can catch your breath." Rette informed her guild mates before she rose into the air. "Thyme, stay with Cana."

Thyme dropped from Rette's shoulder to sit on Cana's. She gave Rette a wave and Rette nodded back as if she had understood some unspoken message from the feline. Rette spread her wings and rose above the battle ground, looking down at the fighting below. She had come across a few mages with shade magic. Phantoms made from that shade magic were drawn to light, instinctively wanting to snuff out all light they found. Ironically, light magic was a sure fire way to destroy them. Rette put two fingers to her lips and let out a sharp whistle.

Every single one of the phantoms stopped in their attacks and turned to look at Rette, who had turned to present them with her back, letting them see her wings clearly.

"Come and get them, boys." Rette called.

As if mesmerized, the phantoms surged towards Rette, forgetting about her comrades. Rette dropped and took off flying, the phantoms following close behind. She drew them away from her guild mates, making sure to stay out of reach of them. Whenever one would jump up in her path, trying to stop her, she would lash them in half with her whip.

This gave her guild mates time to catch their breaths and regain some strength. Many of them watched as Rette weaved and bobbed, dodging the phantoms only to turn around and destroy a few. Every time Rette would destroy one, Thyme would throw her paws in the air in a silent cheer for her partner.

"It looks like she's playing Follow the Leader." Max remarked.

The others watching had to agree. Watching the phantoms chase after Rette no matter where she went or how she moved, was like watching ducklings playing Follow the Leader with their mother. It would almost be comical if it wasn't for the Abyss Break being cast in the background.

"How you doing, Rette?" Macao called out.

"Fine. Relentless creatures, aren't they?" Rette called back, swooping down to skim over the ground, the phantoms on her heels.

"We should jump back in now." Wakaba said. "Can't leave it all up to Rette."

Rette shot up like a bullet avoiding a sand spell that Max cast to drive the phantoms off her heels. Rette did a little flip in the air and glided down towards the others, coming to a stop a foot off the ground.

"We'll take back over, Rette. Thanks for the breather." Macao told her.

"You sure? I have more magical energy to spare than you. I can keep going." Rette replied.

"Then you should take that magical energy and go help Natsu and the others inside that thing." Cana told her.

Rette looked up towards the giant. The others followed her gaze up to the giant as well. By now it had visibly slowed down.

"It's been way more than ten minutes, and that spell still hasn't activated." someone remarked behind Rette.

"Ahh, this is driving me crazy! When's it gonna end!?" someone else asked.

Rette didn't know the voices well and she didn't turn to see who had spoken. Her eyes were on the slow movement of the giant's arm as it drew the magic circle.

"Hey...that giant...isn't it moving more slowly than before?" Laki asked as she gripped her injured arm.

"Natsu and the others must be desperately doing everything they can to slow it down in there. We can only pray for their success. Rette, you should join them." Cana said, turning her eyes to Rette.

Rette didn't think she could offer much in the way of help. Teamwork had never really been a necessity in her life so she didn't think she was the best with it. The others were use to fighting with each other, if not against each other in Gray and Natsu's case.

"Are you sure?" Rette asked.

"Yes." Cana said, nodding.

"Take me with you, Rette."

Rette and Cana turned finding Erza standing there. She still looked like crap and Cana instantly insisted that Erza needed to go lay back down. But Erza refused to listen. She turned her eyes on Rette, determination bright on her face and in her eyes.

"Take me with you, Rette." Erza demanded once more.

Rette had seen a look like that before. She had learned that a person didn't mess with people with that kind of look in their eyes. It was like playing with fire and she preferred not to get burned. Rette also knew that Erza was stronger than she looked. She could take a hell of a beating and keep going. And Rette knew she would have been angry if she had been left behind when there was something she could do. Which was exactly how Erza would feel if Rette said no. It was for that reason alone that Rette agreed with a nod.

"Rette!" Cana protested.

"Look at her face, Cana. Would you honestly want to stand in her way when she's ready to punch a hole in someone's face?" Rette asked.

Cana looked at Erza, her face draining of a little color as she thought about that. Without another word, Cana stepped out of the way. Rette nodded and flew up behind Erza, slipping her arms under Erza's to lift her off the ground. Thankfully, Rette had found herself having to jobs in the past that called for her lifting and carrying heavy things, great distances. So, though heavy, Erza wasn't too much for Rette. With a mighty beat of her wings, Rette rose into the air, carrying Erza.

"Thyme, stay here and help the others. I'll call if I need help." Rette said.

Thyme nodded once and saluted Rette. With a nod, Rette flew off towards the giant. Erza must have trusted her because she didn't seem concerned that Rette might drop her.

"I'm glad to see you're alright enough to walk around." Rette told her.

"And I'm glad to see you came back." Erza replied.

"Of course I did. I'm not Laxus."

Erza cracked a wary smile at that one. So even Rette could joke, huh?

"Let's find Natsu. We find him and we'll probably find Master Jose. We'll get revenge for our guild." Erza declared.

Rette nodded. She might not have been apart of Fairy Tail for long, but it was her guild, her new home. She wasn't about to lose something she had just found and she would hurt anyone who tried to take it away.

First on that list...Master Jose.

END

Kyandi: I now have an image of Thyme throwing her paws up in the air like she's yelling, "Goal!" or something.

Rette: She can be an amusing thing to watch sometimes.

Kyandi: I kind of wish I hadn't written that part. Now every time I think of Thyme, I'm going to see that image and image a thought bubble with one word in it...

Kyandi & Rette: "Goal!".

Kyandi: I'm weird aren't I?

Rette: You're talking to an imaginary character you thought up one night while sitting alone in your house...weird doesn't even begin to describe it.

Kyandi:...You know, you could have lied.

Rette: *shrugs*

Kyandi: Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	7. Shared Hearts

Kyandi: Greetings my beautiful/handsome readers!

Rette: You couldn't choose one or the other?

Kyandi: No, it's beautiful for my female readers and handsome for my male readers.

Rette: Who says you have male readers.

Kyandi: Shush! Anyway, I got a sudden rush of muse for this story, so I have a few chapters for all of you.

Rette: Which she will have to post over the next few days because she's busy teaching a crafts class in her church's vacation bible school.

Kyandi: What? I always do crafts.

Rette: Because you're mentally five.

Kyandi: Whatever. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 7 Shared Hearts

Rette found a broken window and dropped into the building, making sure not to get either her or Erza cut. From there it was just following the trail of mass destruction in the building to find Natsu. Erza and Rette found Natsu caught in a losing battle with Aria. Natsu had been caught in Aria's grip, the Phantom Lord mage using the spell he had used on Makarov. Erza tapped Rette's hand and gestured down sharply. Rette nodded her understanding.

She flew over Aria's head...and dropped Erza.

Erza landed with a foot planted in Aria's face, knocking the mage away from Natsu and onto his back. Erza jumped away from Aria, landing between Natsu and Aria. Rette swooped down, landing on her feet, her wings fading away.

"Erza! Rette!" Happy called in happiness.

Aria staggered to his feet, correcting his hat. Rette, personally, would have been put out flat on her back for a good while if Erza had landed on her face like that.

"O-oi...are you sure you should be moving around? Those wounds...Rette, why'd you bring her!?" Natsu complained, looking from Rette to Erza.

"This guy did that to Master..."

Erza's voice was dark, low, and the anger in her tone was clear to all with ears. The sound of that tone had Natsu jolting where he stood. Rette glanced at Erza and turned to Natsu, raising one eyebrow at him.

"You still want to ask me why I brought her? Would you have told her no?" Rette asked.

Natsu grimaced. He didn't say another word against it. Rette gave a nod and turned back to watch as Aria turned to face Erza.

"How very sad...for the necks of the Salamander and the Titania both to be handed to me..." Aria remarked.

"Guess I'm chopped liver." Rette remarked, running a hand through her hair.

"The one who dared to touch the old man...that was this guy, right?" Erza asked.

Rette's eyes dropped to Erza's hands as they clenched into fist at her sides. Rette hadn't really seen Erza angry. A little steamed, yes, but not furious. Rette had a feeling that it was a sight she could live her whole life without seeing and was about to get a view of.

"If I am going to be fighting against the mighty Erza...even I shall have to take this seriously." Aria said, reaching up to remove the bandages tied over his eyes. "Come at me. Erza."

Rette ground her teeth together as she got a good look at Aria's eyes. She could feel his magical energy increase as the wind around them kicked up, blowing Rette's tied on skirt up, sending her hair lashing around her. She was grateful she wore shorts with her skirt. It if wasn't for how tightly Rette made sure to tie her knots, her tied-on, scarf-like top might have even been sent flying as well. She pressed a hand to her hair, holding it out of her face. Ezra on the other hand, didn't seem bothered by the increase in wind.

Then it hit.

Rette grit her teeth as it suddenly felt like a great pressure was put on her body. It felt like all of her power, all her energy, was being drained from her and it made her feel sick to her stomach. It took all she had to remain on her feet.

"I have activated the Airspace of Death, "Zero". This airspace consumes all life." Aria explained.

Rette braced her hands on her knees to hold herself up. She was glad she had left Thyme behind. To expose the small feline to this...Rette wouldn't have been able to live with herself. Natsu's yell of pain reached Rette's ears, but Rette managed to keep her own yell to herself.

"Erza!" Rette gasped, her voice sounding pained even in her own ears.

"Magic that consumes life...Why do you find it so easy to steal people's lives away!? You bastards!"

Erza's angry voice drifted to Rette over the thrashing winds around them just as one of Rette's knees gave and she fell to one knee. She heard her name leave Natsu on a gasp and soon he was at her side, checking on her, despite being in the same situation. Rette assured him she would be fine, though if she had to endure this much longer, she doubted that would be the case. How Erza not only remained standing, but attacked Aria with sword in hand, was beyond Rette.

"I wonder...can you survive this airspace?" Aria asked, readying himself for Erza's attack by casting another spell on her.

"Erza!" Natsu called in concern.

The pressure on Rette's and Natsu's bodies was suddenly released as Erza cut through the spell, requpping into her Heaven's Wheel armor and attacking Aria. To Natsu's and Happy's shock, Erza took Aria down in one attack. Rette was just glad to have the pressure off her body. She took a deep breath and let it out in relief. Natsu ran to Erza's side as she collapsed. Rette knew she had been pushing herself. The building though, gave a great shudder, which made Rette's stomach drop. She braced herself as the building felt like it had dropped several dozens of feet.

She took that to mean that the giant had been stopped and was just glad when the building stopped moving. She moved over to Natsu's and Erza's side, looking down at Erza. She reached out a hand, sweeping Erza's hair out of her face before checking her pulse.

"She should be alright. She's just going to need a lot of rest." Rette told Natsu.

Natsu and Happy both heaved a sigh of relief. Rette was relieved as well. Natsu held Erza in his arms, glad she was alright.

"Are you alright, Rette?" Natsu asked.

"I'm fine. Unlike you, I haven't taken a beating. I'm just feeling a little sick to the stomach after the building suddenly dropped like that." Rette told him.

Natsu nodded like he felt the same way. Given his motion sickness, she was sure he did. Rette sat back on her heels, wondering what they were going to do now that the giant had been stopped and the Elemental Four dealt with.

"All you Fairy Tail members out there."

Rette, Natsu, and Happy looked up as Jose's voice sounded through-out the building. Rette was sure even those outside the building would be able to hear him.

"We have succeeded in capturing Lucy." Jose announced.

"Again? I thought Mira sent her to a hideout." Rette said.

"No way." Happy exclaimed as Natsu grit his teeth.

"Our first objective has been achieved." Jose said.

Rette felt her blood run cold in her veins when Lucy's scream sounded over the speakers. Natsu started shaking from his anger. Just as her blood had run cold, it suddenly turned boiling hot. They were hurting Lucy. For no good reason, they were hurting her. Rette had rarely ever felt this level of anger and she didn't like it. No more than she liked the idea of someone hurting one of her guild mates.

"I'm sure you all heard that. We have but a single objective remaining...to slaughter the lot of you. Disgusting brats."

With that, Jose's voice cut off and silence fell over them once more. Rette clenched one fist, staring down at it as she thought.

"Why, those..."

Rette glanced over at Natsu. His voice shook so much, he couldn't finish the sentence. Rette understood his anger. He felt he needed to protect what was his, that much she understood at least. The world they lived in excelled in taking away what a person cherished most. If they wanted to keep what they deemed as their own, they had to fight to protect it.

"Natsu..."

Rette and Natsu looked down as Erza called Natsu. She opened her eyes and looked up at Natsu. Rette shifted to face Erza.

"Release...your power..." Erza told him. "There is...still...an untapped power...sleeping within you...Believe in yourself...make it through...and awaken...it...The time is right. Lucy...the guild...protect them. Now, go! Natsu! You are the man who will surpass me!" Erza told him.

Rette reached out then, surprising Natsu as she carefully took Erza from him, easing the woman into her lap, cradling her head on her shoulder. Rette looked up at him, expression firm.

"Go, Natsu. Save Lucy. I'll take care of Erza." Rette told him.

Natsu smirked, and nodded. Flames already exploding from his body, Natsu ran off in search of Lucy, Happy flying after him. Rette looked down at Erza when Natsu was gone from sight. Rette, careful of Erza, eased herself back to sit down, settling Erza in her lap.

"You really pushed yourself too far, Erza." Rette told her.

Erza chuckled to herself, letting Rette pull a handkerchief from her pocket and wipe her face. Though Rette had little experience with people, Erza found her touch gentle as she saw to her injuries. She could tell how much Rette was coming to care about their guild just by how she took care of her.

"You would too." Erza said in confidence.

"I wonder about that." Rette replied.

"Erza!? Rette!?"

Rette and Erza looked up, finding Elfman, Gray, and Mira rushing their way. Mira's relieved smile was bright when she saw Rette. The three rushed over to them, Mira spotting Aria laying on the ground not far away.

"What are you doing here?" Gray asked.

"Don't tell me...you actually fought somebody in this state!?" Elfman said, looking at Erza.

"Or did you do it, Rette?" Gray asked.

"Oh no. Not me. About all I've done so far is give the others outside a breather while those phantom soldiers chased me around because of my Sun Wings spell." Rette replied.

"Then, the one who defeated Aria was you, Erza?" Mira asked.

"I didn't want you to see me in such a pitiful state...though Rette's been here the whole time. Looks like I've got a long way to go, huh?" Erza said.

"Right now, rest is more important." Rette told her.

Erza smiled at her. Rette turned to Mira, about to say something when a chill shot right through her, freezing her on the spot. The others felt it too, freezing as the chill shot through them as well.

"Wh-what is this sensation!?" Gray asked.

"Uugh! I feel a chill unbefitting a man!" Elfman added.

"Feels like a dark void of killing intent." Rette remarked lowly, shivering from the chill.

Slow, low clapping reached their ears then, making them all turn. Walking their way, a dark look on his face as he looked upon them, was Jose. Rette's grip on Erza tightened as she realized that the feeling she was getting, was coming from Jose. The feel was close to being too much like _**his**_. So close that it almost froze her completely on the spot.

"My, my...what a wonderful show you all put on." Jose said. "I never honestly expected you to provide me with this much entertainment."

"I take it, that's Phantom's master." Rette said lowly.

"Yes." Mira confirmed.

"His magic is making me feel ill." Rette said bluntly.

Mira nodded in agreement, a hand pressed to her mouth. Rette glanced at the others. She was the only one not beat up even a little. But with Erza in her lap, she couldn't do much to help in the way of fighting. Rette eased Erza to the floor and got to her feet, but then Gray and Elfman stepped between Jose and Mira, Rette, and Erza.

"Well then. I must thank you for providing me with all this entertainment. I've had my fill." Jose announced.

"Get away!" Erza yelled to Elfman and Gray.

Rette covered her head with her arms as Jose attacked to two males, knocking them out flat with one attack, kicking up a strong gust of air. This kind of power...it made her whole body feel cold. Mira cried out for their fallen comrades and Erza started pushing herself up off the floor. Rette would have stopped her if Jose hadn't attacked again. Rette jumped for her closet comrade, grabbing Mira around the waist while casting her Sun Wings spell at the same time. She jumped into the air, carrying Mira with her. Even then, the wind kicked up by the attack knocked Rette back, sending her crashing into a wall. She managed to cushion Mira's fall with her own body, though.

"Rette!" Mira cried in concern.

"I'm fine. Just a bruise." Rette assured her as she released her.

Both looked up as Erza attacked Jose, but Jose swung out another attack. Rette and Mira got caught up in it as Erza dodged it and it sent the both of them flying across the room. Rette could only spread her wings to slow her speed and brace herself for impact. She hit the wall hard, but not hard enough to do a lot of damage. Rette shifted forward, climbing over a pile of rubble. Before her, Erza was facing off with Jose.

"You...I seem to remember you took the force of Jupiter head-on. How can you possibly stand?" Jose asked.

Rette wondered that herself. She was glad to see that she wasn't the only one that questioned the impossible anomaly that was Erza Scarlett. Thankfully, neither seemed to notice her. That was good. It would give Rette the chance to jump in and help the moment she saw an opening.

"My family makes my heart strong. If I'm fighting for those I love, I care not what happens to this body." Erza told Jose.

"Such admirable strength of heart...yes, you are truly a woman worth killing." Jose said, a grin that sent chills down Rette's spine, on his face.

Rette stayed hidden, watching the fight, waiting for him to be in just the right position. Just when she thought she had an opening, the build shook, pieces of the roof falling to the floor below. Rette swallowed her urge to get sick when the floor felt like it dropped once more. The whole rollarcoaster experience had never set right with her stomach. Sudden drops or twist, only made her stomach feel like it was going to bottom out. It took her a moment to get her stomach to calm down.

"That dragon does like to rampage." Jose remarked.

"Looks like Natsu got underestimated in his fight. His...his power is on a level with mine, or perhaps even stronger still." Erza replied.

"Quit with the modesty, Titania. Your magical ability is truly magnificent...in truth, no other mage has ever managed to last so long against me." Jose bragged. "Why, if you had not already been damaged by Jupiter, this may well have been quite some battle. I just can't stand the thought that another mage of that level could exist in Makarov's guild!"

Jose's next attack hit Erza hard, sending her flying back into a wall hard enough to crack the stone under her. Despite the damage, Erza landed on her feet, only to have to dodge another volley of attacks.

"Do you understand why it is that I never killed Makarov outright? Despair. It was to show him despair. How would he feel to open his eyes and find his beloved guild and his beloved children all completely destroyed? Such sorrow he would feel." Jose said.

Twisted didn't even began to describe this man. But Rette had met a man more twisted, far sicker than Jose could ever manage. It didn't stop her blood from boiling at his words though.

"I will kill that man only once I have made him know despair and sorrow! I cannot simply kill him! I must make him suffer, suffer, suffer to the very end! Phantom Lord was always the number one guild. In this whole country, our magic was unsurpassed, our members' talent was unsurpassed and our funds were unsurpassed! But then, in the space of a few years, Fairy tail came to power. Erza and Laxus, Mystogen and Gildartz...their names spread as far as my own hometown, and rumors of the Salamander spread throughout the whole country. Before I knew it, these two guilds, Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail, came to represent this country. I just couldn't stand it...them, who started out as a shitty, pathetically weak little guild!" Jose ranted.

Jealousy? This whole, stupid thing was about jealousy!? Talk about pathetic. Jose didn't have anything better to do with his time than to start a war with them just because he was jealous. Rette wanted to be sick right then and there. How twisted did a person's heart have to be to be like this, she wondered. She didn't understand it. Not one bit.

"Are you telling me this war is all because of some pathetic little jealousy?" Erza asked, attacking Jose.

That's right, just a little more and Rette would have her opening.

"Jealousy? That's not it. We just wish to make it painfully clear who is truly superior here!" Jose replied.

Erza spotted Rette then as she readied herself. She knew, the moment her eyes locked with Rette's what the girl was planning. She backed Jose up further with another swing of her sword, working him into position for Rette.

"For...for a stupid reason like that!?" Erza asked.

She went to swing again, trying to push him further towards Rette, by was wrapped up by Jose's power and lifted from the ground.

"Oh, that guild has been getting on my nerves for a long, long time. But the trigger for this war was a trivial little matter. We received a request to recover the young heiress of the Heartfilia family. The daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the country had joined Fairy Tail!? How "great" did you have to become before you would be satisfied!? If you had free access to the Heartfilia funds...then your power would finally have truly exceeded our own! And that was the one thing that I could never forgive!" Jose yelled.

Erza grinned. Behind Jose, Rette had hard, stone cold eyes set on his back. To Erza's eyes it was almost like the very hair on Rette's head was fluffy out in her anger. Gone was the aloof expression, her face taking on a cold look that could terrify a lesser person into begging for their lives. To Erza, at that moment, Rette looked like a predator, stalking it's prey, ready to pounce without any mercy. Erza had no doubt that Rette would have no mercy for a man like Jose. Jose was surprised by Erza's grin, unable to figure out what she was smiling about.

"It's pretty damn pathetic of you to get so heated up about who's the "best" but...what's really shocking is how terribly...your information gathering resources...are." Erza told him, distracting him.

"What's that?" Jose demanded.

"Lucy ran away...from home...D'you really think...we could use her money?" Erza asked. "She lives in a 70,000 jewel rented house...she works her ass off...just like...all the rest of us...she fought with us...laughed with us...cried with us...She's one of the mages of our guild. You're telling me that was the trigger of this war? Lucy, the heiress of the Heartfilia family? A flower can't choose the place where it blooms...and a child can't choose the parents she's born to. What the hell do you think you know about Lucy!?"

"Pathetic doesn't even began to describe it."

The low voice, filled with subtly hidden malice, sounded from behind Jose, making him twist to face the magenta-lavender eyes of Rette.

"Light of Creation...Ignite!"

T

The spell blew up in his face, turning the very light in the room into flames. Jose was taken by surprise enough that he lost his grip on Erza. Erza dropped to the floor, dragging a deep breath into her crushed lungs.

"Take a breather, Erza. I can't do much, but I can give you that much." Rette told Erza.

"No, Rette!" Erza exclaimed.

Rette turned a firm look on Erza, shocking her. Whatever else Erza may have thought about her, Rette, couldn't let this slide.

"I don't need to be protected, Erza. No matter how hurt I get...this is my guild too! I can fight just as well as you can. I don't need protection." Rette told her.

Erza stared at her in shock, but Rette turned back around to face Jose. Rette wasn't as strong as Erza, she knew that. If she wanted to burn herself out in one go, then maybe, **maybe** , she could muster up enough power to land an attack close to being as strong as one of Erza's. As she was at the moment though, she knew she couldn't do it. But she was fast, she was cunning and sly. She could hold off Jose long enough to give Erza time to catch her breath and prepare for the next attack.

The smoke cleared and Jose's furious face appeared, glaring at Rette. Rette had managed to singe off one side of his mustache and the sight of it was almost enough to make Rette laugh. Almost. She managed to keep the smile off her face. Focusing solely on him was probably the only thing that saved her from an attack that otherwise would have knocked her through a wall. Rette jumped into the air, casting her Sun Wings spell. It was in that moment that she realized she had been using that spell quite a bit lately.

Odd time to realize something like that, but oh well.

Rette hovered upside down, arms crossed.

"Did your mother never teach you that it's rude to raise your hand to a lady?" Rette asked, her tone once more indifferent now that she had gotten her emotions under control.

Jose did not take that comment well. Rette rocketed up, avoiding another attack. Her attacking strength might not be near Erza's level, but she had evasive skills among the best. She had once heard someone refer to her, when she was using her Sun Wings, as a fly.

Impossible to catch and annoying as hell.

Rette had to agree that it was an accurate description.

"A light magic user." Jose sneered.

"Wrong." Erza said, a grin on her face.

Jose glanced at her, but had to focus his attention back on Rette as she switched her left hand for her right. Instead of the yellow-white glow of her Light of Creation magic, a blue-purple glow shined around her hand.

"Crystallization...Abiding Stars."

Crystals formed in the air, taking the shape of stars. With a flick of her hand, those stationary, crystal stars, became fast moving, shooting stars. Jose shattered them as they tried to attack him, but they simply reformed and continued their attack. A few landed a cut or two but nothing serious. But it was enough to cover Rette as she landed. Jose growled as the swatted the last of the stars away. When he rounded on Rette, one hand was shining the yellow-white and the other the blue-purple.

"Light of the left, Crystal of the right," Rette's voice rang clearly as she brought her hands together with a resounding clap.

The two colors mixed, turning into an emerald green. A magic circle matching that color appeared. Erza was surprised. This had to be Rette's Unison Magic. Jose was even surprised. A mage that could basically preform a Unison Raid, by themselves.

"Dancing Light Crystals," Rette's arms flew out, the magic circle growing rapidly to encase most of the room and just coming short of reaching Erza and their comrades. "Decimate!"

The spell activated, the circle glowing before shards of crystallized light formed. Those shards glowed...before simply shattering and blowing up. Everything inside the magic circle was ripped to shreds, wind kicking up dirt. Erza raised an arm to shield her face. The force of the millions of tiny explosions, shattered a hole in the ceiling before microscopic shards of light rained down on the room. It looked like someone had taken tons upon tons of glitter and had rained it down on their heads. Smoke cleared to show Rette standing in the middle of a circle of destruction.

Her eyes were already on the search for Jose. She knew she hadn't gotten him with that attack. He was a guild master after all, one of the best mages in all of Fiore. It would take more than her little Decimate spell to hurt him.

"Rette, behind you!"

Erza's yell came too late. Rette whipped around only to be hit right across the chest with Jose's next spell. Her eyes went wide as she was knocked back off her feet and sent flying into a wall. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs, but before she could slide to the ground, she was seized in a tight grip. It felt like a giant hand was banding around her body, squeezing until a squeaky cry spilled from Rette's lips.

"You annoying, little fly." Jose growled.

And there was the fly comparison again.

"Die already!"

Rette grit her teeth. Wind whipped past her face as Jose threw her clear across the room. When she hit the next wall, she was sure she felt something snap. She crumpled to the ground, arms wrapped around her chest. A gasping cry left her lips as she sucked in a breath only to hiss in pain.

"Rette!" Erza called, worry and anger in her tone.

"I'm...fine." Rette hissed through gritted teeth.

Erza rushed for Rette's side, but Jose seized her with one magical hand and Rette with the other, lifting them off the ground. Rette struggled but the more she did, the tighter the grip on her got until it wrung another soft cry from her.

"Rette! Let her go!" Erza demanded.

"I don't think so." Jose said looking from Erza to Rette. "A mage who can basically preform a Unison Raid by herself. Yet another annoyance in that guild."

Rette grit her teeth and refused to let another noise pass her lips no matter how tight the grip got around her. She could feel bones grind together, creaking and threatening to break. Breathing became a task, her lung burning as they fought to expand.

"You...won't...get...Lucy." Rette forced out.

"Well, I guess we will find out. Do you really think I'm going to hand her over to her father for free? Oh, I'm going to keep her until they have no money left. I'm going to get my hands on the entire Heartfilia fortune." Jose replied.

Erza tried fighting free, but the grip only tightened around her, breaking her armor.

"Oh, I wouldn't struggle if I were you. You'll just make it hurt even more...for both of you." Jose said.

Rette grit her teeth, but ended up gasping out in pain and letting out a small cry when she felt something snap in her chest. She was pretty sure he had just broken one of her ribs. Maybe more. Just when she was sure the pain would make her pass out, it was as if the spell was suddenly dispelled. Both Erza and Rette fell to the floor, Rette remaining prone on the floor as she fought to breath slowly and shallowly so not to make her chest burn with pain. Erza went to her side, laying a hand on her shoulder, but Rette refused to move for the moment.

"Magic!? Who's there!?" Jose called.

"You have spilled much blood here. The blood of children. Thanks to pitiful parents, a child went through pain, and shed many tears. And that goes for more than one child. This has gone far enough."

Makarov appeared from the smoke after busting through a wall. Rette felt relief wash over her at the sight of him and could feel it from Erza too.

"I must put an end to this!" Makarov declared.

"You wish to cause a cataclysm?" Jose asked, smirk curling his lips.

"If it is necessary for my guild." Makarov replied.

At the other end of the room, Gray and Elfman finally came around. Rette figured they were probably awaken by the warm magic she could feel flowing over her, easing her pain and allowing her to breath easily. This warm feeling, like a protective father's embrace. Rette basked in the feeling, if only for a moment.

"You must all leave this place." Makarov told them.

Rette opened her mouth to say something, but Erza pushed herself to her feet, pulling Rette up with her. Rette winced, one arm wrapping around her ribs. One of her ankles, probably sprained in the fighting, refused to hold her weight. Seeing that Rette couldn't walk for herself, Erza, to Rette's mortification, swept Rette up into her arms.

To be carried in such a way by another woman...Rette would have been as red as a beet if she still possessed the ability to blush.

"We should just do as he says." Erza told Gray and Elfman, throwing a glare at Jose, as she hurried past him.

Erza joined the others, getting Gray to his feet and handing Rette over to him. Elfman got his sister to her feet as Gray shifted Rette to get a good grip on her. Rette winced when his hand pressed against a deep bruise forming on her side.

"Sorry!" Gray told her instantly, finally settling her in his arms.

"Let's go. If we stay here, we will just be a burden to Master. We should just leave everything to him." Erza told them.

Escaping the demolished Phantom guild hall was easy. No one was left to stand in their way. Gray was careful not to jolt Rette too much. No sooner had they cleared the crumbling building the sky lit up with a light so strong even Rette, a user of light magic, had to cover her eyes.

"What is that?" Gray asked.

"It's the Fairy Law!" Erza replied.

"Fairy Law!?" Gray questioned.

"With the Holy Light, it assaults the darkness. It only destroys those the caster deems an enemy. Even I have heard of it. I could never manage a spell that strong." Rette said, amazed at being able to witness such a legendary spell for herself.

"It's a super-magic that can be counted as one of the legendary spells!" Erza added.

"Then I guess we can count this as our win." Rette remarked.

The others grinned and moved on, rejoining everyone else. Cana was almost instantly in front of Gray, checking on Rette who assured her that she was fine. Then Thyme did a nose dive into Rette's chest, her eyes wide and misted over with her concern for the girl. Rette groaned as Thyme's tackle cause pain to flare in her chest, but she reached out and pet the feline's head, silently assuring her that all was well. The others laughed upon seeing them.

Gray set Rette down on the ground and told her to remain sitting. Rette didn't argue. Makarov soon joined them, after Lucy showed up with Happy. He gave Rette's head a pat as he passed her, surprising her. Rette watched him as he stopped in front of what remained of their guild hall.

"This got trashed pretty badly..." Makarov remarked.

"Umm...Master..."

Rette turned her eyes to Lucy as the girl stepped forward. She looked like guilt and sorrow were weighting heavily on her shoulders and Rette knew they probably were.

"Mmm? You guys look like you ran into quite a bit of trouble." Makarov remarked.

Rette was about to ask what he was talking about when approaching footsteps made her turn. Standing there, bandaged and beaten, were Levy, Jet, Droy, and Reedus. All four were smiling despite the wreck around them.

"It's a victory where we all fought together." Levy said.

"Although our guild got trashed." Droy remarked.

"We can just rebuild it!" Jet insisted.

"Levy. Reedus. Jet...Droy." Lucy whispered tears building up in her eyes.

"Sorry for making you worry." Levy told Lucy.

"N...no. That's my..."

Lucy looked like she was so close to tears that she couldn't finish her sentence.

"I heard the story but no one thinks it's your fault, Lu." Levy told her.

"I...I couldn't be of any use...um...I'm sorry." Reedus said in apology.

Lucy shook her head, gripping her hands before her.

"Lucy. Happiness and sadness. We can't share all of it, but we can to some extent. That is a guild." Makarov said. "One person's happiness is everyone's happiness. One person's anger is everyone's anger. One person's tears is everyone's tears. You don't have to suffer with guilt. Our thoughts should reach you. Raise your head. You are a member of Fairy Tail."

Finally the tears in Lucy's eyes over flowed and she let out loud wails as the tears spilled down her face. Some of the others laughed, many smiled. Rette sat on the edge of it all, watching as the others comforted Lucy and laughed and smiled together. So this was a guild...a family.

"Do you understand what it means to be apart of a guild, yet, Rette?"

Rette looked up as Makarov came to a stop beside her. She turned her eyes back to those standing among the crumbled remains of their guild hall. The smiles, the laughs, the tears, and the cheers. Everyone looked so happy just to have each other. Makarov had put into words, what it meant to be a guild, a family. Had explained it where it brought tears to Lucy's eyes. Now he asked if she understood. Truthfully...

"No. No, I don't."

Makarov glanced at Rette, noting the hint of frustration and even sadness at that truth in her voice and in her eyes as she watched the others. She wanted to understand. She might not be completely sure that belonging was what she wanted, but she did want to understand it. Makarov reached out, patting the top of her head and making her look at him.

"Don't worry. You'll understand soon. Just don't give up on trying to understand your guild mates. One day you'll understand it just like Lucy now understands." he told her, giving her a smile.

Rette stared at his face. She had never really had a father figure. What father she had had in her life had been half baked at best. She had butted heads with him in so many ways and had never understood him. She had been too afraid to trust, to try. Now she wondered what all she had missed out on in all those years. She would keep in mind what Makarov had said.

For now she couldn't help picking a open wounds.

Just a little.

"You know, Master...the Magic Council isn't going to be happy with how much you showed off today. You just might get arrested, Master." Rette told him in a tone so indifferent sounding, that it sounded like she couldn't care less.

She let that sink in for a moment. Slowly a sweat broke out on the top of Makarov's bald crown and he began to shake slightly. And then he threw his head back and started crying. It might have been mean of her, especially considering how kind he had just been to her, but on the inside...Rette was laughing her ass off at just how childish Makarov could act.

So yeah, she didn't understand what the others clearly understood. And yes, she probably should have caught on by now, but she was trying. She wasn't completely sure, herself, if she wanted to belong in a family. Trust was hard for her to give. But that being said, looking at the smiling faces before her, the shared happiness and shared tears...

She was willing to try.

END

Kyandi: Hehe! I would have done the same thing to Makarov.

Rette: That is because I get my mean streak from you.

Kyandi: It's not being mean...just teasing. It's his fault he can't handle it.

Rette: You made an old man cry.

Kyandi: Technically, that was you.

Rette: Details, details.

Kyandi: Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back soon with the next chapter.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	8. Hardships

Kyandi: Hello all! Sorry it took me a little bit to post this.

Rette: Chasing little children around a room with paint, wipes her out.

Kyandi: Yes, it does, but I love it. It's the one week during the year where I get to teach little children what I know about the world of art and crafts without having to be a teacher.

Rette: You wouldn't be a teacher even if you could, anyway.

Kyandi: Nope! Love kids...don't love them that much.

Rette: The point of this is, we're sorry it took so long and here's your new chapter.

Kyandi: Please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 8 Hardships

The next week, Rette spent her time laid up in a hospital bed recovering from a broken rib, three cracked ribs, a twisted ankle, and a butt load of bruises and scrapes. Many of the others came by to visit her often. Mostly Mira and Cana, who were almost always at her side, Erza coming by almost as frequently. Thyme never left her side, sleeping curled up beside her. Things, as everyone told her, were starting to settle down once again and plans for the new guild hall were being laid out.

Horribly drawn plans that only the master, who drew them, could figure out.

Then one day, Rune Knights came by her room. Apparently they had rounded up all of the other members of Fairy Tail and were questioning them too. To her amusement, she learned, later, that Natsu tried running from them and failed.

Rette got questioned, repeatedly. Pretty much it was the same thing everyday for a week straight. As if they thought by going over it, again and again, her story would change. When finally they finished and left Fairy Tail alone, Rette was released from the hospital with orders to take it easy for the next four weeks. Rette would have blown off the order if Mira and Cana had been there to pick her up and over heard.

Needless to say, that left Rette being forbidden from doing any heavy lifting with the rebuilding of the guild hall. Rette still wanted to help, so she used her Living Minions spell to form elephants to help with all the heavy lifting. She set them to take orders from others when they needed to use them, and helped with any of the small stuff she could. Rette was in the process of directing an elephant to carry some beams to Makarov when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Rette turned, coming face to face with Loki. She instantly blinked, noting that Loki looked like crap. Either he was sick or was not getting enough sleep. Either way, he looked awful. He gave her a smile in greeting and opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

"You look like crap, Loki."

Loki's shoulders sagged and he hung his head. Did Rette always have to be so blunt? He had no illusions about ever being able to charm her as he did other women. And he was pretty sure she would be lucky to ever find a man willing to put up with her. Not that Rette seemed to care in the least. She merely blinked at him and tilted her head to one side.

"Have you not been sleeping well?" she asked.

He swore he heard a note of concern in her voice and smiled.

"Yeah." Loki replied.

Rette's eyes narrowed as if she didn't believe that, but if she didn't, she didn't say anything. She turned for a second as an elephant approached her and order it to go help Macao and Wakaba. The large, crystal creature lumbered away and Rette turned back to Loki. Gray and Natsu, seeing she was talking to someone, came up to them as Loki pulled something out of his pocket.

"C-could you guys give this to Lucy?" he asked, holding out Lucy's gate keys.

"Sure." Rette said, holding out her hand for the keys.

"You...your face! I thought I didn't see you for a while. You were looking for those!?" Gray asked.

"Yeah...it's tough being a feminist!" Loki said.

"Right...a feminist..." Rette muttered more to herself.

Loki looked at Rette, but she was sliding the gate keys into a pouch on her belt for safe keeping until she saw Lucy. Whatever she had muttered to herself, she didn't repeat.

"If you asked us we would have helped you!" Happy told Loki.

"Anyway how's Lucy?" Loki asked.

He was ignoring the comment. Rette glanced at him again. He was acting strangely, even by her standards, and Rette hardly considered anything strange anymore. It couldn't just be the lack of sleep making him look this bad...could it?

"Iding jesat home!"

Rette only understood one word that came out of Natsu's over stuffed mouth just then. Thyme, who had just landed on her shoulder, wrinkled her nose at Natsu.

"Let's swallow before we speak!" Happy told Natsu.

"Probably at her house. Where Rette's suppose to be." Gray told Loki, covering for the nonsense that left Natsu's mouth.

Rette raised an eyebrow at Gray as he dropped the not-so-subtle hint. He hadn't been the only one that insisted she needed to be at home, resting, like the doctor told her. Rette had ignored everyone, even Makarov, when they had said anything.

"I see." Loki remarked.

"Lets go play with her!" Natsu declared, Happy agreeing with him.

"Yeah...I'm kinda worried too." Gray agreed.

"Lucy, is Lucy. I'm sure she's fine." Rette told them, but Natsu didn't listen.

"Loki...it's your first time going to Lucy's place right?" Natsu asked, already running off.

"No...I'm not going you know? I've had a bad experience with Celestial mages." Loki replied.

"Oh well, Lucy's Lucy!" Natsu replied, running off.

Rette shook her head as she put her hands on her hips. Everyone in the guild was so strange at times. It couldn't really surprise her anymore. Ezra caught Natsu and Gray at that moment and started waving her mallet in the air as she yelled at them.

"You guys! Where do you think you're going!? Get back to work!" Erza yelled.

Rette heaved a sigh from where she still stood beside Loki as Happy scooped Natsu up and carried him off. Gray yelled something about cheating and Erza called for Rette to help her catch Natsu and Gray. Rette shook her head, Thyme copying her. She then turned to Loki and looked up at him as he watched the others.

"You know, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to other people," Rette started making Loki look down at her. "but even I know something's wrong with you. And it's not the lack of sleep. Just...take care of yourself, alright?"

With that Rette headed off to follow Erza. Loki watched her leave, surprised. He hadn't spent much time with Rette. She was usually gone on a job or avoided crowds, which meant avoiding him since he always had girls around him. But it seemed Rette was trying to get to know her guild mates. Even if that meant watching them from afar.

Rette followed the others, almost getting dragged along by Erza, who decided she was worried too and wanted to check on Lucy. When they reached Lucy's house, Natsu just charged in like he owned the place. Even Rette found that to be an evasion of privacy.

"Lucy howsit going!?" Natsu called out in greeting, Happy repeating the greeting.

The room beyond was empty of life. Rette stepped in through the door and looked around the neat little room.

"Huh? Isn't she here?" Happy asked.

"Is it the bathroom!? I've got a feeling the cliche scenario is gonna happen!" Gray announced.

"Not here!" Natsu said, poking his head out of the bathroom.

"You're quick to check the bathroom!" Gray snapped.

"Even if he's Natsu, he's still a typical teenage male." Rette remarked, standing next to Erza with her hands on her hips.

Erza nodded in agreement and Gray turned on Rette, complaining about that assessment since, he too, was a teenage male. Rette, though, refused to change the comment since Gray had been about to check the bathroom, himself.

"Looks like she's not here." Erza said, looking around the room.

Happy flew around the room, searching for Lucy. Despite it being too small to hide a full grown human like Lucy, Happy opened a small cabinet to look inside and instead of finding Lucy, was buried under a pile of sealed letters. Natsu and Gray knelt next to him, picking up some of the letters.

"What's this?" Natsu asked.

Gray picked them up, looking at their outside, but Natsu opened one. The boy obviously had no sense of privacy, what so ever. If he had done that in her house, Rette would have crystallized him on the spot. She made a silent vow to never invite Natsu over to her house.

"'Mom...I finally got into Fairy Tail...'." Natsu read.

"Hey, hey! You shouldn't read them without her permission." Gray scolded.

"'Mom...I met this person called Erza today! She's cool and beautiful...and that Natsu...'."

Erza blushed at the compliment written in the letter and Natsu switched to another letter. Rette was looking around the room when he started reading the next letter.

"'Mom...today we got a new member named Rette and she has a talking cat just like Happy. She's a little strange, but she's adorable and she has really cool magic...'."

Rette scratched at one cheek in a rare display of embarrassment. Adorable? She had never thought much about her appearance, but when she had, she had never thought of herself as adorable. She wasn't horrible looking but she had never described herself as adorable. Rette joined Erza in looking around the room while the boys continued to go through the letters, all of which were addressed to Lucy's mother. The boys turned to say something to Erza but she was standing at Lucy's desk, staring down at something.

"Erza?" Rette asked as she stepped up to Erza's side.

"It's Lucy's note." Erza said, holding up a small note with only four words on it.

 _I will go home._

"She went home?" Rette asked, looking at the note.

She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Lucy was her guild mate, they had been through a few jobs together. And then there was that mess on Galuna Island. But did Rette consider her a really close friend? Did Lucy consider her that?

Rette didn't know.

Despite her uncertainty, Rette was dragged along with Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Happy as they followed Lucy back to her home. Rette imagined their hurried rush to the Heartfilia estate like one of those chibi drawings with Natsu and Gray leading the herd, Happy flying after them, with Erza bringing up the rear, dragging a straight faced Rette behind her like a rag doll and Thyme hurrying after them.

When they reached the Heartfilia estate, they found Lucy behind the large mansion, standing in front of her mother's grave. Happy flew right to Lucy, hitting her in the chest, tears falling down his face. Natsu, Gray, and Erza ran for her, Natsu instantly getting angry at Lucy for leaving like that and not explaining herself. Rette stopped a few yards away, standing off to the side to watch them. Thyme hovered beside her, watching with her head tilted to the side.

Rette was surprised when Lucy suddenly looked over at her and smiled, like she was grateful Rette was there. Not knowing what to do or say, Rette dropped her eyes to the ground and scratched at one cheek. With everyone relieved to find that Lucy wasn't going to be leaving the guild, they all started back for home.

"You went to visit your mom's grave!?" Natsu asked.

"Yup." Lucy replied as they walked.

"Eh...you mean your mom's-"

"Happy, shut it!" Natsu snapped.

"Sorry to worry you guys!" Lucy apologized.

"Man, I got all anxious over nothing!" Gray complained.

"Just drop it already! It's our fault for jumping to conclusions in the first place." Erza replied.

"Happy was crying the whole time!" Natsu laughed.

"N-no I wasn't!" Happy snapped.

"Certainly looked like tears to me." Rette retorted, Thyme nodding in agreement.

"Not you two, too!" Happy cried.

Rette and Thyme, both, shrugged their shoulders at the same time, as if neither had a care in the world. That only brought more tears to Happy's eyes, making the others laugh. It hadn't been something Rette had been trying to do, but it kind of made her a little happy that she could make them laugh like that. Like she was actually apart of the group.

"Gotta say though, this city's huge!" Gray said.

"Ah...well...this is just the garden. My family owns all the land up to those mountains." Lucy said pointing some mountains in the distance.

Silence fell over the others. Even Rette, who had been born inside a compound that had spread for miles, thought that that was too much land for one family to own. Even her birth compound had been home to more than one family.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Lucy asked, seeing the looks on their faces.

Natsu and Gray instantly saluted Lucy, their backs going straight.

"Your excellency!" Natsu yelled.

"It is my honor to know someone so humble!" Gray added.

"Natsu and Gray are down for the count! Cap'n Erza, your thoughts please!" Happy said, turning to Erza.

"The sky...is blue..."

"We've lost the cap'n too!" Happy declared when that was all Erza said.

Rette shook her head, turning her eyes out at the land before them. She crossed her arms over her stomach as she gazed at the land sprawled before them, beautiful with green grass and flowers in bloom. Her birth place hadn't been anything like this. It had been gray and cold...so cold. The sun had never shined inside the dark and damp building she had lived in the majority of her early childhood in. No fresh winds, no sounds of birds early in the morning, or the sights of green grass and bright flowers.

Lucy was so lucky.

"Rette?"

Rette raised her head, turning to look at Lucy when she called her name. Lucy was looking at her with a concerned face. She had even drawn the others' attention to Rette too.

"Hmm? What is it?" Rette asked.

"Your expression...you looked a little...sad." Lucy said.

Sad?

She had?

Rette had worked her whole life to prefect her indifferent expression. If people thought she didn't care about anything then they couldn't use anything against her. Couldn't hurt her. If she had let something show through, even for a moment, than she was beginning to slip on her control. But sad? Rette didn't feel sad...did she? She would have gone with envy, maybe jealousy, but not sadness. She had accepted what her childhood had been like a long time ago. Rette just shook her head and turned her eyes back to look out at the scenery before them.

"I'm not sad. Just a little envious." Rette replied.

"Envious?" Gray repeated.

Rette nodded and heaved a sigh. Thyme flew towards her, floating in front of her with a questioning look on her face. Rette held out her arms and Thyme flew into them, letting Rette carry her.

"You grew up in such a beautiful, open place, Lucy. I envy you. This place, even Magnolia...are nothing like where I was born." Rette said.

Idly, Rette pet Thyme, lightly scratching behind her ears. Thyme leaned into the touch, enjoying it with a pleased look on her face.

"Where'd you grown up?" Natsu asked bluntly.

"Natsu!" Gray and Lucy scolded.

"Can't you tell that it's a bad memory!?" Gray snapped, but Rette shook her head.

"No. It's fine. Now that I'm older, I couldn't really tell you exactly where it was located, but I was born inside an underground, steel, maze-like building that we simply called the Compound. There were several others in the Compound, but I was supposedly...special." Rette told them.

"Why?" Gray asked.

"My birth father was in control of the whole place. We had a lot of misunderstanding and disagreements, him and I. I didn't approve of anything he did, and he called me the biggest disappoint in his life. I suppose I was a clever child. I ran away when I was five." Rette explained, a hand pressing into her stomach, as if the thought made her sick or ache.

"Oh, Rette..." Lucy said sadly.

So Rette had had a similar life to Lucy with a father that she just couldn't get along with. Was that why Rette didn't hold anything against her and why she seemed to be so understanding about everything that had happened? Because she really did understand how it was with a father that just didn't get her? But Rette had been on her own for so long then.

"It's fine really. Before that, I had never even so much as glimpsed the outside world. Not the sky, the green grass, not the flowers or trees. I had never heard the birds sing, never felt the wind on my face...I never even saw the sun's light. I was so...grateful, to be free." Rette said.

The others stared at Rette. To be born in the dark like that, to be raised like that. It made a little since now, why Rette was the way she was. Why she was always on the go, why she was uneasy with crowds, why she always seemed so distant. It couldn't have been easy for her in the least.

"And I was only alone for two months at the most. A couple found me after that, took me in, raised me, and taught me magic. It's why I have two different types of magic. That was just how I was raised." Rette said, waving her hand.

"So you were adopted then?" Happy asked.

"Yes. I was at odds even with my adoptive father, though. It was hard for me to trust a male figure in my life after the way my father treated me. But no matter our argument, my adoptive father would just pat me on the head and leave it at that. My birth mother died when I was born, so it was great having a mother in my life. Granted I only had the two of them for about five years before they just vanished, but it's thanks to them that I can survive in this life and can continue to live, free and in the open." Rette said.

Life hadn't been easy for Rette. Then again, according to what Mira had told her once, everyone in Fairy Tail had their hardships and stories. Rette was no different. The struggle was what made them stronger. Rette understood that much. She turned to look at her companions when they didn't say anything and found that all of them had tears in their eyes as they looked at her. As if they shared the sadness she had felt as a child. Maybe this was what Makarov meant by shared tears.

Rette couldn't help the small smile that curled her lips as she looked at them. The smile, no matter how small, surprised them all. Rette didn't smile. Even when she cracked a joke, she didn't smile. To see the smile now, they smiled too before, to Rette's shock and slight discomfort, Erza pulled Rette into a hug. Rette winced, her ribs still aching, but she accepted the hug, Thyme trapped between her and Erza. The others started laughing as Thyme struggled to get free, paws scrambling.

Rette didn't know why they wanted to share in her tears and sadness, didn't know why Erza would offer her comfort, but she was grateful for it. After so long of not trusting others, she really didn't understand relationships.

It was small, but maybe, just maybe...this was her first step to understanding.

-0-0-0-0-

Over the next hand full of days, a temporary bar was built and Rette went back to work helping Mira since she couldn't really take jobs. Rette felt a little closer with Lucy now, if only a little. Mira seemed happy to see this. With the bar opened, Rette was put to work serving food and drinks to the other members as they continued to rebuild the guild. She still created crystal elephants for the others to use, but she left them in the capable hands of Erza and some of the other, older members of the guild.

The last thing she needed was for Natsu to have control over one of the elephants.

Working at the bar was where the day found Rette, dressed a short, strapless and purple dress with lightning bolts that seemed to dance over the fabric as it swayed at mid-thigh length.

"Everyone~! From today onwards we can receive job requests again! Though this took a long time everyone should work hard at their jobs!" Mira called happily.

Cheers went up as several members of the guild rushed the job board. Rette set a try of glasses on the bar and looked over towards the others.

"Everyone looks happy." Rette remarked.

"Yeah, they do. Why are they so excited? Usually they just fool around and drink." Lucy remarked from where she sat at the bar.

Rette, nor Mira, could argue with that statement.

"Speaking of which, Loki isn't here." Lucy remarked.

That drew Rette's attention up from refilling drinks. She glanced around at those gathered but couldn't find the man. Then again, she hadn't seen him in a few days now. She had actually chalked it up to his evasion of Lucy.

"Did Lucy fall into Loki's hands as well?" Mira asked.

"No!"

Mira laughed at Lucy as she strongly denied that. Rette just shook her head. She didn't see the point in acknowledging those kinds of comments. If she denied it, then others thought it was true, if she didn't deny it, others thought it was true. It was a lose-lose kind of situation, either way.

"That...it seems he helped me find my keys, so I want to tell him...thanks." Lucy said.

"If I see him, I'll help pass your message. Rette will too, right?" Mira asked looking at Rette.

Rette nodded. Thyme, who was sitting on the bar eating a sandwich made of cut up fish and a roll, raised a paw in the air and gave a curt nod as if saying she would help too.

"Are your Celestial spirits angry?" Rette asked, looking at Lucy.

"That...already...isn't just at the level of angry. Just thinking about it makes my butt hurt." Lucy said, bending over the bar and reaching back to rub her back side.

Rette took that to mean that Aquarius had gotten at Lucy big time for losing the keys. She had been told of just how mean Aquarius could be to Lucy and didn't really put it past the spirit to, literally, whip Lucy for dropping the keys.

"Do you need me to cool it?" Gray asked Lucy, referring to her butt.

"Don't pretend to be a gentleman. That's sexual harassment." Lucy told him.

"Lucy, let me see your red butt." Happy demanded.

"This is obvious sexual harassment!" Lucy exclaimed.

"If I make her butt hurt more I wonder what expression Lucy will have." Natsu said with an evil grin on his face.

"Are you a devil!" Lucy demanded.

Rette found it amusing, but a loud commotion drew her attention and just in time. Rette side stepped a flying table, letting it take out Natsu rather than her. Rette looked back at Natsu and then turned to where a fuming Erza was facing a grinning Laxus.

No wonder Rette felt her Annoying Man Radar go up to a whomping twelve.

"You dare say that again!" Erza yelled.

And there Laxus went, pissing Erza off once again.

"Then I'll say it more clearly. This guild doesn't need weak bastards." Laxus said.

Rette heaved a sigh more to herself. Couldn't Laxus go one day without trying to get under someone's skin? Was he really completely incapable of such a thing. Rette picked up her tray, taking the drinks to those who had ordered them.

"You bastard..." Erza growled.

"To be looked down upon by a guild such as Phantom Lord...how embarrassing. I couldn't face anyone." Laxus told Erza.

Just days before, Makarov had stood before the Magic Council to receive the sentencing for the whole Phantom Lord incident. Fairy Tail had been found innocent in the whole thing and Phantom Lord had been disbanded for their crimes, Jose stripped of his title. Rette had thought it was a good thing in the case of Jose, but she felt a little bad for the members of Phantom Lord, who had lost their guild. She could see why Laxus thought of them as low, but he didn't have to be a jerk to everyone.

To throw salt on open wounds, Laxus turned his attention to Levy, Jet, and Droy.

"I'm talking about you. I heard that you guys were beaten up by Iron Dragon Gajeel. Speaking of which, what are your names? Who are you guys? You're a disgrace, hey." Laxus said, laughing at the three as they grit their teeth and hung their heads.

Laxus got to his feet then, turning his attention from them to Lucy.

"Isn't this the princess who's the cause of all this?" he asked.

"Laxus! The matter is closed. There was no talk of blame from the start. You didn't participate in the fight and you don't need to add oil to the fire. Master said that." Mira said.

"Of course it doesn't have anything to do with me. But if I was there I wouldn't get beaten up horribly."

That comment from Laxus egged Natsu into attacking him, but, using his magic, Laxus just jumped from one spot to another in a flash of lightning. He ended up standing just five feet from Rette.

"Laxus, duel with me! You unfeeling, unreasonable bastard!" Natsu yelled.

"You can't even catch me, and you still talk about dueling?" Laxus asked, laughing at Natsu.

Enough was enough. Laxus had taken Rette's annoyance levels from a peaceful zero to a fifteen plus in the matter of a mere two minutes. She turned to him and, raising her tray, hit him lightly on the back of the head. Laxus' laughter died off in surprise and he turned to look at her, meeting her indifferent look as she lowered the tray.

"Rette!" Mira called in warning, but Rette ignored her as she looked up at Laxus, one hand going to her hip.

"Stop being annoying. You're bothering others." Rette told Laxus, stepping around him

Laxus rounded on her, his teeth gritted in anger. Erza called out to Rette as he discharged a bolt of lightning at Rette's back. Rette though, raised the wooden tray in her hands, letting the bolt hit it. Since wood wasn't conductive for lightning, it burned the wood, leaving scorch marks on the surface. Thankfully, the tray was thick enough that with the minimal amount of strength Laxus put into the spell, the bolt hadn't made it through the wood to her.

Rette lowered the tray to look up at Laxus, still appearing unfazed. That indifferent look of hers was going to drive Laxus crazy. Nothing he said or did, did anything to faze it.

"That was childish and uncalled for. Exactly how old are you, cause you certainly aren't acting your age." Rette remarked.

Laxus stiffened, the grin on his face completely gone now. Their eyes locked and those standing closest could have sworn it was like lightning passed between them, clashing as they glared at each other. Many around them scrambled back, afraid there was about to be a big blow out between them, but Rette simply heaved a sigh and waved a hand at Laxus, like she just couldn't be bothered with him.

"Do the world a blessing and grow up and stop acting like a three-year-old having a fit. Attention craving is beneath your age." Rette told him, heading for the bar.

"What did you say!?" Laxus demanded.

"I didn't stutter. Go. Be gone, Annoying Man." Rette told him.

She reached the bar and handed over the ruined tray for another. She didn't have to watch Laxus. She knew the others would let her know if he tried to attack her again. Laxus grit his teeth. He didn't care for being blown off like that, especially by someone weaker than him, but he had bigger fish to fry than Rette Starrilia. He tsked lowly under his breath. If he was being honest...he kind of liked that she wasn't scared of him. It just made for more of a challenge of breaking her.

"If I succeed the guild I'll erase all the weak shits away! And every single one who opposes me! I will build the strongest guild! A guild that nobody will look down on. History's strongest guild! And I'll start with you." Laxus said, aiming the last part at Rette.

Rette simply lifted one hand and waved his off in a dismissing manner.

"Yeah, yeah. Go away. The adults are trying to relax." Rette replied.

Laxus could have strangled her at that moment, but he simply turned and left. Very soon, she would regret speaking to him the way she had just now. Mira heaved a relieved sigh when Laxus left without doing anything to Rette. Lucy sat down at the bar as Rette peered over her shoulder and shook her head.

"Rette, did you have to provoke him?" Mira asked.

"If telling the truth is provoking...then yes." Rette replied.

Mira gave her a wary smile. Rette could be hard headed at times.

"Succeed...what nonsense is he talking about?" Lucy asked.

"It's not really nonsense." Mira replied.

Lucy gave her a questioning look. It surprised Rette that Lucy, who had been in the guild longer than her, didn't know.

"You didn't know? Laxus is the Master's grandson." Rette told her.

Lucy's jaw dropped as she stared at Rette in utter shock. Rette shrugged as she loaded a plate and some glasses onto her tray.

"I was shocked to learn it as well." she told Lucy. "But you can kind of tell. They have the same eyebrows and cheekbones. Sometimes, the expressions they make are even the same."

Rette shrugged again, as if it was normal for her to notice things like that about a man that she normally claimed was annoying.

"It's true. So if Master retires, the probability of the next master being Laxus is very high." Mira said.

"How...how can that be..." Lucy said. "But...I don't wish at all...for a person who looks at his comrades that way to be the master." Lucy remarked.

"That's why there's a rumor saying the Master can't retire because of that." Mira remarked.

Rette didn't really care. She would willingly leave Fairy Tail if Laxus became the master. She didn't have the patience to deal with a man like that. Her life was full enough without adding an annoyance like that. She felt sorry for whatever woman ended up marrying him in the future.

Rette turned and took the order on her tray to the table it belonged at. Natsu was still fuming from Laxus, clenching a fist like he wanted to punch something.

"That bastard..." Natsu growled.

"Forget it...It'll be very troublesome if you have relations with that guy. That goes for you too, Rette." Erza said, turning to look at Rette.

"You don't have to worry about me. The last thing I need in my life is an annoying man like him." Rette replied.

Erza nodded and turned back to Natsu with a smile on her face. She was ready to forget Laxus and everything he had said.

"How about this? Want to take up a job?" Erza asked Natsu.

"Huh?" Natsu questioned.

"Of course, Gray and Lucy should come too." Erza added.

"What!?" Lucy asked in shock.

"Ever since the Isenwald incident, we keep gathering together. We're like a little team, aren't we? Us four. If we add Happy then it's five." Erza remarked.

Cheers went up from the others lingering around. Obviously they had been waiting a long time for the five to declare themselves a team.

"Fairy Tail's strongest team is born!" Max cheered.

Others agreed with him so quickly that Rette, who had just taken a seat at the bar, felt the corners of her mouth curl upwards in the smallest of smiles.

"If they add Rette then no one could stand against them." someone remarked.

Erza caught that and almost felt bad that she had forgotten about Rette. She turned to the girl, hands on hips. She wouldn't accept no for an answer.

"Rette, you join too!" Erza told her.

Rette's head came up in surprise. Her? In a permanent team with them? She had gone a few jobs with them, and with a few others, but she had never thought about a permanent team. Many of the others encouraged Rette to say yes, Mira among them. Rette looked around at them before looking back at Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy. All of them smiled at her, as if encouraging her to join them.

She would have to be heartless to say no and while she didn't show much emotion, she wasn't heartless.

"Oh...um...alright." Rette agreed.

More cheers went up and Lucy hugged Rette happily. Rette winced at the pain in her ribs but didn't try to get Lucy off of her. So, maybe being around so many people wasn't that bad. She liked the people of her guild.

Except Laxus.

What could she say?

An annoyance was an annoyance.

END

Kyandi: To be honest...I would have been cowering in my boots in front of Laxus.

Rette: Why? He's harmless.

Kyandi: He's only harmless with you, somewhat, because he's intrigued by you.

Rette: And that's not creepy at all.

Kyandi: You'll get over it. So it's late, I'm tired, and I have an early, crazy filled day tomorrow, so everyone enjoy the chapter and review.

Rette: We will be back with the next chapter as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	9. Unknown

Kyandi: Greetings everyone! Sorry I've been gone for a while.

Rette: Her muse hit her hard for this story and she couldn't stop typing.

Kyandi: Yep, so this will the first of a secession of eight chapters I now have typed up.

Rette: We will strive to upload them as fast as we can.

Kyandi: I really wanted to get to the main conflict with Laxus.

Rette:...

Kyandi: Rette's moping.

Rette: Damn straight.

Kyandi: Don't do that. Everyone please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 9 Unknown

Despite agreeing to join Erza's team, Rette insisted on being able to go on small jobs by herself. Her reasoning being that if she didn't, she would never be able to earn money and furnish her house. Thankfully, she still had her job at the guild hall too. Every job they took, things got destroyed and there went their reward money. With everything beginning to settle back own, Rette decided that now was the best time to take what money she had saved and start really furnishing her house. So she passed on the next couple of jobs her team picked up.

Which she considered a blessing when she heard her team had taken a job and ended up preforming in a play.

Rette didn't do stages.

Stage fright and all that jazz.

She was forcfully dragged along on one mission that ended up with them staying the night in Balsam Town which was known for it's hot springs. Rette was okay with the quiet, calming springs, but she was not okay with the pillow fight that almost ended in Erza, Natsu, and Gray killing each other. She had avoided that like a plague. They had, though, run into Loki during that mission. He looked a little better than the last time she saw him, but Rette still thought he looked like crap.

Rette really knew something was wrong with Loki when he broke up with his horde of girlfriends. She had a bad feeling that something was about to go down and was proven correct when Loki declared he was leaving the guild. Everyone went on a massive man hunt for Loki. Even Rette, with her and Thyme's abilities to track magical energy, were dragged into it.

While Thyme flew around the city trying to sniff out Loki, Rette set herself up on the tallest beam currently making up the skeleton of the new guild hall, and cast a Unison spell of hers called Seek. It allowed her to search for a certain mage by following their magical energy. It had it's limits, of course, but it normally never failed. She didn't know what was wrong this time. Maybe Loki's magic energy was low, or maybe he was outside her range, she didn't know. All she knew was that she wasn't finding him.

It frustrated Rette and no matter how much she pushed the spell to its limits to try and find Loki, she simply just couldn't. Thyme returned and had the same amount of success as Rette. Rette heaved a sigh and pat Thyme's head. The best they could do now was just continue looking and pray that Loki was alright.

In the end, it turned out that Loki was really Leo the Lion, a Celestial spirit. Lucy had figured it out and saved him, gaining his key to go along with her others. The next day found Rette and the others at the temporary bar of the unfinished guild hall.

"You're a Celestial spirit!?"

Rette looked up from wiping down the bar as Natsu asked the question of Loki. He circled Loki, looking him over, as if he expected something to have changed about him. Loki rubbed his head. To Rette, he looked a lot better already.

"Yeah...that's pretty much it." Loki said.

"I never noticed at all." Gray remarked.

"I knew something wasn't right."

All eyes turned to Rette as she continued to clean the bar. Loki remembered all the suspicious looks she had given as of late. She had known something was up, but she hadn't been able to figure it out. It was only when Lucy had told her who and what Loki really was, that Rette had been able to connect the dots.

"Hey wait a minute! You're not a cow or a horse or anything like that!" Natsu declared.

"Well you've seen Virgo before. She looks like a person, right?" Loki countered.

"No...she turns into a gorilla too." Natsu replied.

Rette's eyebrows snapped down and she turned a questioning look on Lucy. Lucy shook her head to the silent question, which only confused Rette more.

"Loki's the Lion Celestial spirit." Lucy told Natsu.

"Lion!"

Natsu stared at Loki in shock. Rette tried picturing the Loki she knew with a lion's mane and just couldn't manage it. It was just too ridiculous to manage. Now a lion's ears and a tail she could manage to picture.

"A lion? That means a grown-up cat, doesn't it?" Happy asked.

"That's right." Loki replied.

"No it's not!" Lucy snapped.

"Anyway, is it okay for you to just carry on as you've been doing up until now?" Gray asked.

"I'm afraid those days are long over, now that Lucy's my owner. When Lucy's in trouble, I'll gallantly show up. After all, I am her knight in shining armor." Loki replied before scooping Lucy up in his arms. "Speaking of which, let's go talk about our plans for the future."

"Hey! Put me down!" Lucy cried.

Rette just continued her work, shaking her head as the silliness of the others as they carried on. Even when Natsu said something about wanting a dragon Celestial spirit to fight with, Rette didn't look from her work. That was just Natsu being Natsu.

"Hang on. Here." Loki said, pulling tickets out of his pocket, giving one to Lucy.

"What's this?" Lucy asked.

"Well, since I can't stay in the human world for long periods of time anymore...I've got these tickets for a hotel that I had planned on inviting all my girlfriends to. You guys have really helped me out, so I'm giving these to you. You should go and have a good time." Loki explained.

"The beach!" Lucy cried in joy.

Loki gave one to Natsu and Gray too before turning to the bar.

"I have one for you too, Rette." he said.

Rette looked up, one eyebrow raising as she looked at the ticket. She gave him a questioning look, but he just smiled at her, insisting she take it. Rette reached out and snagged the ticket, looking at it.

"Thanks." she told Loki who gave her a nod.

"I've already given one to Erza too. Have fun." Loki said before vanishing back to the spirit world.

And that was how Rette ended up visiting her first ever beach. In all her traveling, she had seen beaches, but had never actually been to a beach to relax and have fun, had never had a reason to wear a swimsuit, and didn't know the first thing about buying one. Lucy and Erza dragged her off the moment they arrived to buy a swimsuit. Rette, though she was sure she would regret it later, left the choice of her swimsuit up to Erza and Lucy. The two argued for a little while as they shifted through the different styles and colors and compared several to Rette before diving back in.

Finally they settled on a choice.

Rette ended up walking the beach in a royal purple bikini in which the bottoms had ruffles on them to make it look like an extremely short skirt.

Rette didn't mind the choice, actually. Thought it went well with her eyes. The only problem she had was that it seriously looked like she was just walking around in her underwear. She got over it though as they hit the beach. Rette actually had more fun than she thought she would, though she refused to do any kind of water rides.

When night fell, they all decided to check out the casino. Rette left behind her bikini, switching to a cropped off, black halter top and a matching, floor length skirt with a slit up the side. It wasn't her usual, casual clothes, but it wasn't fancy like the dress Erza switch into. The boys went their separate ways while Erza, Lucy, Rette, and Thyme hit the card tables. Rette didn't really gamble, had never seen the point to it, but Erza was on a winning streak.

"Erza, you're amazing!" Lucy cried.

"Luck's on my side today." Erza said.

"When they said Luck is a lady, they weren't kidding." Rette remarked, staring at the piles of poker chips in front of Erza.

"Right now I feel like I can't lose no matter who I'm up against." Erza remarked, as the dealers were switched out.

"Hell yeah!" Lucy agreed.

"If that's the case, why don't we enjoy a special game? Expect we won't be betting with coins."

Rette looked up at the dealer as he spoke. Something about the way he spoke and looked at Erza made a child crawl down her spine. He dealt out five cards, each with a letter on it. When they were all dealt, they spelled, "death".

"Let's bet with our lives." he said, a grin on his face. "Big sis."

"Shou..."

Erza's soft whisper made Rette look at her face. She had never seen such a sad and scared look on Erza's face before. Erza was even trembling. Rette had a bad feeling about this. She rose to her feet, standing at Erza's side and laid a hand on her shoulder. Rette's eyes scanned the room around them, feeling like an enemy would jump out at her at any second.

"You...you were safe?" Erza asked.

"Safe?" replied the boy Erza had called Shou.

"Ah...no...I just meant..."

Rette looked down at Erza as she stumbled over her words. She was about to say something when all the lights in the building went out. Rette resisted the instant urge to run or use her light magic. After those lonely years trapped in the cold darkness of the Compound, she hated the dark.

The dark was sinister.

The dark was cold.

The dark was...terrifying.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked.

The dark didn't remain long. Soon the light returned, but when it did, Shou was no longer behind the dealer's table. Rette started looking around, tension building in her body. Could they honestly not have one day off? One day! That was all she was asking for.

"Shou!?" Erza called.

"Over here, big sis."

Erza, Rette, and Lucy turned. Shou stood behind them among a pile of cards. Cards that had the other customers of the casino trapped inside them. How had Rette missed the fact that all the other customers were missing? The sudden, irrational fear of the dark had made her mind dull.

"There are people in the cards!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Do you think it's strange? I learned how to use magic too." Shou said.

"Magic? Just...what do you..." Erza said.

Rette though, felt like someone was staring at her and whipped around. Her constant paranoia and the instant mistrust of this Shou, was probably what saved her. She jumped out of the way of some strange ropes, avoiding them. Lucy on the other hand, who had been standing next to her, was not so lucky. The ropes wrapped around Lucy, tying her up and dragging her back.

"Lucy!" Erza called.

There, sitting on the table, holding Lucy hostage, was a girl with cat ears and wearing a bell around her neck. She meowed with a grin on her face, as if she was a cat. It made Thyme puff up as if she had just been insulted.

"Super strong, right?" the girl asked.

"Miliana!?" Erza said shocked. "You can use magic too?"

"Erza, who are these people?" Rette asked, pressing her back against Erza's.

Erza ignored the question, almost as if she didn't hear it at all, and instead, focused on the two. She did, however, press back against Rette's back.

"What's the meaning of this!? Lucy's my friend!" Erza said.

"Weren't we your friends, big sis?" Shou asked.

"Friends?" Rette asked.

These people had been Erza's friends? Granted, Rette knew next to nothing about Erza, but she remembered hearing that Erza had been in Fairy Tail since she was a small child. These two were not Fairy Tail members. Was it possible she had known them before her time in Fairy Tail?

"Ah...yeah..." Erza replied.

"That is, until you betrayed us of course." Shou added.

Rette could feel Erza shiver behind her. Erza wrapped her arms around herself, gritting her teeth. Rette didn't know what was going on, had no idea who these people were or what Shou was talking about. All she knew what that Erza was hurting because of their presence and Rette didn't like it.

"Don't ruffle her feathers too much, Shou."

Rette pressed even closer to Erza as a block man appeared, a cigar smoking in his mouth. Lucy, who was next to him, looked at him with wide eyes. Rette couldn't summon the energy to look at him strangely. There were a lot of strange things in the world.

"Dandy men know how to maintain their composure. You turned out to be quite the looker." the man said, aiming the last part at Erza.

"Th-that voice...Wally?" Erza asked.

"Not that it would matter if you hadn't recognized me. Compared to Mad Dog Wally from the old days, I'm much more _well-rounded_ now." Wally remarked,

"You're a block head...literally." Rette retorted.

"You...can use magic too..." Erza remarked, looking at Wally.

"No need to be so awestruck."

Another man appeared then, this one tall and large. Rette would not want to go one-on-one with him. Relying on sheer physical strength...she would lose. Hands down.

"Once that guy gets his mitts on you, anyone would be able to use magic. Right Erza?" he asked.

Erza grabbed a hold of Rette's wrist then, keeping a tight grip on her. Rette glanced at the hand and then at Erza, but she didn't say anything. Erza looked freaked. If she was freaked then there was a reason to be concerned.

"Simon!?" Erza said in a low voice.

"Erza, who are these people and why did he call you his sister?" Rette asked.

"He's not really my brother. They are my former friends." Erza answered.

"Friends...but I thought you'd been at Fairy Tail since you were a little kid!" Lucy called from where she now lay tied up on the floor.

"This...this was before that...What's the old gang doing here? Let Lucy go and leave Rette alone." Erza told them, half stepping in front of Rette.

And there she went, trying to protect Rette again. Rette, usually, would have been insulted, but with Erza, it was a show of how much she cared about Rette.

"We came to bring you back." Wally said.

"Let's go back, big sis." Shou added.

Rette stepped around Erza, placing herself between Erza and them. She wouldn't let them take Erza and with the way Erza was, she doubted Erza would fight them.

"If you insist on being pig-headed about it..." Wally said pointing a gun at Lucy.

"S-stop it! I'm begging you! Please stop!" Erza called, trying to get past Rette.

Rette held out an arm, holding her back. Running into it would only get someone hurt. Rette didn't see the shot from behind until it hit Erza and she crumpled forward, almost taking Rette down with her. Rette caught her and eased her to the ground. She looked up, finding a gun, with a floating arm attached, pointed at her forehead.

"Hand her over." Simon demanded.

Rette's eyes shifted to Simon as Lucy called out to Rette in fear for her safety. The only expression on Rette's face was the same old one of indifference. They couldn't tell a single thing that went through Rette's mind at that moment.

"No."

A loud, ringing pop rung out as the gun fired.

Rette's head whipped back from the force of the shot, but, to their surprise, it rebounded off Rette's forehead harmlessly. She cracked her neck as she straightened back up, rolling one shoulder idly.

"W-what!?" Wally exclaimed.

"Crystallization...Pressure Armor." Rette said lowly, turning her attention fully to them.

She gave her forehead a flick. They watched as light rippled across a seemingly colorless barrier laid over her skin. Rette rose to her feet, stepping two feet from Erza before holding out her right hand. A blue-purple magic circle appeared around Erza.

"Crystallization...Mirror Shield."

Crystals shot up around Erza, twisting and turning to form a shield around her. It would protect Erza enough to give Rette free movement. Rette turned to fully face Erza's old friends then.

"Thyme, give me some room, will you." Rette said.

Thyme uncurled herself from around Rette's neck and jumped into the air, sprouting her wings. Rette looked up at her as Miliana squealed about Thyme being a "little kitty".

"Go find Gray and Natsu." Rette told her.

Thyme nodded and shot off. Rette turned her attention back to Simon and his group.

"We already finished your friends." Simon told her.

"I don't believe the words of others. It's too easy for a person to lie or be mistaken." Rette replied.

"How did you stop my bullet?" Wally asked.

"My spell Pressure Armor. It covers my whole body in a layer of crystal." Rette replied.

The spell was good for defense. It was like armor alright. With each hit it took, every time more pressure was applied to it, it strengthened. The only down side to the spell was that as it strengthened, the crystal got thicker. If she used the spell too long and took too many hits, it soon became so thick that she couldn't move. Not that she was going to say that out loud.

"Well then, let's not forget that we can play this another way." Wally said, pointing his gun at Lucy.

Rette's eyes turned to Lucy, her expression appearing uninterested. Lucy knew differently. Rette wouldn't let them hurt her, but nor would she show how much it upset her that they had a gun pointed on Lucy. Rette stared at Lucy for a moment before raising her eyes back to Wally.

"I see." Rette said in an almost thoughtful tone.

What spell did she have that could possibly allow her to save Lucy without getting her or Lucy killed and without handing Erza over? There was her Light Speed spell but that was too hard on Rette's body. She still hadn't completely recovered from the injury to her ribs. She was likely to cause herself to cough up blood if she attempted it. Then it hit her...she had the perfect spell, but she would have to move fast and accurately. Rette knelt, bracing one knee on the ground. The moment she cast the spell she would have to make a mad dash for Lucy.

"Before any of your crystals can form, Wally will shoot her." Simon warned her.

"I'm not just a Crystallization magic user." Rette replied. "Lucy, close your eyes."

Lucy quickly did as she was told. Having a friend who was a light magic user, she had learned pretty quickly that if Rette told her to close her eyes, she sure as hell did as told. Once her eyes were closed, Rette held up her left hand.

"Light of Creation; Blinding Abyss."

Rette gave the fingers a snap. A blinding light flooded the room, blinding everyone but Rette. It was the complete opposite of the black-out spell cast earlier, but just as effective. With them blinded, Rette shot forward, grabbing Lucy. Simon had been reaching for her at the same time. Rette rolled out of the way, avoiding his grip. She took Lucy with her. By the time they could see again, Rette had Lucy at her side.

"You can use light magic." Simon grumbled.

"Among others." Rette replied aloofly, shrugging her shoulders.

"Miliana." Simon said.

Rette was expecting the weird ropes to come from in front of her. She was shocked when they hit her from behind, splitting off from the ones already tying Lucy up. One of them wrapped around Rette's throat and she instantly tried prying it away as it yanked upward, pulling her almost off her feet.

"Rette!" Lucy cried.

Even with the Pressure Armor spell, Rette could feel the pressure of the rope on her throat and it was slowly cutting off her breathing.

"Release the spell." Simon told her, gesturing towards the shield hiding Erza.

"No." Rette managed.

The rope tightened, raising her another fraction of an inch. Any higher and it really would cut off her air supply, then she would pass out...or die. That was probably what they were counting on. If she passed out, the spell would release and they could take Erza. Same if she died. Rette fought to keep herself calm. She reached up over her head, touching the rope with her right hand.

"Crystallization...Fragmentize!" she gasped out.

Nothing happened.

Rette grit her teeth. So the rope kept the captive from using magic. Rette could work with that. Fumbling for a moment, she kicked a foot up, like she was fighting to get free, and yanked a dagger out of her boot. Slashing upward, she sliced through the rope in one clean swipe. She thanked the heavens that she kept the dagger sharp. The rope snapped, releasing Rette who dropped to her knees, gasping in a deep breath. She had never been so grateful to have a simple little dagger at her disposal.

"Rette?" Lucy called.

"I'm fine." Rette assured her. "It just got a little hard to breath there for a second."

Rette rose to her feet. There were four of them. She was out numbered and didn't have any really powerful spells that she could use and not put her friends and others in the hotel at risk as well. The destructive power of her most powerful spells could be far too wide spread for her to contain. Rette's eyes widened as Shou suddenly appeared before her. He was shorter than her and was able to look up into her face, a smirk on his face.

His cards!

There was no way in hell she was going to end up stuck in one of his cards. She didn't get along with tight spaces. Rette shifted back, ready to retreat backwards away from him. It was at that moment that she happened to glance up and see that Simon was no longer standing between Wally and Miliana. She felt a shiver go down her spine, felt the presence of someone at her back, just before a heavy and large hand hit her hard from the left, sending her flying to the right. Rette felt a crunch and crack as her Pressure armor shattered. How could any human have the strength it would require to shatter her armor in one hit!?

And then she hit the pillar.

Her world went white as her head hit first and she crumpled to the floor. Black crept in on her vision, quickly turning it black. The last thing she heard was Lucy screaming her name before she was lost to the world.

-0-0-0-0-

"...ette...Rette... **Rette!** "

Rette groaned as pain replaced the dark numbness of the black void she had been lost in. She came to, her head throbbing and her body screaming insults at her for allowing it to get hurt again. She opened her eyes to find she was staring up at Lucy with Gray, Natsu, and-to her surprise-Juvia from the former Phantom Lord, standing behind her. Lucy smiled in relief when she saw Rette open her eyes.

"You're alright!" she exclaimed.

"I taste blood. Did I bite my tongue?" Rette asked in complete randomness.

The copper taste of her own blood coated her tongue. She didn't feel like she had bitten her tongue. She rolled her tongue in her mouth but there was no pain in it to suggest she had. Maybe the impact of her skull with the pillar jarred her teeth, making them bleed. She wasn't quite sure.

"It might be from the gash on your forehead. You have blood all over your face." Gray told her.

Sure enough, Rette licked her lips and grimaced when she tasted blood on the right side. Head injuries did tend to bleed more.

"Well that's lovely." Rette retorted, forcing herself to sit up and wincing when she did.

At the moment, her head hurt worse than anything else. If it hadn't been for the shattered remains of her Pressure Armor, she was sure that impact would have shattered her skull and killed her. The headache wouldn't be going away any time soon, but she could live with that.

"Here." Juvia said, offering her rag soaked in water.

"Thanks. Not to be rude but...why are you here?" Rette asked, looking up at her.

Juvia blushed, her eyes darting to Gray. Rette didn't have to be some kind of genius to figure out that Juvia had a thing for Gray and had probably followed him. She didn't say another word and simply went to work washing the blood on her face. She found the gash easily when she felt the sting across her forehead. She pressed the rag to it while the boys went in search of a first aid kit.

Rette took that moment to look around. Erza was gone, only a circle of broken crystal shards remaining to show where her shield had been. Rette silently berated herself for not seeing the trick before it hit her across the face...literally. But something else caught her attention.

"Where's Thyme?" Rette asked.

"She never came back. I couldn't find her anywhere when I went looking for Gray and Natsu." Lucy told her.

Rette grit her teeth. Had they gotten a hold of Thyme too? Rette dug through the pouch on her belt and pulled out Thyme's whistle. Even blowing that, the cat didn't show up. Capture was the only way to explain it. Rette was silently scolding herself for her stupidity when Gray came back with a first aid kit. She remained still as Lucy dressed the wound on her forehead, but then she could sit still no longer.

Those four had Ezra and possibly Thyme and Happy too. One insult was bad enough. They had to go and increase their sins by three in Rette's book. Natsu, though, was ahead of her. He ran off after the four, his temper getting the best of him.

"Follow him!" Gray said.

"But even if you follow him, we don't know where they went!" Lucy insisted.

"That guy has a sharper nose than most animals." Gray told her.

They followed Natsu. Natsu, the little blood hound, lead them right to the sea. Rette already felt sick to her stomach watching the waves as they crashed on shore. She soon found herself on a rickety, old boat with Lucy, Gray, Juvia, and a puky Natsu. Rette sat beside Juvia, swaying as the boat bobbed and rocked on the water.

"Are you alright, Rette? You've been unsteady since that hit to the head." Lucy remarked.

"I think that mixed with the rocking of this boat, are making me sick. I can't get my bearings." Rette said, pressing her eyes close.

Yes, it was kind of lying to lay the blame on the head injury, but she didn't really want to tell the others that she got sea sick. That would just be embarrassing.

"Perhaps you should lay down." Juvia suggested, offering her lap as a pillow.

"Yeah...thanks, Juvia." Rette told her, easing herself down, turning onto her back and throwing her legs over the side of the boat.

It made it a little better, but Rette would be so glad to be back on steady land. At least she was doing better than Natsu who was draped over the side of the boat. He looked like he was about to empty his stomach of all it's contents and then some.

"Hey, Natsu...you sure it's around here?" Lucy asked Natsu.

"Y-y-yeah..." Natsu managed.

"We're relying on that nose of yours! Get a grip!" Gray told him.

"Juvia does not believe that he would dare dash Gray's hopes." Juvia added, glaring daggers at Natsu.

"Trust him. A Dragon Slayer's nose is never wrong." Rette said, draping a hand across her eyes.

It was at times like this that Rette looked back on her choices and cursed hind sight for being so clear. If she hadn't fallen for that stupid trick and got herself knocked out, than she could have held the four off until Gray and Natsu rejoined her and they could have beaten them back together. The saying that hind sight was 20/20 was true and it sucked.

"Damn it! I can't believe they took Erza, Happy, and Thyme away while we were unconscious! How sad is that!?" Gray snapped, standing in the middle of the boat.

He stomped a foot, making the boat wobble. Rette instantly clapped a hand over her mouth as Natsu groaned and made a sound like he was gagging on bile. Rette really wished Gray would sit down and stop with all the sudden movement.

"An accurate assessment...to think a mage as able as Miss Erza would be defeated..." Juvia remarked, more to herself.

"Ain't no way she was beaten...you don't know the first thing about Erza." Gray snapped at Juvia.

He gave her such a dark glare that Juvia jolted, bouncing Rette in the process, and started shaking. She begged Gray to forgive her as Rette groaned lowly to herself.

"Gray! Calm down!" Lucy scolded.

Juvia wrapped her arms around Rette in reflex, holding her tightly as she fell into a gloom after upsetting Gray. Rette really wished, given how she felt at the moment, that she would find someone else to grip so tightly. Gray dropped to sit on the bench next to Juvia, still in a bad mood. Something Rette could understand since Thyme was her partner, and Erza and Happy were her teammates.

"Erza mentioned something about those guys being her former friends. Face it, when it comes to Erza...no one here knows much about her at all..." Lucy said sadly.

"At least you know more than I do." Rette said, lowly, hand still draped over her eyes.

All eyes turned to Rette, who looked just as, if not more pale than Natsu did.

"I know nothing. I **always** know nothing." Rette added.

And with a woman like Erza who was just as kind and smart and pretty as she was strong, that seemed like such a crying shame. Rette vowed, then and there, that when they got Erza back, and they would, she would make more of an effort to get to know her. And not just her, but the other members of the guild. Rette didn't want to do any of them the dishonor of losing them and knowing next to nothing about them.

Just then, Lucy jolted forward, leaning over Natsu. Rette swallowed back another groan as the boat rocked with her movement, dipping to one side and then to the other.

"It's a tower!" Lucy cried.

Rette eased herself up, turning to look along with the others. Sure enough, straight ahead of them, a tower rose up on a small island in the middle of the water.

"That's must be it." Rette remarked lowly.

The tower, itself, sent a chill down Rette's spine. She felt like she was about to walk into the same hell she had been born into. For Erza to have anything to do with something like that...Rette's chest ached at the thought, making her lay a hand on her chest. No matter what waited inside the tower, they were all going in. Erza was their guild mate, their friend. They weren't going to leave her to this fate. Rette wouldn't leave her or Happy and Thyme there. Not without a serious fight. Whoever ran this place, they had taken something Rette considered hers. That was like declaring a battle with Rette. A bloody, nothing-held-back battle.

And if they wanted a battle, she would rage a war.

END

Kyandi: You're a walking injury magnet, aren't you?

Rette: Who made me that way?

Kyandi: Oh, right...my bad.

Rette: Yeah, your bad.

Kyandi: Well, I'm accident prone and am always getting injured, so its not like it isn't believable.

Rette: You injuring yourself and someone else injuring you, are two different things.

Kyandi: True. Oh well. Too late to change it now!

Rette:...

Kyandi: Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	10. Game With A Madman

Kyandi: And we're back!

Rette: This is number two of the eight chapters we have ready for your reading.

Kyandi: Yep. I just scan through them to make sure there are no major spell mistakes.

Rette: And you still never catch all of your mistakes.

Kyandi: I know! I can re-read it over and over again and I never manage to catch all of my own mistakes. Yet, I'm great at editing other's work.

Rette: A high sense of self perfection?

Kyandi: NO! That is not it, at all!

Rette: No need to shout.

Kyandi: ...annoying...pain in the...

Rette: Come again?

Kyandi: Nothing. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 10 Game With A Madman

"That's a lot of guards."

Rette, Gray, Natsu, and Lucy peeked up from behind the boulders they were hiding behind. Yards ahead of them, guards stood watch at the staircase leading up to the entrance of the tower. They were all spaced out, two guards everything five or six steps. Rette frowned as she followed the guarded staircase to the the entrance with her eyes.

"Who cares? Let's plough through 'em!" Natsu declared, trying to climb over the boulders.

Lucy and Rette grabbed him, yanking him back and keeping him in place behind the boulders. If he blew their cover now and the guards called the alarm, there was no telling what would be done to Erza in retaliation. That was something they couldn't risk.

"No way!" Lucy told Natsu.

"They have Erza, Thyme, and Happy, Natsu. If you rush in, cause trouble and they send out an alarm, there's no telling what they'll do to them." Rette added.

Natsu obviously wasn't listening to them. He continued to try to climb over the rocks. Gray grabbed a hold of the back of his clothes to keep him from getting to far and Rette made a comment about getting a leash for Natsu.

"Still, that tower thing is just ahead. If they find us here, we won't stand a chance." Lucy remarked, looking up at the tower.

Rette looked back up at the tower. Sneaking in might be their only option, but that was going to prove rather difficult with the sheer number of guards the place had. The sound of water moving made the four of them turn to find Juvia's head peaking up out of the water.

"Juvia has found another way into the tower's basement through the water." Juvia said.

"Seriously? Great job!" Gray praised.

"The one who was praised was not you. It was Juvia." Juvia taunted, looking at Lucy.

"Uh-huh..." Lucy replied.

"It's a journey of about ten minutes underwater, but holding your breath for that long won't be a problem, right?" Juvia asked.

"Ten minutes is nothing!" Natsu agreed.

"Yep!" Gray agreed.

"Of course it's impossible!" Lucy protested.

"Even I see the stupidity in even trying to holding my breath for half of that time." Rette added.

Really.

What was it with the males of her guild. Were they all a little loose in the head just for the hell of it? Or was that a requirement for males to join Fairy Tail? Juvia, seeing it Lucy's and Rette's way, made air bubbles using her water.

"Please wear this. It uses water to enclose your head with oxygen, so you can even breath underwater." Juvia said, giving one to each of them.

Rette took hers and eyed it with interest before putting it over her head. Natsu excitedly took his, jamming his head in without a second thought.

"By the way, who are you?" Natsu asked Juvia, much to Juvia's disappointment.

Rette was sure stupidity had to be a requirement for males in her guild. She would have pinched the bridge of her nose if it wasn't for the bubble already around her head. Lucy striped down to her bathing suit, which, for some strange reason, she had been wearing under her clothes. Rette slid out of her skirt, revealing the shorts-like bottoms that laced up the sides with pink ribbons, that she was wearing underneath and took off her boots, showing that she had a dagger strapped to each ankle. It was putting her in a minimal amount of clothing with just the shorts and the cropped off, halter top she was wearing, but at least she wouldn't be dragging around water logged clothes the whole time.

The five of them jumped into the water and Juvia lead the way down to the basement. Juvia lead them to an opening and Rette poked her head up out of the water and looked around, making sure no one was around, before she climbed out of the water. Natsu and Gray followed her, Lucy bringing up the rear. Rette pulled the bubble off her head, Lucy following suit.

"This thing sure is handy, even if it does look pretty silly." Lucy remarked.

"Lucy really did well making her breath last, even after I made hers a little smaller than the rest." Juvia said bluntly.

"Hey!" Lucy exclaimed.

"You didn't die, Lucy, so don't get too worked up." Rette told her.

Lucy mumbled to herself as Rette wrung as much water from her top as she could. Gray looked around them, Juvia at his side.

"This is the basement of the tower?" he asked.

"Erza, Thyme, and Happy are somewhere here." Lucy said as she wrung out the clothes she had brought with her.

"Who the hell are you guys!?"

All five of them looked up as guards spotted them from catwalks above their heads. They completely out numbered them, though Rette doubted any of them knew magic.

"Oh crap!" Lucy exclaimed.

"We've come this far...we'll just have to fight them." Gray said.

"If it'll clear the way." Rette agreed.

Natsu, though, beat them to the punch...literally.

"Who the hell are we!? Don't you know good fighters when you see them!?" Natsu yelled, punching out the support beam of the catwalk with one fiery fist. "We're from Fairy Tail, morons!"

Just like that, the whole cat walk came crashing down, spilling the guards along with it. It was one flashy way to start off the fight. From there, each of them pulled their own weight in the fight. Lucy called out Cancer, while Juvia used her Water Slicer spell to put down those who attacked her. Gray, literally, gave his opponents the boot, and Rette used a Light of Creation spell called Bursting Butterflies, which formed butterflies out of light, that then exploded when they landed on her opponents.

Soon, the five of them had cleared the way. They then moved on to the door out of the basement, which was locked from the other side. As they looked up at it, it suddenly opened.

"Some sort of door just opened up there!" Natsu said, stating the obvious.

"They're telling us to come up?" Gray asked.

"Smells like a trap to me." Rette remarked.

But they didn't have much of a choice. To find their missing friends, they had to go up. Gray and Natsu insisted on going first and the girls followed. No sooner did he reach the top of the ladder, Natsu started yelling, his anger getting the better of him. Lucy covered his mouth, telling him to stop.

"We could only go crazy before because it was underground. Now we'll just have to sneak about." Gray remarked.

"What's more, this door was not open by someone on this side. It's being controlled by magic remotely." Juvia said, looking back at the trap door they had just come through.

"Like I said...this is smelling more and more like a trap by the second." Rette retorted. "They know we're here and where we are. They have to."

"I agree. They're completely aware of our movements." Juvia agreed.

"If that's true, then what's the point in opening the door for us?" Lucy added.

"Are they trying to provoke us?" Gray asked.

Just then, Gray glanced at Lucy, finally noticing the new, fancy clothes Lucy was wearing. Rette had barely paid the dress she was wearing any attention. Now, as Gray asked where she had gotten them, Rette took a look at them. She kind of liked the outfit, though she could have done without the extra bows on the wrists and biceps.

"They're from the spirit world! I don't like wearing wet clothes, so earlier, I took the opportunity to ask Cancer to bring them for me." Lucy answered.

"I wish you had said something. I would have loved a change of clothes." Rette remarked.

"I can have one of my spirits bring you some." Lucy offered.

"I'm already dry, but thanks." Rette assured her.

"How? Aside from Juvia, who can turn herself into water, the rest of you should still have wet clothes." Lucy said.

"Natsu's a human dryer." Rette said, pointing to Natsu, whose flames were currently drying, not only his clothes, but Gray's and Rette's. "Besides...I like that outfit, but it's too much clothes for me."

Lucy would have said something back, but guards found them just then. Rette heaved a sigh at the sight of the men charging towards them. This was going to be her whole day, she knew it. For once she would just like to go in, get the job done, and leave without having to worry about people attacking her and her friends.

"These guys just don't know when to quit." Natsu remarked.

"My thoughts exactly." Rette said.

They prepared themselves for the fight, but something crashed into the back of one guard and seemed to ping-pong ball between them all, taking them all out. It moved so fast that all Rette saw was a flash of metal, until it came to a stop. There stood the very person they were there to get.

"Erza!" Gray said in shock.

"Thank goodness! You were safe!" Lucy said happily.

Erza whipped around, shocked to find them there. Apparently she hadn't expected them to come after her. What kind of teammates did she take them for?

"What are you guys doing here?" Erza asked.

"What do you mean why!? We'd be disgracing Fairy Tail if we just backed off and let them walk all over us! And there's no way I'm letting that square bastard off easy!" Natsu yelled.

"We're a team, Erza, guild mates. We're suppose to help each other. Right?" Rette added.

Erza looked at all of them, her eyes landing on Juvia. When Juvia tried to explain why she was there, Erza cut her off by telling them to leave.

"You guys shouldn't be here." Erza said.

"But Erza-"

"They've got Happy and Thyme shut up here somewhere too! We can't just go back!" Natsu snapped, cutting off Lucy.

"Happy and Thyme are here? Don't tell me, Miliana..." Erza remarked.

"I'm not leaving without Thyme, Erza." Rette said sternly. "And I'm definitely not leaving without you and Happy, either."

Erza stared at Rette in surprise. It wasn't the first time Rette had been firm about helping those in her guild, but it still surprised Erza every time, considering how Rette normally acted. Natsu got up in Erza's face then.

"Where is he!?" Natsu demanded.

"I...have no idea." Erza replied.

"Ok, got it!" Natsu replied, turning to leave the room.

"What do you mean you got it!?" Gray asked.

"Happy, and Thyme, are waiting for us!" Natsu snapped before running off.

Though Rette felt strongly about Thyme being captured, she had more common sense than to just take off running through the tower, yelling her head off like Natsu did. He was going to draw every guard in the place to him. Then they would all be in trouble.

"That moron! Running off on his own again." Gray growled. "Thyme was caught too, but you don't see Rette running off like that."

"That's because I know Thyme's alright."

Everyone turned to Rette as she stared off after Natsu. She didn't look upset. Then again, Rette didn't look anything usually unless she wanted to.

"What do you mean, Rette?" Lucy asked.

"It's hard to explain. I just know. I know when she gets hurt, I know when she's scared or upset. I just **know**. She's fine." Rette replied. "But if we don't stop Natsu, there will probably be trouble for all of us."

"Let's follow him!" Lucy said, nodding in agreement with Rette.

"You can't. Go back." Erza told them. "Miliana is the biggest cat-lover around. I don't think she'd hurt Happy and Thyme. I'll take care of Natsu and Happy and Thyme and bring them back. You guys get away from here right now."

"We can't do that! We're not leaving without you!" Lucy protested.

"This is my problem. I don't want you guys getting involved." Erza insisted.

"We're already involved! You saw how Natsu was!" Gray told her.

"Erza...what is this tower? Who's this Jellal guy? Though it's fine if you don't want to tell us...I know you said those guys were your friends before...but we're your friends now. We'll always be here for you, Erza." Lucy told her.

"G...Go..." Erza insisted.

Was it just Rette, or was Erza subtly trembling? Rette stared at the older woman's back, watching her.

"This isn't like you, Erza. Why can't you just stop saying all this useless stuff and tell us "follow me" like you always do? We'll help you out. Even you're allowed to be scared sometimes, you know." Gray told her.

"You want to know what I think, Erza?"

When Erza didn't reply to Rette's question, Rette continued on.

"I think you're terrified."

Gray, Lucy, and Juvia turned wide eyes on Rette, Gray silently trying to get Rette to shut up. But Rette ignored him, her eyes fixed solely on Erza's back as she pressed on. If Erza wanted to hit her for this later...well, Rette would just take it.

"No, in matter of fact...I know you are. I know what it's like to have a place that just the mere thought of it terrifies me to the very core of my being. Just thinking of it, scares me so much that I start to shake and a cold sweat breaks out all over my body. I know you're scared, Erza, because I know, completely, what it's like to be scared beyond any reasonable thought. But Lucy's right. We're a team, so we'll always be here for you." Rette told her.

Erza turned then, shocking them when they saw the tears in her eyes. Rette didn't mean to make her cry. Hell, she didn't know anyone could make Erza cry. Erza wiped the tears away.

"Sorry. In this fight...whether I win or lose...I'll disappear from this world no matter what." Erza said.

"Wh-what do you mean!?" Gray asked.

"This is an unavoidable future. So...so while I'm still here, I'll tell you everything I know." Erza told them, smiling sadly.

"The name of this tower is The Tower of Paradise. Otherwise known as "R System". More than a decade ago, a cult believing in black magic tried to build a tower whose magic could "bring the dead back to life"." Erza explained.

"Bring the dead back to life!?" Lucy exclaimed.

Just hearing that sent a chill down Rette's spine. Who would want to use magic like that? That kind of magic came at a great price. A price greater than Rette would ever willingly pay. Magic like that was taboo for a reason.

"This project wasn't sanctioned by the government or the magic council, so they rounded people up from all countries and forced them to work as slaves on the construction. When I was young, I was one of those forced to work here." Erza told them.

Rette knew it. Erza, just like her, had once been forced to live in abuse. The situations differed in ways, but the trauma left behind was all the same. It made Rette's chest ache for her because she knew how badly it hurt and how deep those wounds reached.

"That's when I first met Jellal."

Erza went on to explain to them about her time in the tower. About the punishment, the hard work. How she met Jellal and how, after a failed attempt to escape, she had been taken for punishment. She told them how Jellal had come to save her and had been caught and taken to be use as an example. In her pain and fear, Erza had lead a revolt against those who had held them as slaves. So much did it remind Rette of parts of her childhood, how she had been trapped in the Compound, that Rette wrapped her arms around herself.

"For the sake off freedom...and to rescue Jellal...we rose up against them. Back then, Jellal was our leader, and he had a strong sense of justice. I looked up to him more than anyone else. However...after that time, Jellal became a completely different person. If you could ever call someone evil, that's probably what I'd call Jellal." Erza said.

No.

Rette knew of a man more evil than that, but she kept her mouth shut.

Erza went on to tell them of the revolt, of the first time she used magic, and of the old man with Fairy Tail's emblem on his back, who had taught her of that. She told them of how she found Jellal, how he had changed and wanted to complete the tower in the name of Zeref, the dark mage.

A cold sweat broke out all over Rette's body at the mention of the name Zeref. She had heard it more times in her life than she ever wanted to. Hearing it now brought back memories she wished she didn't have. But no amount of wishing would ever make it go away.

Erza continued telling her story, noticing how pale Rette was becoming. She told them of how Jellal had cast her off the island, but had forced the others to stay. How he had threaten Erza with the lives of her friends, to keep her from telling anyone of the tower's existence and to keep her from returning to the tower.

"I...I want to fight Jellal." Erza said.

Talk about facing one's demons. Despite how scared she felt, how sad it made her, Erza was going to confront the source of her demons. That was bravery in it's truest, purest form. Rette could never have that kind of courage. She could face off against those stronger than her without batting an eyelash, could stand before a magical beast and never flinch, could take a beating without a sound, but the mere thought of facing her demons, froze her on the spot.

It petrified her.

Nothing in the world could convince Rette to face the darkness, the monsters that haunted her past. That Erza could and willingly did so...Rette had the utmost respect for Erza. But that didn't mean she would let Erza go through with it at the risk of her life. Not alone.

"Hold on, Erza. That "Zeref" you just mentioned is..."

"A dark mage known to be the most brutal and cruel in the history of the magic world. So great was his power that he was said to have created several monsters. He amassed thousands of people under his name, seeking to curry favor by doing dark deeds in his name." Rette said.

She had heard of Zeref, oh yes. More than she ever wanted to. He had been responsible for creating many demons. That including the demon Deliora who had destroyed Gray's birth home.

"In-indeed. The monster summoned by Lullaby was created from the Book of Zeref." Lucy remarked.

"Not only that. I'm afraid Deliora could have been another such part of the Book of Zeref." Erza remarked.

"There were many demons he was suppose to be responsible for. Some even hid in human skin." Rette remarked lowly.

"Zeref has the power to create these terrifying monsters with little effort." Erza said in agreement with Rette.

"That's the Zeref, Jellal plans to revive?" Juvia asked.

"I'm not sure what his motive is. According to Jell-my old friends, when Zeref is revived, they would become rulers of "Paradise"." Erza said.

"When you put it that way, I really can't understand the actions of your old friends." Lucy remarked. "They said that Erza, you were a traitor. But the real traitor seems to be Jellal right?"

"I don't know what Jellal has been filling their heads with since I escaped the Tower of Paradise. But I did abandon them for eight whole years. I guess that's a kind of betrayal." Erza remarked.

"And I'm a monkey's uncle." Rette said sourly.

"But, that was because Jellal threatened you with your friends' lives! You couldn't get close! How could those guys blame-"

"That's enough Lucy. You too, Rette. If I can just take care of Jellal, it'll all be over." Erza said.

Rette opened her mouth to say something else, when something caught her attention. She whipped around, just as someone else started talking.

"Big sis. Those words...what do you mean by them?"

Shou came their way, visibly shaken, his eyes wide. Apparently, he had heard the whole conversation.

"Shou..." Ezra said, turning to face him.

"All that nonsense you just said. Are you just trying to pry sympathy from your friends!? Don't joke around! The truth is nothing like that!" Shou shouted at her.

"Watch your tongue, kid. She's not prying sympathy from anyone." Rette told him, her eyes sharp.

Shou glanced at her, taking a step to the side, away from her, but he soon returned his attention back to Erza.

"Eight years ago, weren't you the one who bombed the ship everyone was on and then ran off by yourself? If Jellal hadn't discovered your betrayal we would have all been blown to bits! Jellal told everyone! This is the fate of those who cannot handle the proper form of magic! You went mad with your new power and gave up everything to do with us!" Shou yelled.

"Jellal told you that?" Gray asked.

"Does that sound like something the Erza you knew would have done?" Lucy asked.

"I haven't known her for long, but even I know...Erza would never turn her back on her friends. She's too loyal. The mere thought hurts her." Rette added.

Shou stared at them, his eyes wide, a sweat breaking out on his face. It was like it shocked him that they had such faith in Erza. Erza stood with her head bowed.

"You, you fools don't understand anything! You don't know a thing about us! I was saved thanks to Jellal! Herefore! We built this tower for the last eight years! For Jellal! All this has been a lie? If Big sis is right then everything Jellal said, was a lie!?" Shou asked.

"I hate to break it to you, but people lie. Especially people who have obviously been twisted by some outside source. Take it from someone who knows." Rette told him, her tone somewhat sad sounding.

"A lie?" Shou asked, as if freaked.

"That's right."

As another voice entered the conversation, Rette looked up. When her eyes landed on Simon as he approached them, she went on guard, fists coming up like she was ready to slug him one. After the hit to the face that had sent her flying into a pillar, she owed him a solid punch in the nose. Gray growled, lunging forward towards Simon, but Juvia held him back.

"That time before, he knew that was only an ice dummy of you, but he attacked it anyway." Juvia told Gray.

"What?" Gray exclaimed in shock.

"No way a dark mage wouldn't have detected something like that. Confirming this is one of the reasons Juvia came along." Juvia told him.

"No wonder you're one of the famous Phantom's Elemental Four." Simon said. "I didn't plan on killing you then. In order to fool Shou and the others I was just going to knock you out. With the ice I was able to make your death seem a little more realistic."

"And you're hit to my face? You do know that if my Pressure Armor hadn't still, somewhat been in place...that hit would have killed me." Rette said.

She managed to appear and sound indifferent but from the blazing of her eyes, her friends knew she was angry. One wrong word from Simon and she would probably crystallize him and then have fun smashing him into dust. Simon obviously sensed this, for his held his hands out to show he wouldn't do anything as he spoke.

"I take it, from the name, that the spell you use would only grow in strength as more pressure was applied to the armor, correct?" he asked.

"Yes. But your hit shattered it, so I fail to see a point here." Rette replied.

"Even shattered, the armor about your head remained, somewhat, intact because you had purposely made it thicker there. I could tell. You're a naturally mistrusting person, aren't you?" Simon pointed out.

Rette didn't reply to that. No, she didn't trust others easily, and that had saved her life more times than she could count. But she wasn't going to admit this out loud. It was no one else's business if she had a hard time trusting others. She was justified in her opinion. Rette just stared at him, waiting for him to get his point across.

"I knew, even if I hit you as hard as I could, that it wouldn't kill you. Your magic is stronger than you give it credit for." he told her.

Rette's eyes narrowed, one eyebrow raising. As much faith as he seemed to have in her spell, her face didn't thank him for his abuse. Instead, it yelled insults at **her** because of something **he** did. He didn't have to live with the bruising and pain.

She did.

"If that was suppose to be compliment, you sorely missed your mark." Rette retorted.

Simon didn't look remorseful of that in the least. Then again, with half of his face hidden by the metal jaw, eye patch, and the shadow cast by the head cloth, Rette couldn't really tell much about his expression. Now she kind of knew how others felt when looking at her.

"And what about when you were going to let Wally shoot me between the eyes?" Rette asked.

Simon looked away from her, wisely not saying a word. Though her expression didn't change, Rette's friends got the impression that Rette was sulking.

"You were just trying to trick us!?" Shou asked, teeth snapping together.

Simon turned his attention from Rette and the others to focus it on Shou. He was obviously upset. Rette was starting to think that he was easily upset by a lot of things.

"You, Wally, and Miliana, everyone had been fooled by Jellal. I waited for the right time, and pretended to believe him also." Simon said.

"Simon, you..."

"I believed Erza from the beginning. It's been that way for eight years." Simon said.

He scratched one cheek, the skin over his cheek bones turning a light red. Rette didn't need to see all of his face to read that expression. She looked between the two as Erza smiled and hugged him. Was it just her, or did Rette sense something a little more than friendship when it came to how Simon felt about Erza?

"I'm so glad I was finally able to see you again. Erza." Simon told Erza.

"How could...how could you trust her like that...how?" Shou asked.

Everyone turned their attention back to Shou. He looked like he was struggling. Rette could tell that he wanted to believe in Erza, to trust her, but just couldn't bring himself to do it. She knew the feeling and sympathize with him.

"Why can't I trust Big sis, trust her like you do? Damn it! Who's telling the truth!? Who am I supposed to believe!?" Shou shouted, flinging himself to the floor to pound his hands against the stones.

Sobs left him, his cries pained and tortured. He huddled in on himself and shook from the sobs. Rette remembered doing the same thing as a child when she had had a horrible day and questioned everything around her. She hadn't had anyone then to give her a smile and hug her, letting her know everything would be alright no matter how she felt, as Erza did for Shou.

"I know it's hard to accept everything right now. But let me just say a few words. In these eight years I never forgot about you guys. I couldn't do anything...I was too weak. I'm sorry." Erza told Shou, holding him in her arms.

"But you're ready now, isn't that right?" Simon asked.

Erza nodded. Rette looked between Erza, Shou, and Simon. It was easy to tell that, at one time, they were all really close. She could see the same thing between Erza and others in Fairy Tail too.

"I've been waiting for this moment. Now that all these powerful mages are gathered in one place." Simon remarked, a smile curling his lips.

"Powerful mages?" Lucy asked.

"We'll fight Jellal with our combined strength." Simon said, looking around at all of them. "But first we need to stop Salamander and Wally's impending battle. If we are to take on Jellal we'll need his power."

Erza nodded and turned to Rette then, making the girl raise an eyebrow.

"Rette, could you use your Seek spell?" Erza asked.

"I can try. Given the magic energy I feel in this place, it might not work. Too much magical interference." Rette said.

She turned and walked a few feet from them, focusing on her spell. All eyes focused on her as she combined her Light of Creation magic and Crystallization magic to cast her Seek spell. Shards of crystallized light formed in the air and then shattered into tinier pieces and began drifting off, shifting through cracks and flying out of the room. Rette closed her eyes and let the images flood into her mind. Everything was fuzzy and distorted from all of the interference. Her brow furrowed as the others stared at her and then she opened her eyes. Her vision was half and half at the moment, part of it seeing what was really around her, and the other half seeing the magical image her spell was giving her.

"All I can tell you at the moment is that he's not on this floor anymore." Rette told them. "But I'll keep a look out."

Erza nodded as Simon eyed Rette.

"You can combine your magic to preform a Unison Raid on your own?" he asked.

"The name originally given to it was Nexus magic, but I refer to it by it's more common name; Unison magic." Rette replied.

"Nexus magic?" Simon asked as he lead the way to the stairs leading up to the next floor.

"Nexus...a connection or series of connections linking two or more things. In this case, two or more magic types. I'm the first person to manage to use such a type of magic, but it's hard to do. You have to have a delicate grasp on and precise use of your magic energy, as well as a large store of magical energy. It took me many years to finally learn control." Rette replied.

"Why don't you use that name for it, Rette? Sounds cooler." Gray remarked.

"Most people don't know what it means though and then I have to waste five or ten minutes explaining it." Rette replied. "Saying Unison magic is quick, to the point, and cuts out the explanation...most of the time."

They reached the stairs and Simon lead the charge up the stairs, every now and then raising two fingers to his temple.

"Damn! My contact with Wally and Miliana is being blocked! Now I have no idea where they are!" Simon cursed. "Rette?"

Simon turned to look at Rette over his shoulder. Rette was running beside Juvia. She looked up at him and then turned her focus to her spell. The next floor appeared before her mind's eye.

"So far, I'm not getting anything. The magic energy in this place is really distorting the image." Rette said.

Simon sighed and focused forward. Gray lowered his voice, talking to Juvia and Rette.

"Hey...are you sure we should actually be trusting that guy? I mean, I'll accept he didn't actually try to kill us, and that's all very well, and I'll accept that Rette could pretty much protect herself-"

"Try telling my face and head that." Rette said lowly.

"-but in that situation. Natsu and Lucy could easily have died." Gray said as if Rette hadn't butted in.

"I do not plan on making excuses. If you were the sort of mages who could be killed that easily, then you could never have fought Jellal anyway." Simon said, hearing them. "Besides which, I had faith, that Natsu would not die." Simon said.

"And...what about me?" Lucy asked.

"You people have still not realized Natsu's true power. When Natsu holds the true power of a dragon...evil will perish." Simon remarked.

"True power of a dragon...evil will perish..."

Rette's low voice repeated that, her tone somewhat thoughtful as she watched the stairs pass under her feet.

The power of dragons...

It seemed everyone put a lot of faith in the power of dragons. She could understand it, seeing how strong Natsu was, even on an off day. Rette's vision suddenly blacked out as her Seek spell was suddenly blanketed in darkness. It was like someone had suddenly dumped black paint over her eyes. She knew someone else was forcing their magical will over hers, over riding her spell, and the sheer force of the power sent a sharp pain through her head.

Rette gasped in pain and tripped over her own feet, falling to the ground, clutching her head. The others came to a screeching halt, Lucy and Erza coming to her side. Rette had to dispel the spell to ease the pain in her head.

"Rette?" Lucy asked.

"Someone just blacked out my spell. I felt like I was hit over the head." Rette said lowly, a cold sweat breaking out on her skin.

The others joined them as Erza got Rette to sit up. To make matters worse, mouths suddenly appeared all over the walls and ceiling, grinning as they moved and spoke.

" _Welcome, all of you, to the Tower of Paradise_." they said, acting almost like speakers.

"What are these stupid mouths!?" Gray asked.

"They...they spoke!" Juvia exclaimed.

"They seem to be conveying Jellal's words throughout the entire tower." Simon remarked.

"Talk about creepy." Rette remarked, one hand pressed to her face.

Erza pulled Rette to her feet, making sure the girl was steady on her feet before she released her. If it hadn't been so sudden and if she hadn't been running, Rette doubted she would have tripped like that.

" _I am Jellal, ruler of this tower. The pieces of both sides are now in place. I think it's about time for us to begin. The Paradise Game_." Jellal announced.

"Game? I'm not the game type." Rette remarked.

" _The rules are simple. My goal is to use Erza as a sacrifice to revive Zeref. In other words, if I can open the gate way to paradise, I win. And if you people can stop me from doing that, then you win. However...that in and of itself wouldn't be too much fun. So I've arranged for three warriors to fight on my behalf._ " Jellal explained.

"Three warriors? Who are they?" Simon asked in confusion.

" _If you cannot first get past them, you will be unable to reach me. In other words, this is a battle royale. Three verses eight. And just so you cannot cheat and bypass my warriors straight to me, I have blocked the tracking ability of one of your mages._ " Jellal said.

"Well that explains that." Rette muttered, rubbing her head.

" _And there's one last rule I should probably tell you about. There's a possibility that the Council could launch an attack on this place using the Satellite Square. They possess the ultimate destruction, Aetherion, with the power to reduce everything to naught._ "

And there went Rette's stomach.

If anything could make a person feel like killing over then and there, it was the knowledge that the Magic Council could be firing the Aetherion Cannon at them at any moment. That put just enough pressure on them to completely freak them out. Rette really wanted to go home now.

" _The time limit is unknown. But the moment that Aetherion strikes, everybody here will die. It will be game over. And this game will end without a victor._ "

"Th-that's insane...what on earth is that Jellal thinking!? Playing a "game" when he himself could die any moment..." Lucy said, shaking in her shoes.

"Aetherion? The Council? Im...impossible! I mean-"

When Erza cut off in mid sentence, Rette and the others turned around to find that Shou had just trapped Erza in one of his cards.

"Erza!" Gray exclaimed.

"Shou! What are you doing!?" Simon demanded.

"I'm not gonna let anybody lay a single finger on Big sis. I'll defeat that asshole Jellal myself!" Shou declared before turning and running away.

"Stop! You can't do this alone!" Simon yelled after him, but he didn't stop. "Shit! I'll go after Shou! You guys have to search for Natsu!"

Rette stood between Gray and Juvia, a blank look on her face as she watched Simon chase after Shou. What was it with these people? First they get attacked and Erza, Happy, and Thyme kidnapped, then they get roped into a playing a "game" with a madman, and now they could die at any second.

Yep, this was officially becoming Rette's life.

END

Kyandi: Yeah...that's not a game I would want to play. Jellal's insane.

Rette: Hence why it says a game with a madman.

Kyandi: True.

Rette: I just wish my poor head didn't keep taking abuse.

Kyandi: Headaches are a killer.

Rette: No, duh? So cut it out.

Kyandi: Not likely. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama is going to take a nap but then we'll be back with another chapter.

Kyandi: Right! Bye-bye!


	11. First Time Feelings

Kyandi: Guess who's awake!

Rette: After sleeping like a log.

Kyandi: What? It was only a four hour nap.

Rette: Most naps are an hour, maybe two.

Kyandi: Yeah, well...I ignored my alarm when it went off at the two hour mark.

Rette: Figures.

Kyandi: But I'm refreshed, I'm back, lets get to the next chapter!

Rette: Understood.

Kyandi: Oh! For those of you who are a little confused...while I know in the anime it's called the Tower of Heaven, in the manga, which is what I'm following, it is referred to as the Tower of Paradise.

Rette: We just thought we should clear that up.

Kyandi: Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 11 First Time Feelings

Much to Juvia's disappointment, Rette and Gray went after Simon and Shou, leaving Juvia to team with Lucy. Rette was okay with it, simply because she knew it was either team with Gray, or team with Juvia, since Gray didn't want to be alone with Juvia, and she wasn't sure she could handle it if Juvia started seeing her as a love rival too. Rette was more than happy to leave Lucy and Juvia to themselves. She followed Gray as he ran down the hall, following the way Simon had ran off.

"Shit! Where the hell did he go!? When I find that Shou bastard, I'm gonna smash his face in!" Gray snapped.

Just then, Rette perked up. Gray wasn't sure if she sensed something, heard something, or what, but her head suddenly shot up.

"Thyme." she said lowly, before she was speeding up, running ahead of Gray.

"Hey, Rette! Slow down, will ya!?" Gray called after her, speeding up to catch up.

"Thyme's up ahead. If she's there, then so is Happy and if Happy if there, so is Natsu." Rette explained.

Up ahead, the hall opened up. Rette sped up even more, ready to see for herself that Thyme was alright. She came to a screeching halt when she cleared the hall. Before her stood a man with an owl's head, Happy laying on the floor, burned, with Thyme next to him, and Simon on the floor, looking freaked. She glanced around quickly but saw no signs of Natsu. Simon looked up at her as Gray came to a stop beside her.

"Rette...Gray?" Simon said in surprise.

"The hell are you doing!? Weren't you meant to be going after Shou!?" Gray asked.

The owl man turned his head towards them then, but Gray was focused on Simon. Rette was trying to locate Natsu and was having no luck of it.

"I got a little held up." Simon replied to Gray.

"We need to find Erza as soon as possible, don't we!?" Gray asked. "Jellal was saying something about wanting to use her as a sacrifice! I mean, I can't imagine anybody actually beating Erza if she goes all-out...but stuck in that stupid card, she's practically defenseless!"

"We chose the wrong moment to let Shou know the truth. To think that he would be so reckless." Simon said lowly.

Gray was focused on Simon, listening to him, but Rette was focused sorely on Thyme, glad to see that she was fine. She rushed from Gray's side, making a bee-line for Thyme. Since they had met, six years before, Rette and Thyme had rarely been apart, and even when they had been, Thyme had always come back when Rette blew her whistle. This time was different and Rette was just glad to see that Thyme was alright.

"Thyme!" Rette called.

"Rette, look out!" Simon called.

Rette's head whipped around in time to see one giant, owl fist come flying for her face. How did she keep getting herself in these kinds of situations? And here she was without her Pressure Armor spell in place. The fist came so close to impact...and then Rette felt something grab her from behind and yank her into the air. The fist soared right under her as she continued to rise into the air. Rette twisted, looking over her shoulder to find Thyme had a hold of her, white wings beating in the air.

"Thyme...thank you." Rette told the feline.

Thyme smiled, her tail twitching once in joy. She carried Rette over to Happy, sitting her down next to the tom. Rette instantly dropped to one knee, carefully lifting Happy into the cradle of her arms. Rette wished she could do something for him, but she didn't have healing magic up her sleeve.

"Gray...Rette...that guy...he ate Natsu." Happy said, pointing for the owl man.

Rette's head flew up to look at the man. He **ate** Natsu!? Rette felt her stomach flop over and was sure she would lose every last bit of food left in her stomach. She was sure Natsu, as a food choice, would be more than just a little spicy. Gray punched the wall, angry at the news. But it wasn't the owl man he was angry at.

"What the hell does he think he's playing at!? Stupid flaming idiot!" Gray snapped.

Of course, he blamed Natsu.

"The digestion process has begun. In approximately ten minutes, Salamander's body will be reduced to nothing." the owl man, Fukuro, said.

"Okay, I'm definitely going to be sick soon." Rette remarked, sourly.

"And when that happens, his magic will truly belong to me." Fukuro added, as if she had not spoken.

"I'll sort out this punk! Get back!" Gray yelled.

Rette scrambled out of the way, rushing over to Simon. Thyme followed her, the two getting out of the way of Gray and Fukuro. Which was a good idea since Fukuro attacked using Natsu's magic. Rette really didn't feel like getting burned. She stared in shock as Fukuro breathed fire, just as Natsu did.

"H-he has Natsu's magic?" Rette gasped.

"He's absorbing Salamander's magic as we speak!" Simon exclaimed.

"Gray!" Happy called in concern.

"Useless! If you are one of Salamander's friends, you should know the sheer potency these-"

Fukuro cut off and Rette raised an arm as a gust of icy wind cut through them. The flames surrounding Gray froze as his anger got the better of him. With her minimal amount of clothing, the cold air cut straight through Rette, making her shiver.

"He froze the flames!" Simon said, shocked.

"It is Gray. He's been fighting Natus for years. If anyone can take on this Natsu's impostor...it's Gray." Rette remarked.

As if that lit a fire under Fukuro, he attacked Gray with excitement, declaring he would capture Gray as he had Natsu. His jaw, as if unhinging itself, stretched wide to gobble Gray up, whole. He seized Gray and began trying to stuff him down his throat. Rette pushed Happy into Simon's hands and bolted forward.

"Gray, brace yourself!" she yelled.

She thrust her right hand towards Fukuro, aiming for his right shoulder so he would release Gray's leg and hopefully, release the rest of him.

"Crystallization...Spear."

A spear of purple-blue crystal shot from Rette's hand, cutting through Fukuro's shoulder. The owl/man/thing squawked in pain and released Gray's leg. Gray helped Rette out by freezing Fukuro's other shoulder. Fukuro spit Gray out, yelling out how cold it was. He shoved Gray away from him, sending the ice mage crashing into Rette and knocking them back back.

"Eww...you're covered in saliva." Rette said, untangling herself from Gray.

"We don't have time to be messing around here, you know!" Gray snapped.

Rette got to her feet, yanking Gray up by his arm. As much as she would have loved to lose her temper like Gray did, just to get out the frustration she was starting to feel, she knew that at least one of them had to keep their heads on their shoulders.

"Hit him together? For Erza?" Rette asked.

Gray looked at her in surprise, but grinned when he saw the determined shine in her magenta-lavender eyes. He nodded firmly, turning to face Fukuro. Rette took up her spot beside him. Together, they hit Fukuro with all they had, Rette combining her two magics to use her Decimate spell while Gray hit him with one of his ice spells. The combined force of their attacks hit Fukuro hard enough to make him spit out an unconscious Natsu, as well as destroy most of the room, courtesy of the wide spread destruction zone with Rette's spell.

"Erza has to be with us...with Fairy Tail so she doesn't have to cry." Gray said with a firm nod.

Rette turned, catching Gray when he staggered. She helped him keep his feet as he gripped his right shoulder. Gently, she slid his hand away from his shoulder and slid her fingers over the skin, pressing lightly to make sure nothing had been broken. Gray winced and complained, but she ignored him. When she was sure it would be alright, if not painful for him, she gave his uninjured shoulder a pat.

"You'll live." she told him.

Gray thanked her and Rette turned to Simon, knelling next to him to check the injury on his chest. She surprised him as she looked the injury over.

"I can't do much for the injury, but you're a big, strapping man. I think you'll be fine." Rette told him.

Simon smiled at her. He was glad to see that Erza had found herself a nice guild with wonderful, loyal friends. Rette pat his shoulder when she was done looking at the wound. Thyme settled on her shoulder then, rubbing her cheek against Rette's as she wrapped her long tail around Rette's neck. Rette got to her feet and wrapped a hand under Simon's elbow, pulling him to his feet.

"Come on. We have to find Shou, Erza, Lucy, and Juvia and get out of here." Rette said.

Gray and Simon agreed and, with help from Rette, Simon got Natsu on his back. With Gray so unsteady on his feet and injured pretty badly, Rette ordered Happy and Thyme to take him outside. The two felines nodded and took Gray. Simon and Rette continued on from there. Simon tried to talk Rette into going with Gray and the cats, but Rette refused. She wasn't going to run away from a fight that she could still offer help in. Simon looked down at Rette as they made their way through the tower.

"How long have you know Erza?" Simon asked suddenly.

"Not very long. I just joined the guild recently." Rette replied.

"And you're still willing to risk your life for her?" Simon asked.

"Don't get me wrong, Simon. I'm not risking my life for anyone."

Simon looked down at Rette in surprise. Rette stared straight ahead of herself, watching the hall ahead of them rather than focusing on him. Her hand went to her stomach, pressing into the skin where the large scar marred her flesh.

"If there is one thing I do know, despite the short time period, it's that Erza, no matter what she says to the wiser, is strong. And Natsu is too. I'm not concerned about making it out of here alive." Rette told him. "Besides...I stuck my neck out once before for another person and was almost gutted for my trouble. I'll fight for my guild mates, but I'll be very cautious while doing so."

Simon stared down at Rette. She had faith in Natsu's and Erza's power, but at the same time, she was looking out for herself. He had a feeling that while she wanted to have faith in her guild mates...Rette wasn't one to trust anyone. Rette glanced up at him then, her eyes quickly returning to face forward once more.

"Don't give me that look. I know I have trust issues." Rette told him.

"If you know it, why not change it?" Simon asked.

"I learned a long time ago that trusting others is just giving them the opportunity to trample you in their dust. Why open myself to the hurt of trusting others?" Rette asked in reply. "I've been this way for so long...changing is hard."

That he could understand. Changing was never easy. In fact, it was easier to just run away and not change than it was to try. But from the sounds of it, Rette had already taken the first step...she hadn't said it was impossible to change, simply that it was hard. Which meant that she was open to trying. And that was always the first step to changing.

Silence fell over them as they continued on. They had made it a good distance before Natsu finally woke up.

"So you are finally awake, Natsu." Simon said, looking over his shoulder at Natsu.

Natsu looked around wildly, idly noticing that Rette was there as well.

"I remember ending up on some kind of weird vehicle..." Natsu said, cutting off, his cheeks puffing up like he was about to get sick.

"Stop that! You don't have to get sick just remembering!" Simon snapped at him.

Simon pretty much dropped Natsu like a hot potato then and there. Rette shook her head at the two of them. The three of them continued down the hall, Simon and Rette filling Natsu in on what he had missed while he was out cold.

"You were eaten by Fukuro after that. But Gray and Rette saved you." Simon said.

"Gray!?" Natsu asked, shocked and angry that Gray had done something he couldn't.

Rette spread her arms as if she was saying, "What about me?". Natsu didn't notice, wasn't even looking at her.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Rette asked.

Natsu waved a hand, completely ignoring her and Rette ran a hand through her hair. Her other hand went to her hip as she looked at Natsu. Natsu had a real way of making a girl feel special...not!

"But Gray was hurt pretty badly, so we sent him outside of the tower with Happy and Thyme." Rette told Natsu.

"Gah! No way! I lost to that guy, but Gray beat him!?"

Natsu hadn't heard a word she said. Rette heaved a sigh, thinking to herself that this was just like Natsu. He was more concerned with the fact that Gray had done something he hadn't.

"Again, I repeat...chopped liver." Rette muttered.

"Well, you didn't exactly lose...you just got eaten." Simon told Natsu, rubbing the back of his head as he pat Rette's shoulder with the other hand.

"Save your breath. He's not going to hear a word either of us says." Rette told Simon.

"I'm gonna be teased for like a whole month about this! That guy doesn't know when to stop!"

"See?" Rette said, gesturing to Natsu as he went on about being teased.

Simon looked down at her, surprised that she seemed so use to this. Rette, though she had only been with Fairy Tail for a short while, had learned quickly that when it came to the competition between Natsu and Gray, everything else faded into the background. Those two just couldn't keep from going at it, no matter the situation.

"Aagh! This is no good! I need revenge! I'm gonna go fight that owl again right now! I'll beat him with one hand tied behind my back! It'd be no good without a handicap..." Natsu said, starting to take off.

Simon caught him, grabbing hold of his scarf to keep him from getting too far. Rette pressed a hand to her face. Sadly, this was pretty normal for everyone in her guild

"This isn't the time to be doing that!" Simon told Natsu.

Natsu stopped and turned to look at Simon. For a brief, very brief moment, it looked like he was about to say something serious, but, of course, that wasn't the case. Simon pat Rette's shoulder as she pressed her hand to her face once more.

"...Hey, who are you again, anyway?" Natsu asked Simon.

"Simon. One of Erza's old friends." Simon reminded him.

"Seriously, Natsu. Can't you even remember th-"

Rette cut off as Simon suddenly grit his teeth in pain and dropped to the floor. His hand, which was still on Rette's shoulder, almost dragged her down with him. She managed to keep her feet and she and Natsu turned to him to check on him.

"Hey, are you hurt or something!?" Natsu asked.

"D...don't worry about me...you have to listen...Natus...and you too, Rette..." Simon told them. "I just received a transmission from Wally and Miliana. They've found Lucy and Juvia collapsed on the ground, along with one of the Trinity Raven. Since they don't know what's going on, they weren't sure what to do, but I've told them to get Lucy and Juvia out of the tower. And according to a transmission from Shou, that's all three of Trinity Raven defeated."

"But I didn't do a thing!" Natsu exclaimed.

"That's a little beside the point here, Natsu." Rette told him idly.

"She's right. The only enemy left is Jellal himself, and Erza is heading for him as we speak. She means to deal with him alone, with her own two hands. The two of them have shared a bond of resentment for eight years now. It may well be that their clash is a fated inevitability. However...Jellal is simply too powerful...Please. You must save Erza." Simon said, seriously.

"I don't wanna."

Rette shook her head as Simon stared at Natsu in open mouthed shock. She could sense that Natsu was about to lose his temper. He had a slightly pissed off look on his face and Rette had a good idea why. Erza, though she might think differently, wasn't weak. She was strong and could do anything she put her mind to. Even defeating this Jellal man.

"Why, you...you refuse...to save Erza...to save your own friend!?" Simon asked, confused.

"He's Erza's enemy, so I say Erza should defeat him. This isn't something I should go barging in on." Natsu said.

"It's rather simple minded, but I have to admit that Natsu does have a point here." Rette remarked with a shrug.

"Erza has no hope of defeating Jellal!" Simon snapped at them..

"Don't you dare insult her like that, you creep!" Natsu snapped back.

Men, Rette thought, watching the two with indifference. She watched as Simon surged to his feet and grabbed Natsu by his scarf, half lifting him up off the ground in his anger.

"No! This is not a simple matter of strength, or magical power! Erza...Erza is still hoping that she can save Jellal somehow! I know it! She just doesn't have it in her to actually hate Jellal!" Simon yelled, shocking Natsu.

Rette tilted her head to the side as she watched Simon. He released Natsu, some of his anger draining away. This anger, this amount of fear for someone else's well being...Rette felt jealous. The sudden feeling made her chest ache and she had to press a hand over her chest. She pushed the feeling aside, refusing to let herself be jealous of Erza for something like that. Erza deserved that level of affection and commitment from others. Rette couldn't be jealous of her for having what she clearly deserved in life.

"Jellal is a cunning man. He will make use of Erza's lingering feelings for him. But it gets even worse than that. You know that the Council is planning on firing an Aetherion down upon this place, yes? And of course, if that does happen, then everyone inside this tower will die for certain. According to Shou, there are only fifteen...no...only ten minutes left, now." Simon said.

"What!?" Natsu exclaimed.

"Erza went off on her own, telling him to get everyone out of the tower. You know Erza well enough, do you not? Though it pains me to say it...she may well be planning on using the Aetherion to die, taking Jellal along with her." Simon added.

Rette's blood ran cold, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin. Erza...wanted to go down with Jellal? Did she really think that would help anything?

"Why didn't you say that in the first place!?" Natsu snapped. "Where the hell did Erza go!?"

Rette looked upward, as if peering through the floors between her and the top of the tower. Erza...just what was the woman thinking? Why did it hurt Rette so much to think that she would actually kill herself to kill Jellal? Rette hated this feeling. It made if feel like she couldn't breath.

What the hell was wrong with her!?

Rette stared at the ceiling, thinking. Erza was up there, somewhere, right over their heads. Screw stairs, screw all this running around. Rette dropped to her knees and placed her hands on the floor. Natsu and Simon looked down at her, but she was focusing on the ground. They both backed up when a purple-blue magic circle appeared on the ground.

"Crystallization...Spear!"

Crystal shot straight up from the floor, crashing up through the ceiling and continuing on up several floors. A little shifting of the crystals and a spiral staircase formed, giving them a straight shot upwards. Rette stood, fixing her eyes on the hole in the ceiling, she then turned to Natsu.

"Come on, Natsu. Our friend is in trouble."

Natsu grinned at Rette. With a nod, the two left Simon behind and started up the stairs as fast as they could. They would save Erza, make her realize that throwing her life away was not the answer. Rette was sure of one thing...Erza deserved so much more than a pointless death.

-0-0-0-0-

Outside the tower, the sky lit up as the Aetherion prepared to fire. The sheer force of the magic power building up, shook the building below. The water tossed and turned, growing more violent by the second.

Then it fired.

The outward explosion of power, over turned the boat Gray, Lucy, and the others were in, sending them crashing into the sea. Juvia formed water bubbles around them, saving them from drowning in the water. All eight of them stared in horror as smoke curled up from where the tower had been. Thyme's paws flew up to cover her mouth and, for the first time, she spoke, her voice coming out broken and tearful.

"Rette!"

Happy, despite the tears in his own eyes, laid a paw on her shoulder. Both of their small, feline forms were shaking from fear for their human partners.

"Natsu...Erza...Rette..."

Gasps sounded from many of them as the smoke began to clear.

"Wh...what...is that!?" Juvia asked.

Before them, raising up out of the water where the tower had once stood, was a tower of crystal. Gray's first thought that it was Rette's magic, but he knew even Rette didn't have the power to pull this off. She just wouldn't have been able to manage it.

"The outside walls crumbled...leaving some kind of crystal?" Gray asked.

"Hey...they're okay, right? Natsu, Rette, and Erza, and that Simon guy..." Lucy said, unsure.

Thyme curled her paws in the front of the little, one-shoulder dress she was wearing. A dress that Rette had taken the time and care to make for her. She prayed and hoped that Rette was alright, but she knew, deep down, that she was. Rette was strong, Rette was resourceful and resilient. She would not die so easily.

"It's the R System." Shou said.

"What!?" Gray exclaimed.

"It's the true form of the R System that we constructed." Wally explained.

"Now being activated." Miliana added.

"Activated!? Are you saying that Zeref has been revived!?" Lucy asked, concern for her friends flooding her system.

"I don't know...it's our first time seeing the system in action too." Shou told her honestly.

Thyme stared up at the tower before them. She **knew** Rette was alive. She could feel it deep in her core. And if Rette was alive then so was Natsu and Erza. Thyme had to believe that.

All they could do was wait, and see.

END

Kyandi: Aww! Rette's starting to feel emotions she's never felt before!

Rette: Oh, shut up.

Kyandi: What? I think it's adorable.

Rette: Only you.

Kyandi: No, I'm pretty sure at least one of my readers thinks so too.

Rette: Highly doubtful.

Kyandi: If you say so. Everyone enjoy and review. I'm going to jump into preparing the next chapter for you all.

Rette: So we should be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	12. Heart Breaking

Kyandi: And I have returned once more.

Rette: People are going to get tired of you at this rate.

Kyandi: I know. And to think, I four more chapters, after this, to upload for this story and then three chapters for other stories.

Rette: You have no life.

Kyandi:...I know!

Rette: No need to cry like an infant.

Kyandi: Could you at least pretend to have a heart.

Rette: Gee willikers, Kyandi-sama, I do so hope you recover from this realization that you're a social misfit.

Kyandi:...Okay, one...never say "gee willikers" again. Two...how is that remotely caring!? And three...you're a social misfit, too!

Rette: I am whatever you make of me, for, after all, I am but an imaginary character you came up with while sitting all alone in your room with no one to talk too.

Kyandi:...

Rette: Kyandi-sama?

Kyandi:...

Rette: Oh, well...she's face down on the couch. I believe I gave her an existential crisis. So, I shall finish this up. And if you get the existential crisis reference, Kyandi-sama and I will applaud you. Everyone please review and enjoy. Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 12 Heart Breaking

"Owww..."

Rette's thoughts exactly.

The explosion had rocked the building, rattling Rette's brain inside her skull. Natsu had grabbed a hold of her, protecting her from as much damage as possible, but they had both still gotten pretty banged up. At the moment, Natsu was hovering over Rette as she laid on the ground, rubbing her head. She had a couple of new cuts and bruises, but at least she was alive.

"What the hell's going on here?" Natsu asked.

"No idea. All I know is that I **never** want to go through it again." Rette replied, finally looking around them.

All around them, the walls had been replaced wtih blue-white crystals teeming with magical energy. Rette could feel it raising the hair on the back of her neck. The sheer amount was more than she had ever sensed in her whole life.

"Lacrima? The building turned into a giant lacrima." Rette said softly.

"What!? Really?" Natsu asked, helping Rette to her feet.

"I'm sure. I can feel the energy coursing throughout the whole building. This isn't good." Rette said.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

"If this energy remains built up here then it'll become too much for even a lacrima of this size to contain." Rette replied.

Natsu gave her a blank look and Rette knew she was going to have to dumb this down for him to finally get it. Though it was pretty simple to begin with.

"If the energy remains built up like this...it'll explode. We're still in danger. We have to find Erza...quick." Rette told him.

Natsu nodded and lead the way. They moved as fast as they could, Rette and Natsu working together to reach the top of the tower. In Rette's opinion, they got there just in the knick of time. Ezra was being absorbed into the very crystal of the tower. Natsu rushed up to Erza, grabbing her to heave her out. Rette joined him, grabbing Erza around the waist as Natsu heaved her out. The two yanked Erza free of crystal and all three tumbled back when she suddenly came free.

"Now, that hurt." Rette remarked as Erza and Natsu landed on her.

Natsu grinned, turning that cocky, victorious grin on Jellal. Mean while, both he and Erza were sitting on Rette's back, hurting her already still aching ribs.

"Erza belongs to Fairy Tail. I won't hand her over to you!" Natsu told him.

"And as soon as I get out from under the two of you, I'm joining the fight, too." Rette remarked, trying to yank her way free and not succeeding.

She really needed to work out. She had no physical strength what so ever.

"Natsu...Rette..." Erza said softly, tears streaming from her left eye.

"What are you doing? We gotta get back and take some missions. Otherwise we won't make the rent!" Natsu told Erza as Rette finally pulled herself free and turned to face Erza too.

"I...I'm sorry. I can't move my body." Erza replied.

"Oh? Is that right? Then this is for all those times you beat me up. Take this!" Natsu declared, tickling Erza, making her gasp for breath as she laughed.

Rette shook her head at Natsu's childish, but she was glad to see that Erza was alive, if not beaten up. But how did Rette end up being the one to make it up to the top of the tower along side Natsu? What did she really think she could do against Jellal? The questions took a hit at her pride and confidence. What was she doing there?

"Natsu, Rette...you have to leave this place now." Erza told them, snapping Rette out of her thoughts.

"No way! If you can't handle that guy, then let me have a go!" Natsu replied.

"No. He's too dangerous. You don't understand him at all." Erza insisted.

"I can't win if I don't understand?" Natsu asked.

"Even I don't understand that." Rette added.

"Please...do as I say." Erza pleaded.

Natsu looked up at Rette. Rette met his gaze and the two stared at each other as if in that simple look, a whole conversation flew between them. Then they both nodded. With Rette's help, Natsu heaved Erza up, half draping Erza over both of their shoulders. Rette stood at his side, holding her head high as she and Natsu faced Jellal.

"What...what are you two doing?" Erza asked.

"Erza, I don't get you at all." Natsu said.

"I don't think I ever did." Rette added, hooking an arm under one of Erza's to half support her weight.

Erza opened her mouth to ask what they were talking about when Natsu hit her hard in the gut. Rette took on her weight, supporting her as Natsu let her go and Erza sagged forward.

"But I can win." Natsu declared. "Rette, take care of Erza."

Rette nodded, sinking down to the ground, holding onto Erza tightly. Rette held her firmly in her lap, stroking her hair as she did. There had been tears in Erza's eyes. Tears that Rette had never thought to see but had seen more of in the last few hours than she had in the time she had known Erza. It made her heart hurt.

"You're even more irrational than I've heard. Did you enjoy striking one of your own friends, who couldn't even move?" Jellal asked Natsu.

"Erza...she was crying." Natsu said, his fist curling at his side. "And saying depressing things with a shaky voice. I've never seen Erza like that. Erza should be strong, mean, and scary. When she wakes up, I hope she'll be the Erza I knew. That's what I'll fight for!"

"Interesting. Then let me see the power of a Dragon Slayer." Jellal provoked.

"Natsu."

Natsu turned to look at Rette when she called his name. Rette met his gaze, her eyes sharp where her expression wasn't anything but bored.

"Knock him once for me." she told him.

Natsu's lips curled into a big grin and he gave her a nod before turning back to face Jellal, the grin vanishing in the face of his anger. Jellal dodged Natsu's first punch, but that had simply been a feint and Natsu quickly followed that up with a kick to the face that Jellal hadn't seen coming. Punch after punch followed in quick succession, Natsu's anger fueling each new attack. Rette tried to follow it, but all she caught was a fury of feiry attacks.

But none of them did more than burn the clothes off Jellal, leaving him in a weird body suit.

"Is that the limit of your ability?" Jellal asked.

Natsu grit his teeth, growling low in his throat and Rette's arms tightened around Erza unconsciously. Jellal simply dusted off his suit as if Natsu's attacks had been nothing more than someone throwing dust on him.

"To think, before I destroyed you, I had wanted to see the destructive power of a Dragon Slayer. But this level of magic was really nothing special." Jellal mocked.

"What'd you say!?" Natsu growled rushing towards Jellal again.

"You had the nerve to interrupt my ceremony. I'm going to crush you with my heavenly magic." Jellal said.

His next spell moved him so fast it looked just like a meteor in the sky. He hit Natsu hard from behind and then vanished once more, only to attack from the front by slamming his knee into Natsu's jaw. Just as Natsu had unleashed a storm of hits on Jellal, their positions were reversed and Jellal showered hit after hit on Natsu, moving so fast that Natsu was having a hard time keeping up with him.

"Damn it, he's too fast! I can't rely on my eyes right now. Smell, sound, touch. I gotta predict his movements...and focus!" Natsu said, closing his eyes.

He focused on the area around him. He could hear the even, deep breathing of Erza and the equally calm breathing of Rette. Under that he could hear the rapid beating of Rette's heart. Though her breathing was normal and she appeared calm, her heartbeat gave away her concern and nervousness. Then he found Jellal and turned on him with a flaming fist...only to miss as Jellal changed course at the last second. Natsu tried, but Jellal only seemed to get faster and landed a hard kick to Natsu's gut, making him spit up blood.

"Natsu!" Rette called in concern.

"It's over. Time for you to have a glimpse, of real destructive power." Jellal said, hitting Natsu with one of his strongest attacks.

Natsu hit the ground in a cloud of smoke and Jellal chuckled.

"This magic is comparable in power to an actual meteor. I'm impressed that you're still in one piece." Jellal remarked to Natsu's seemingly unconscious body. "On the other hand, it looks like I went a little too far. Further damage to the R System would be troublesome. The magic is already starting to leak out. We'll have to hurry. Right, Erz-"

Jellal cut off as he turned to look at Erza cushioned in Rette's lap. Rette's hands were raised before her, an emerald green magic circle before her. Shards of dancing, crystallized light started raining around him as he met Rette's firm, but indifferent stare.

"Unison magic." Rette said softly, the rain of crystal becoming thicker around Jellal. "Two layer magic circle...Purgatory Raze."

Two magic circles, matching hers in their shade of green appeared. One below Jellal and one above him. Jellal's wide eyes landed back on Rette. He had heard, briefly, of a mage who could use a form of magic officially called Nexus magic Though rumors said the mage, herself, called it Unison magic. Rumors had told him of the Unison Raid-like magic, but he had never thought that mage resided in Fairy Tail and that it was this little girl.

The spell activated then and, as if they were caught in a blender sat on puree, the shards of crystallized light started pinging around inside the tight space mapped out by the magic circles. They moved faster and faster, soon forming a storm of glittering light, even managing to slice through the crystal of the the tower's lacrima.

The spell was one of her stronger spells, the tiny shards of crystal being sharp enough to shred through steel. That being that, the spell burned up quite a bit of her magic energy. She knew, though, before the smoke even cleared, that she hadn't managed to do a thing to Jellal. As if to prove her point, Jellal was suddenly in front of her. His hand snapped out, seizing Rette by her throat and yanking her up. Erza fell to the ground and Rette was pulled off her feet.

She instantly latched onto his wrist, trying to pry his fingers away from her throat. Jellal's grip didn't loosen in the least. He smirked as he looked up at her, giving her a shake as if to show that, to him, she was nothing, in strength or weight. Rette feared that any tighter and he would cut off her air supply completely.

"So you're the Nexus magic user I heard about. Oh, but that's right. You call it Unison magic, don't you?" Jellal asked.

Rette couldn't get a word out with how tight his grip was. Just getting a breath in was difficult. She could feel her head getting light and knew if he didn't release her soon, she would pass out from the lack of proper air.

"A mage who preforms a Unison Raid by herself. How interesting. Too bad you got in my way. Now I have to kill you, too." Jellal said, tightening his grip even more.

Rette struggled as her air was cut completely off. She panicked, couldn't think straight, and simply clawed at his hand, trying, feebly, to peel his fingers away. Jellal smirked, amused by her struggle, but was distracted when a pebble broken off from the tower, went flying past his foot. He turned, finding Natsu trying to force himself back to his feet. He was picking up fist sized chucks of the tower, throwing them at Jellal. The first couple missed Jellal, until one bounced off his chest.

"Hehehe...I hit you...with my attack." Natsu said, pushing himself up. "This tower, is made of crystal right? If it were damaged, it would lose its power huh? Then that's too bad for you!"

Natsu slammed a fist into the crystal under him with enough power to crush the crystal under his fist. Jellal grit his teeth and, unconsciously, his already tight grip on Rette's throat, tightened. Rette increased her struggle, trying to drag in a breath.

"Mages of Fairy Tail specialize in property damage! I'm still in the mood for fighting. Never felt better in my life. So let go of Rette." Natsu told Jellal, a grin on his face.

"You little punk. I'm going to finish you in an instant. You're going to regret getting up again. I'll send you to hell. And then I'll send **this** to join you." Jellal said, throwing Rette down hard.

Rette gasped both in pain and in an attempt to drag air into her lungs. She curled in on herself, coughing as she tried pulling air past her damaged throat. It hurt, but she knew she would live.

"Rette?" Natsu called.

"I-I'll be fine." Rette called back, her voice cracking.

Natsu grinned as she started pushing herself back up. Already, Rette was gaining the stubbornness common in Fairy Tail mages. He faced Jellal, that grin still in place.

"I've got confidence in my own stubbornness. Come get me if you can." Natsu told him.

Rette crawled her way back over to Erza, trying to avoid getting caught in Jellal and Natsu's fight by staying low to the ground. She sat down next to Erza and reached up to rub her throat. She was probably going to have bruises for a while, but as long as she could breath, she didn't care. What was having a few bruises when compared to possibly losing her life?

Nothing.

So she was fine with a few bruises. She watched the fight, amazed all over again, by Natsu. It was almost as if Jellal's previous attacks had only energized Natsu, making him excited. She watched him take hit after hit and just keep grinning in Jellal's face. She couldn't even hit Jellal with an attack.

Boy was she weak.

"What'sa matter? Are you holding back 'cause you're afraid to damage your precious tower? Your attack had no effect on me at all." Natsu mocked, despite panting for breath.

"Don't get too cocky you little punk!" Jellal retorted.

With Jellal's next attack, Rette jolted as Erza suddenly pushed herself up, calling out to Natsu. Rette hadn't even noticed her awaking up. The building shook then as Natsu turned his attack on the tower. Much to Jellal's annoyance.

"He's...the tower..." Erza said in surprise.

"He's destroying the tower." Rette croaked, making Erza glance at her.

Erza noticed the bruising already forming in a perfect ring around the front half of her throat, but Rette wasn't even paying attention. Jellal lost his temper. The next spell he cast, kicked up horrible winds. Rette pressed herself low to the ground, trying to keep from being blown clear off the tower.

"What is this magic? Feels so awful..." Natsu exclaimed.

"So thick...this energy is making me feel sick." Rette muttered.

"The shadow's extending towards the light? This spell is..." Ezra cut off.

Rette tried to stop Erza as she shot to her feet and ran forward, throwing herself between Natsu and Jellal. She managed to stop Jellal.

"Are you going to kill me? Zeref's revival requires a sacrificial body right?" Erza shouted.

"That's true...the conditions roughly requires the body of a mage on par with one of the Holy Ten Great Mages. But at this point, it makes no difference with or without you." Jellal said, shocking Erza. "At this point, I could use that girl there. She's not as strong as you, but her magic is great."

Rette's eyes went wide as he turned a cold glare on her over his shoulder. A shiver ran down her spine. She doubted Jellal really would try to use her. She was, as he said, no where near Erza's level. It was simply that her magic was unusual.

"The two of you, however, are going to be smashed to bits!" Jellal declared, his spell creating a dark ball in the air above his head.

If he let that loose, it wouldn't just be Erza and Natsu smashed to bits. Rette had no doubt that a spell of that size and power, could possibly take her out with them.

"Erza! Natsu!" Rette yelled, her voice cracking.

"Erza! Get away!" Natsu yelled.

But Erza didn't move. Rette tried scrambling forward, but tripped and fell. Erza smiled at the two, looking confident, even in the face of her death.

"Don't you worry...I'll protect you." Erza said.

Rette felt her heart and stomach drop as Jellal unleashed his attack. All she could do was cover her head and pray for the best. The blast sent Rette sliding a few feet across the ground, but then it died off. Rette raised her head, and stared in shock when the smoke cleared to show that Simon, who had showed up just in time, had taken the blast for Erza.

"Simon..." Erza breathed in shock.

"Er...za..."

Simon dropped to the ground, her name barely making it off his lips. Erza ran to his side, but Jellal just snorted and called Simon a bug, crawling around. Rette scrambled over to them as Erza lift Simon into her arms.

"What are you doing here? Why didn't you escape?" Erza asked.

"Oh good...I was wondering when I would...be some...help." Simon said, between coughs.

"I got it! Don't speak anymore!" Erza told him.

"You...were always...so gentle. So...gentle." Simon said lowly.

Rette knew the moment Simon passed on, but he had the most content smile on his face as his last look at the world around him, was of Erza. Erza threw her head back and cried her grief to the skies. Rette stared at them, watching as Erza's heart broke for her old friend. It made Rette's eyes grow hot and burn, though no tears came to them. Rette had lost her ability to cry long ago. The tears just no longer came.

"Pathetic! How utterly foolish! Now that's called "dying in vain"!" Jellal mocked, laughing at Erza's grief and Simon's sacrifice.

Rette felt her blood boil. She pushed herself to her feet, her fist clenching at her sides. How dare he mock this. How dare he say Simon died in vain when he had died to save someone he had cared for deeply. Rette only wished she had had someone like that when she was younger. Maybe she would have turned out differently.

"The situation hasn't changed one bit! No one can leave this tower alive!" Jellal declared.

"Shut yer trap/Shut the hell up!" Natsu and Rette yelled, both of them aiming a punch for Jellal.

To Rette's complete shock, her fist actually connected with Jellal's jaw. With their combined power, though Rette swore it was more Natsu's power than hers, they sent Jellal flying back. Rette stared down at her fist, her eyes wide. The knuckles were red from where they had hit Jellal.

"I...actually hit him..." Rette remarked lowly.

And then the pain throbbed through her hand.

"Oh holy...! That hurts!" Rette said, shaking her hand as if that would actually ease the pain.

Erza looked up at the two, tears dripping from her left eye only. Rette wondered why it was only the left eye, but then she recalled Erza's story and how she had told them that her right eye had been injured before escaping the tower and was now replaced with an artificially made eye.

Natsu suddenly biting into something, made Rette stop shaking her hand and turn to look at him. Natsu had a piece of the tower's lacrima and was biting into it, eating the magical power contained within. The mere sight shocked Rette.

"What...what are you..." Erza asked.

"Natsu, that's not flames. You can't eat that." Rette told him.

Natsu ignored her, gobbling down the Aetherion crystal. His power exploded from him then, a roar of anger and pain leaving his lips. Rette backed up, knowing this wasn't going to end well. Dragon Slayers could only eat their element, she knew. Fire Dragon Slayers ate fire, Iron Dragon Slayers ate iron. Just as any other type of Dragon Slayers would eat their element. Only a Crystal Dragon Slayer could possibly eat the crystallized Aetherion and not pay a great price for it.

And that was not Natsu.

The power contained in the crystals was obvious hurting Natsu. Despite that, he continued to shove the stuff into his mouth, ignoring anything Rette and Erza said to stop him.

"What does he think he's playing at!? An Aetherion is composed of a number of different properties, not just fire!" Erza exclaimed.

Natsu seemed to be choking on the Aetherion crystal, grabbing his throat as he fought to take it in. Then, as if he finally got it somewhat under control, flames exploded from him, taking the form of a dragon as it rose around him. Rette stared in a mix of shock and horror as Natsu attacked Jellal with renewed power. Just what the hell was Natsu? Even as a Dragon Slayer, he shouldn't have been able to swallow that stuff. Add in the amount of power he hit Jellal with and Rette couldn't even think past her shock.

"It's all your fault! You're the one that made Erza cry!" Natsu snapped as he attacked. "I made a promise... **I made a promise!** "

Jellal tried to fight back, only to be knocked back once more. The sheer determination in the two was unbelievable. Rette had never felt such determination that she had been willing to put herself through the pain Natsu had when he had swallowed the Aetherion.

"I cannot be defeated! I will create a land of freedom. Zeref called to me softly, through the pain and the fear! He asked me if I wanted true freedom! That's right...I am the only one who can sense Zeref's presence! I am the chosen one! Together with Zeref, I will create a nation of true freedom!" Jellal declared.

"Like hell you can do that by stealing people's freedom!" Natsu snapped back.

"The will to change the world...that alone is enough to turn the wheels of history! Why can you fools not understand that!?" Jellal asked.

Rette knew the next magic circle Jellal drew in the air. She had seen it once already and just very recently.

"Abyss Break." Rette said softly.

"Are you trying to take down the whole tower!?" Erza called out.

"Just give me another eight years...no, this time I'll build it in five years. Zeref...just wait a little longer." Jellal said.

He really would cast it...if he could. With a pop-like noise, the magic circle faded. Jellal was left unable to cast it and he knew why. Erza had hit him earlier with her sword. He knew that was the cause for his inability to cast the Abyss Break now.

"You're never gonna find freedom! There's no freedom for a guy tied down by some stupid ghost! Release yourself from this!" Natsu yelled.

One last hit, was all she wrote. The tower begin to crumble under the force of Natsu's attack. Rette dived for Erza, grabbing her and using her crystallization magic to somewhat stabilize the floor under them. Just enough to keep them from tumbling into the sea below. She was so tired though, exhausted physically, mentally, and magically. It was all she could do to stabilize the floor somewhat. Erza caught Natsu as he collapsed from his exhaustion.

"You are absolutely incredible. You really are." Erza told Natsu softly.

"Erza...I can't hold it...magic...running out. Too...exhausted." Rette told Erza before she could handle her spell no longer and the crystal under them began to crumble once more.

Rette fell forward, barely catching herself on shaky arms. Neither she nor Erza or Natsu, were in any shape to move quickly. To make things worse...the power of the Aetherion began to go wild, lighting up the sky with shots of bright power.

"Rette, can you stand?" Erza asked, heaving Natsu up onto her back.

"I'll have to." Rette said, forcing herself to her feet.

She wobbled, but she didn't fall. Moving as fast as they could, Erza and Rette worked their way through the crumbling crystal. But the increasing instability of the power was deforming the very lacrima holding it, sending Rette and Erza sprawling across the ground. Rette didn't think she could get back up and she couldn't cast her Sun Wings spell either. Not that it mattered. At that point, even if they escaped the tower, itself, they would never escape the explosion that was sure to come.

"Damn it all! Is this it!?" Erza hissed, slamming a fist into the ground.

She looked at Natsu, laying unconscious on the ground and then at Rette, who was panting from her exhaustion, her eyes closed. The two had come after her, had come to her rescue, when it wasn't even their fight. No...Erza was not going to let it end like that. Not for Rette, and sure as hell, not for Natsu. She forced herself to her feet, vowing she would save them. Rette looked up at her.

"Erza?" she called.

Erza bent over, giving Rette a smile. She reached out and stroked Rette's messed up hair. Her smile grew when Rette, for a brief moment, leaned into the touch, almost like a person starved for physical contact with another.

"Just rest, Rette. I'll figure out a way to get us out of here." Erza promised her.

Rette looked like she was about to protest, but Erza stood up again, looking around as she tried to figure out what to do. Then something Jellal had said came to mind. He had wanted to fuse her body with the Aetherion to make Zeref's new body. If she fused with it now, could she control it? Erza didn't know, but it was her only chance. She walked up to the nearest surface and pushed her hand into it. The pain was fierce, but Erza knew she had to do it.

"Erza! Don't!" Rette croaked, half pushing herself up.

Natsu chose then to wake up and he looked up at Erza in confusion.

"Wh...What are you doing? Sticking your body...into the crystal..." Natsu asked.

"This is our only chance of stopping the Aetherion." Erza told him.

"Stopping the Aetherion?" Natsu questioned.

"The Aetherion energy within the tower has gone wild...it's about to cause a gigantic explosion. But if I can fuse with the Aetherion, and seize control of that power-" Erza explained, but was cut off.

"You idiot! If you do that, you'll-"

Natsu, himself, was cut off as the crystal began to suck Erza in. Rette scrambled up, trying to push herself up to her feet, only for her knees to refuse to support her.

"Erza!" she and Natsu cried out together.

"You don't have to worry about a thing...I'll stop it for sure..." Erza assured them.

"Stop this! Stop it, Erza!" Natsu yelled, trying to get to her, despite his legs not wanting to work anymore than Rette's.

Natsu and Rette both reached out, grabbing Erza's hand, stopping the crystal from completely pulling her in. Erza gave them a smile.

"I cannot live without Fairy Tail. I can't even imagine a world without my friends. That's just how much...all of you mean to me. Even you, Rette." Erza told them.

"Erza..." Rette breathed, her heart aching in her chest.

"If doing this can save all of you...then I have no regrets. This one measly body...take it!" Erza said, the crystal swallowing her whole. "Natsu...I leave the others to you. I'll always be there, right beside you all."

"Erza!" Natsu yelled.

Rette jumped for Natsu, grabbing him. She mustered up her last bit of magical energy and surrounded them in crystal. Tears were in Natsu's eyes as the power exploded, shooting straight into the sky. Rette, dry eyed, her chest aching with an unknown emotion she had only felt twice before in her life, stared up at the night sky as it lit up with the light of the explosion.

Erza was a guild mate. She was not flesh and blood, she was not someone Rette had known for a long time. By all reasonable logic, Erza shouldn't mean much to her yet. If so...

Then why did her heart feel like it was ripping in two?

-0-0-0-0-

Looking back on it all now...Rette couldn't began to tell anyone what had happened. One moment Erza was gone, and Rette's heart felt like it was breaking. The pain was one that Rette didn't understand. No tears had come to her eyes, those had dried up years ago, but it had hurt. The next moment, the light died away, the crystal she had formed around her and Natsu, cracked and shatter, and then...

She was just there.

Erza, unconscious, just laying there.

The following events blurred by for Rette. She and Natsu made it back to main land, Natsu carrying Erza the whole way. The others found them, all excited and happy to see Erza alive and well. Natsu told Erza that, just as she couldn't live without Fairy Tail, they couldn't live without her. Rette watched from a distance, Thyme flying straight for her and hitting her hard in the chest.

"Hey, Thyme. Say...do me a favor...never try to die for me. Okay?" Rette told the cat, her eyes fixed on Erza's smiling face as she reunited with the others.

Thyme followed her eyes to Erza, understanding what Rette was feeling. She nodded her agreement to the request. Rette stroked Thyme's head, grateful that she understood. The heartache she had felt at the possible loss of Erza had been enough for her. Rette never wanted to feel it again.

Was this what it was like to care for family?

Rette was starting to realize that while she had always seen family, connections, bonds, as weaknesses, they could also be strengths. While she like the idea of the strength...

She didn't think her heart could take the pain.

END

Kyandi: When I read and watched that scene with Erza, it made me cry.

Rette: At least one of us has tears.

Kyandi: Give it time. I'm sure you'll cry like a baby, one day.

Rette: Highly doubtful.

Kyandi: We shall see.

Rette:...maybe...

Kyandi: Well, everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return shortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	13. Changing For The Better

Kyandi: Hey, everyone! I took a small break, updated another story, and now I'm back!

Rette: After running to the store because they're having a sale were all candy in the store in fifty cents a piece.

Kyandi: Is there a problem with that?

Rette: You came home with about fifty or sixty bars of candy.

Kyandi: I have a sweet tooth.

Rette: Chocoholic.

Kyandi: Yep! Everyone, please enjoy and review. We're coming up on my favorite part.

Rette: I get to annoy Laxus for a change.

Kyandi: Yep. Now say your line.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 13 Changing For The Better

Rette spent the next three days alone in her room, resting and thinking over everything that had happened. Thyme kept everyone out, silently letting them know that while she was fine, Rette needed her rest. The others obeyed her wish, simply because none of them were sure, yet, just how far they could push Rette before she snapped.

Natsu slept those three days too, snoring as loudly as his lungs would allow.

"Is this guy really okay?" Gray asked, looking at Natsu.

"Yeah, seriously...he has been sleeping for three days straight now." Lucy agreed.

"Natsu! Lucy's wearing a maid outfit and she's singing and dancing for everyone!" Happy called, trying to see if that would wake Natsu.

"I'd just be pissed off if that managed to wake him up." Lucy retorted.

While it didn't wake Natsu up, it did cause a creepy grin to spread across his face. Lucy yelled at him in his sleep not to grin.

"Oh, just let him rest a while longer. Not that it could have been helped under the circumstances, but that must have been his equivalent of eating poison." Erza told them.

"Oh yeah, he ate the Aetherion, right? This guy gets more and more like a monster every day." Gray remarked.

Erza agreed with that. Natsu was really something alright, and monster came close to describing just what he was.

"I caused so much trouble to all of you in this incident...I really...just don't know what I can say..." Erza said.

"Oh, c'mon...how many times have you gotta say that?" Lucy asked.

Erza smiled at her in reply. None of them blamed her, and none of them had wanted to hear apologies from her either. Even Rette had waved off any attempts at apologizing that Erza had made.

"Come to think of it...what happened to that Element Four girl?" Erza asked.

"Juvia? Oh, she's headed back already. She said she wanted to join Fairy Tail as soon as possible, so she ran off to find the ol' master." Gray replied.

"I see...I hear she's helped us out a lot, so I would have liked to be there to back her up, but..."

"Yeah, that girl sure has a lot of get-up-and-go in her." Lucy said when Erza trailed off.

Lucy turned to stop Happy as the cat tried shoving a fish into Natsu's mouth. Thyme, who had been hanging out with them since their return, was sitting on the arm of Gray's chair, watching with her head tilted to one side, almost as if she was interested to see if Happy could actually shove the whole thing in Natsu's mouth.

"Say, Erza...shouldn't you be getting some sleep as well?" Gray asked.

"Mm...I wouldn't say I've taken enough damage to worry about. Although to be fair, my body theoretically should have been broken down at the structural level within that Aetherion vortex..." Erza said, idly.

"Broken down...at the...it really was a miracle you made it out of there, huh." Gray said. "Well, I guess that's just like you, though, Erza. Not like that dumbass who goes around eating poison and dropping half-dead."

As if hearing that in his sleep, Natsu bolted up in the bed.

"What did you just say!? Gray!?" Natsu yelled.

"I said, "Man, you sure have a healthy diet", dummy! Come to think of it, you ended up as food for the Fukuro punk, too, didn't'cha! So are you the eater or the eaten, huh? Make your mind up, you food-cycle-dumbass!" Gray snapped back.

Not that it did any good since Natsu passed right back out as if he had never woken up to begin with. It caused his friends to laugh as he continued to snore. Lucy, catching sight of a smiling Thyme, suddenly thought of Rette.

"Has anyone talked to Rette?" Lucy asked.

The laughter died off and everyone looked at Thyme as her ears went back on her head. It seemed that, while they could function apart, Thyme and Rette did so in an almost depressed manner. Though it pained them to think it...Thyme seemed to be the only one that Rette somewhat trusted. The evidence of that was that Thyme was currently the only one with the key to Rette's hotel room.

"Someone should check on her, Thyme. Her bandages have to need a changing soon." Lucy remarked.

Thyme looked up, her ears perking up. It was almost like the cat was waiting for one of them to come up with a good excuse to have to go into Rette's room. The cat produced a room key from her dress and turned to Erza, holding it out in her two, tiny, black paws. Erza met the cat's blue-purple eyes which seemed to be begging her to reach out to Rette. Thyme was well aware that Rette needed people in her life. She needed others to trust, to care for. But just as Thyme knew that, she also knew that the mere thought of trusting others, of caring for others...terrified Rette.

Erza gave Thyme a smile and took the key from the cat. A brilliant smile lit the cat's face and her long tail, curled in delight. Lucy got the first aid kit and, leaving Natsu to sleep, they headed over to Rette's room. Erza didn't bother knocking. She knew if she knocked, Rette would either ignore them or turn them away. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. The room beyond wasn't completely dark, but most of the lights were out.

The bathroom light was still on, the door left cracked, and a lamp across the room from the bed was left on. Between the two lights, it filled the room with just enough light to see by. Rette was laying on the bed, on top of the covers and on her belly. She had her arms wrapped tightly around a pillow, the strapless, short night gown she was wearing, show casing the bandages patching her skin. Several cuts and bruises on her legs and arms had been bandaged, as well as the dark bruising that had rose on her neck after Jellal's man handling.

Walking up to the bed, Erza was sure Rette was asleep. Half of her face was buried in the pillow, her breathing was deep and even, but her face was far from peaceful. Rette's eyebrows were furrowed together, her nose wrinkled. It was like, even in her sleep, Rette couldn't really get any rest. Erza didn't have to heart to wake her up. She turned to Gray and told him to turn out the rest of the lights, thinking that might help Rette rest easier. Gray walked over to the lamp and was about to flick it off when Rette bolted half up in the bed.

"Don't turn off that light!" she shouted.

For once, Rette's face revealed all of her emotions. Her eyes were wide in terror, her skin leeching of color to turn her white as a ghost. Something about turning off the light, scared Rette senseless. Then Erza remembered something Rette had told them when she had been describing the place she had been born and raised in.

" _Before that, I had never even so much glimpsed the outside world. Not the sky, the green grass, not the flowers or trees. I had never heard birds, never felt the wind on my face...I never had even seen the sun._ "

Rette had been born in the dark, raised in the dark. That had to be the reason why turning the light off now, scared her. As if realizing she was open to the world, her expression readable, Rette quickly reverted back to her indifferent expression as she eased herself into a sitting position. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to smooth it back from her face.

"Please, don't turn it off. I hate the dark." Rette said, her voice softer, though it still cracked from where Jellal had almost choked her to death.

Erza and Gray shared a look as Thyme flew over to Rette, landing beside her. Rette idly reached out to pat her head, as if it was a normal thing for her to do upon first waking up. Erza eased herself down on the edge of the bed and Rette's eyes locked on her face.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Rette asked.

"Your bandages need to be changed. Besides, I'm fine." Erza told her with a smile.

"I'm fine. I can take care of my bandages by myself." Rette replied.

Erza gave her a stern look that usually would have had another person rushing to do what Erza had said. With Rette, it just made the girl sigh. Rette knew that that look meant Rette could either do as she had asked, or Erza would make her. For the sake of less pain, it was easier to just let Erza have her way. Rette consented to letting Lucy change her bandages.

"I'm guessing Natsu is still asleep." Rette remarked, holding out one leg for Lucy to change a bandage on her calf.

"Yeah. He woke up for a moment...to yell at Gray, but then he was back to sleep." Lucy told her.

"Well, at least he's feeling better enough to do that much. He could have really hurt himself with that Aetherion crystal." Rette remarked. "Only a Crystal Dragon Slayer could have a chance, normally, of eating that without suffering."

"Crystal Dragon Slayer?" Erza repeated.

"I did some research on Dragon Slayers after joining Fairy Tail. You'd be amazed at how many different types of Dragon Slayers there are suppose to be in the world. Light Dragon Slayers, Fire Dragon Slayers, Crystal Dragon Slayers, Iron Dragon Slayers...so on and so forth." Rette replied.

"That interested in Natsu, are you?" Erza asked with a smile.

"I specialize in combining different types of magic. I like to learn new types whenever I can. I was curious." Rette confirmed. "Don't tell him that, though. His ego is already big enough."

That last sentence made the others laugh. Rette didn't laugh. Her attention was on her lap as Lucy moved to change a bandage on Rette's left shoulder blade. Erza searched Rette's face, trying to figure out what was going through her head, but she got nothing by looking at her expression.

"Rette...what's wrong?" Erza asked.

"Hmm?" Rette hummed, looking up at Erza then.

It took her a moment to figure out what Erza was talking about and when she finally did, she heaved a sigh. She ran her hand through her hair once more.

"It's nothing, Erza. Just thoughts. I never would have thought that that was your past." Rette said lowly. "I mean, Mira once told me that everyone in Fairy Tail has their troubles and their pasts, but I never thought of something like that when I thought of you. To realize it, to see the proof of it with my own eyes...my chest aches."

Erza stared at Rette. She looked so...confused, as she admitted that. Rette lift her chin then, angling her head back, hiding her expression from Erza, as Lucy moved to the bandages around her neck.

"That includes you, though, doesn't it, Rette?" Erza asked.

Lucy could feel Rette stiffen under her hands. It was almost as if, for a moment, Rette was holding her breath. Then she let it all leave her in a heavy sigh.

"Things happen. People suffer for no good reason. That's the world we live in, I'm afraid." Rette replied.

In short, Rette didn't want to talk about her past. She had told them all she really wanted to say about her past. Erza could understand that, really she could, but she had learned that bottling it up, holding it inside all to herself, was no way to move on or to handle the feelings the memories brought back. But they couldn't force Rette to share it with them until she was ready to. Until then, all they could do was try to understand her, a little at a time.

"Erza, can I ask something of you?" Rette asked suddenly.

Erza raised her head, meeting Rette's eyes as she turned her head, lightly, towards her. She gave Rette a nod, to show her that she could go ahead and tell her the request.

"Don't ever do that again. My heart has never felt like it was about to jump up out of my throat, as it did then, and I'd rather it never feel like that again."

Erza smiled as she looked at Rette. Natsu had demanded she never do something like that again, as well. To hear it come from Rette...it made Erza happy. Perhaps Rette was starting to understand what it meant to be a part of Fairy Tail. She nodded, promising Rette she wouldn't. Rette relaxed, flopping back onto the bed now that Lucy was done with her bandages.

"That's a relief. You almost gave me a heart attack back there." Rette said, draping an arm over her eyes.

Rette couldn't be happier that Erza was alive, but she was happier to see the smile back on Erza's face. No one had the right to steal that smile. To see it again, looking back at her, had joy blooming in Rette's chest. The joy welling up inside her was unlike anything she had ever felt before, but...she really liked the feeling and she knew right then and there, that she would do whatever she had to, to protect that feeling.

And to protect the people responsible for it.

-0-0-0-0-

Though Erza would have liked it to be different, Wally, Shou, and Miliana split off from them, deciding that they would take their new freedom and use it to see the world. Erza saw them off with tears in her eyes, wishing them the best on their journey. After that, they headed home themselves. Rette was glad to be heading home. She couldn't wait to get home, back to her own bed, and the smell of her sea-side home and the lavender she had planted around it.

When they finally got back to the guild hall, they found a surprise waiting for them. In the time they had been gone, the new guild hall had been finished.

"They actually finished it!?" Lucy said in surprise.

"Just how long were we gone?" Rette asked in disbelief. "It's ridiculously huge."

Rette stared around them as they headed inside. There was so much about the guild hall that had change in the rebuild. There was an open-air cafe, a gift shop run by Max, a pool behind the bar, and a game room in the basement. But the biggest change was that, now, everyone in the guild was allowed on the second floor. Rette wasn't sure how she felt about change, but she liked the new guild hall.

Apparently, Natsu didn't agree.

"So you're finally back, are you?"

Rette and the others turned as Makarov approached them, none other than Juvia at his side.

"This is our newest member, Juvia." Makarov said.

"It's good to see you all!" Juvia greeted.

"So you really have joined up, huh!?" Gray said, glad to see that she had.

"Juvia, thank you for all your help back there." Erza told her, surprising Makarov when he saw they they already knew Juvia.

"Juvia has all of you to thank! Juvia will do her best!" Juvia said with a smile.

"Good luck!" Lucy wished.

Rette watched the exchange, noting when Erza leaned down for Makarov to whisper something in her ear. He smiled brightly when Erza assured him that Juvia was one of them now.

"At least Thyme and I aren't the newest members anymore." Rette remarked, making Makarov grin up at her.

"Well...make her feel welcome! Oh, and there's one more new member I'd like you all to meet." Makarov said, turning towards a table. "Hey! Come introduce yourself!"

All of them turned, gasp of shock sounding from Happy and Lucy as the person stood up from the table and turned towards them. Rette had never seen the man before, but from all the iron piercings all over his body, she had a pretty good idea who he was, having heard of him from the others after the trouble with Phantom Lord.

"Gajeel!?" came the combined yells of Rette's teammates.

"Master! What kind of joke is this suppose to be!?" Gray asked.

"Wait! Juvia brought him here!" Juvia explained.

"Juvia is one thing...but this guy was directly responsible for our guild's destruction." Erza said.

"Now, now...he was only acting on Jose's orders back then; it couldn't be helped. You know what they say-yesterday's enemies are today's friends." Makarov said, getting easily distracted by a passing waitress.

"Uh-huh...I'm n-not bother at all, really..." Levy called from where she was hiding behind a pillar.

The shivering of her body said otherwise, but Rette kept the comment to herself. And it was clear, by the cold glares they shot Gajeel's way, that Jet and Droy didn't agree with Gajeel's presence in the guild either.

"Stop screwing around! I can't work with a guy like that!" Natsu yelled.

"Oh, don't worry. I have no intention of being all buddy-buddy with you. I need work; that's all there is to it. One guild is as good as the next. Not that I ever thought I'd end up working at a nasty little guild like this." Gajeel replied.

"What did you say!?" Natsu roared.

"Gajeel always seems so lonely, Juvia couldn't bear to just leave him...I-I mean...! Juvia doesn't like him or anything..." Juvia tried to explain to Gray.

"Personally...I don't have a problem with it."

All eyes turned to Rette as she ran a hand through her hair. Her expression was indifferent as always and she seemed a little bored with the whole thing.

"Rette!?" Natsu snapped.

"Don't "Rette" me, Natsu. No matter what he's done, that's in the past. If Levy and Master are willing to forgive him, shouldn't we be willing to do so too. After all...people can change. Haven't we learned that recently?" Rette replied.

That made Natsu and Gray grimace and Erza and Lucy gave each other a look, knowing that Rette was right. Makarov laughed, patting Rette's leg in approval. Rette even succeeded in surprising Gajeel, who stared at her with a shocked look on his face.

"It is the duty of an old man like me to guide young men who have lost their way back onto the right path. He's not a bad guy at heart, you know...at least, I hope not." Makarov remarked.

"If this is the Master's decision and Rette agrees as well, then I will support it...but I think we should at least have someone keep an eye on him for the time being." Erza said.

"Don't look at me. I have enough trouble makers in my own team to handle." Rette remarked, turning to head to a table.

She needed something to drink and wasn't quite ready to head home just yet. After everything that had happened at the Tower of Paradise, she found she liked being able to sit there and watch the others in the guild laugh and smile with each other. Not long after the others joined her at the table, the lights went out and Mirajane appeared on a stage, playing and singing a song for the guild. Rette liked Mira's singing voice. It was so pretty and soothing. Everyone else seemed to agree.

Some time during the song, Gajeel, who was sitting across the table from Rette, stomped his foot down on Natsu's, a grin curling his lips. Rette knew, at that moment...that getting the hell away from that table, was the best idea. She calmly got up from her seat and moved away to the corner of the bar, instead. And just in the knick of time too. Natsu got to his feet, yelling at Gajeel, earning both him and Gajeel a beer mug to the face for starting a fight, which only egged Natsu on.

Natsu flipped the table Rette had just been sitting at. Had she still been sitting at the table, she would have gotten a face full of wood. She had enough injuries without Natsu adding on to it. Gray joined in on the fight, knocking Erza's cake out of her hands. Seeing her cake smeared on the floor, Erza charged into the fight and soon, everyone was in on the fight. Seeing that it was no time for the ballad she had been playing, Mira changed the style of her song to fit the fighting going on around her.

Rette watched the fighting from her corner of the bar. Despite the new members and the change in the guild hall's appearance, nothing had really change. Because even if appearances change and new people joined or old people left, Fairy Tail would always be Fairy Tail. After watching them fight for a while and watching Makarov break it all up, Rette decided it was time for her to bow out. She got to her feet, grabbing her bag, getting ready to head home.

"Oh, Rette!"

Rette turned when she heard her name being called. Mira was heading towards her with her usual, bright smile on her face. She was carrying a package in her hands and the sight of that intrigued Rette, but she focused her attention on Mira.

"Long time, no see, Mira." Rette greeted.

"I'm glad to see you're back. Did you have fun?" Mira asked

"Fun...yeah, I suppose. It was an experience, that was for sure." Rette told her, making her laugh.

"Well, tomorrow a reporter from Weekly Sorcerer will be coming by to interview the guild." Mira told her.

"A reporter? Oh yeah. Aren't you the guild's model?" Rette asked.

"Yes. Tomorrow, though, I was hoping you would be up to helping around the guild hall. Master ordered you a uniform too." Mira said, holding out the package.

Rette took it, looking down at the plain box. She didn't have a problem with the uniform. It was the possible attention from a reporter that she didn't much care for. She didn't take good pictures and she wasn't sure how to feel about possibly appearing in a magazine. But until she could take another job, she needed the money she earned working in the guild hall. She wouldn't say no to Mira.

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow then. I'm going home to rest." Rette told her.

Mira nodded and waved to her. Rette waved back and called for Thyme. The cat joined her and the two headed home. When they got home, Thyme flew up to her tower room and Rette went to her own room. She dropped her bag and the package by her desk and flopped onto her bed. She happily took in the scent of her sheets and relaxed completely, letting her mind drift.

People can change. That was what she had told the others regarding Gajeel. And it was true. People could change. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but they could.

Perhaps...

Perhaps it was time for her to change.

The first issue to address...her wariness of cameras.

And what better time than when a reporter was going to basically be knocking on her door?

-0-0-0-0-

The next morning, Rette shed some her bandages, not wanting to wear the waitress uniform with the bandages visible. She was glad to see that most of her bruises had already faded. She had never been more happy about her fast recovery rate than she was at that moment. The only bruises left, that would have been visible, were the ones around her neck. Rette easily covered those up by using a wider ribbon for the charm she usually wore around her neck. She sleeked her hair back from her face, leaving only a few strands to fall in front of her face.

She looked in the mirror once she was done, twisting to look at the uniform from as many angles as she could. The strapless, short dress was tight, clinging to every curvy she possessed. With the gloves that reached up to her biceps and the boots that reached up to mid-thigh, she was actually covering more skin than she was use to.

"Hmm...what do you think, Thyme?" Rette asked, glancing over at the cat.

Thyme threw her paws into the air, her tail flicking once. That was Thyme's way of saying that she thought Rette looked good. Rette nodded and left her house, Thyme following. Several of the men in the guild, turned wide eyes on Rette when she entered the guild hall. Rette ignored them and found Lucy and Erza.

"Wow, Rette. You have to wear that too?" Lucy asked, looking her over.

"Only for today. I'm not sure how I feel about being dressed the same way as others." Rette replied. "Has the reporter showed up yet?"

Before either could reply, there was an excited cheer and a very energetic, young man, with hair styled into a spike on the top of his head, came towards them, over joyed when his eyes found Erza. Lucy tried to gain the man's attention, but continued to lose out to first Erza, than Happy and Gray, then Natsu and Elfman, and so on. Rette went about her work and watched as Lucy did everything she could. She even switched into a bunny girl costume. And just when Lucy thought she would get attention, the curtain moved, announcing that Mira was going to sing.

Except it wasn't Mira, but Gajeel.

Lucy ended up getting roped into dancing along with Gajeel's song, Mira was found tied up by Gajeel, and Gajeel received a bad review from the other members of the guild. Though his hand written lyrics gained him a small measure of acceptance with the guild. Rette worked the bar, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of the whole matter. Just when she thought it would end and she would get off the hook, Rette looked up to find the reporter, Jason, staring at her from across the bar, looking like he was barely containing himself.

"Uh...can I help you?" Rette asked.

"You're Rette Starrilia, right!? The one that uses Unison magic!? I've heard about you!" he said, eyes wide in admiration.

"Yes. Though it's officially called Nexus magic." Rette replied.

"Nexus magic?" he asked.

Rette fought back the urge to heave a sigh and explained to him what the word "nexus" meant and how it played into the naming of the magic. The whole time she explained it, his pencil flew across the paper. Finally he could contain himself no longer and basically started bouncing in his seat.

"That's so cool! You're the world's only Nexus Mage!" he declared. "Oh! That's the perfect name for you! You'll be known as Fairy Tail's Nexus Mage! Or even simply, The Nexus!"

Rette didn't find it to be very original, since that was the official name of the magic, but not many people knew that and the name did have a ring to it. Jason asked her a few more questions, in rapid succession. Rette ignored the others in her guild who was listening in and trying not to appear like they were.

In Rette's opinion...they failed majorly.

"What's your favorite color?" Jason asked.

"Gold." Rette answered.

"How many types of magic do you know?"

"Outside my Nexus magic...five."

"Are you single?"

"Yes."

Though she didn't see what that had to do with anything.

"Do you just work in the guild hall?" Jason asked.

"No. I take jobs too. Lately I work more with Erza and her team." Rette answered.

"Awesome! Would you allow me to take a picture!?"

Rette's automatic response was to say no, but she swallowed that and gave him a nod. Jason had her pose, sitting on the bar, leaning on one hand as she crossed her legs and stared into the distance. It was a ridiculous pose in her opinion, but Rette had promised herself to try to get over her wariness of cameras and she did just that.

One goal down...and about a dozen more to go.

-0-0-0-0-

A few days later, the issue came out featuring the interview with Fairy Tail. In the issue, Rette was pretty much the only one that managed to escape embarrassing herself and coming off looking idiotic and bad. But she was officially known to the world as the Nexus Mage, or just simply, The Nexus, now and her new, little bit of fame, earned her a few direct job request. Rette took a few of the jobs, taking off on her own, since she, and she alone, had been requested.

With the Magnolia Harvest Festival a week around the corner, Rette wanted to get the jobs done as fast as possible. Having never been to a festival before, she was actually looking forward to it. And Fairy Tail was suppose to take part in the celebrations as well.

Though she would skip out on the Miss Fairy Tail contest.

She got stared at enough without prancing around on the stage for people to compare her to the other women in the guild. The five hundred thousand jewel reward was appealing, but not enough to make her do it.

She came home for a day between her jobs, but only to stock up on supplies before heading back out. It was on that day, out shopping, that she ran into the last person she had thought to see in the market. And the last person she really wanted to see.

"Nice picture in Weekly Sorcerer."

Rette had been leaving a medical store where she had been stocking up on bandages, just in case, when she heard the voice. Bags crammed into her arms, Rette turned to find Laxus standing a few feet behind her, a grin on his face as he held up the magazine in his hands. It was opened to the picture snapped of her sitting on the bar. Out of all the people to keep the magazine, it just had to be Laxus who approached her about her picture.

"If you have something to say, then say it. I really don't have time for your annoying ways today." Rette told him, sounding bored.

Laxus didn't let it get to him this time. He had a feeling the only reason she did it was to piss him off and he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

"You were about the only thing in that magazine about Fairy Tail that didn't make the guild look like shit." he retorted, some of his anger seeping into his words.

"Some might suggest that that is suppose to be a compliment, but all I hear is an insult." Rette retorted.

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, juggling the bags in her arms. Laxus followed her. He wasn't done talking to her just yet.

"Look, as much fun as I have giving you a verbal beat down, and I do, really I do...I do have other things more important to do than getting into an argument with you." Rette told him, her eyes fixed forward.

Laxus looked down at her. He could just make out bandages still wrapped around her throat, but whatever the injury was, it didn't seem to be bothering her. She didn't bother looking up at him either. It was like she was trying to ignore his existence. She really didn't seem to like him. It both angered him and amused him.

"Off on a job, huh. You don't stick around long." Laxus remarked.

"Look who's talking. You show your face in the guild hall even less than I do. At least I attempt to make an appearance every now and then." Rette retorted idly.

Rette glanced around, keeping an eye out for anything else she might need before her next job. She noticed, while looking, that many people were staring at them, whispering behind hands. She could imagine how weird it must look to others. Fairy Tail's lightning mage and problem child, Laxus, walking through the market with Fairy Tail's Nexus Mage. Since Rette was almost always with Natsu and the others these days, it had to be bizarre for people to suddenly see her with Laxux, who couldn't get along with others if his life depended on it.

Laxus noticed the looks too, but he didn't care. Rette was about the only person currently in Fairy Tail, aside from his Thunder Legion, that didn't make him embarrassed to be around. He just couldn't stand her attitude. He was a tiny bit glad that she was going to be out of town for when he set his plan into motion. He didn't need the added frustration of her over all presence.

"You should stop wasting your time with those weaklings." he told her.

"Oh, Laxus, is this your attempt to ask me to join you?" Rette asked, trying for mock surprise, but her indifferent tone ruined it.

Laxus knew she was mocking him. Rette obviously didn't think very highly of him. She had made no attempt to hide that from him. He also knew, from that one mocking retort, that she was going to say no to his offer. Rette came to a stop and looked up at him, saving him the trouble of actually putting his offer into words. She didn't want to hear it.

"I already have a team, in case you haven't heard, and I prefer Natsu and his group to you. To me, if I had to pick who's better in general...hands down it's Natsu, not you. Learn to stop being an annoying jerk and perhaps, just maybe, my opinion might change. For now, do us both a favor...go chase someone else tail and stop chasing mine." Rette told him, her tone horribly blunt and completely uninterested.

Laxus grit his teeth, his fists clenching at his sides. Rette walked away then, not sparing him another glance. She had just compared him to Natsu...and thought Natsu was better! Laxus glared after Rette's retreated back and found himself, wishing, hoping, she would make it back to town for the Harvest Festival.

If she did, he would show her just how much better than Natsu he was.

END

Kyandi: Hehehehehe!

Rette: We've finally reached her favorite part, so she's barely containing herself.

Kyandi: Hehehehehe!

Rette: For her, watching Laxus get his butt handed to him by Natsu and Gajeel was the funniest thing in the world.

Kyandi: It was! His high and mighty attitude needed adjusting!

Rette: You'll get no argument from me.

Kyandi: So let's keep going. I'm going to the movies with my family this evening, so lets see if I can the last of the chapters I've prepared up before than.

Rette: It's six a.m. and your movie is at seven p.m...I'm pretty sure you can.

Kyandi: Right. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back shortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	14. Conductor Crystal

Kyandi: **I'M BACK!**

Rette: Can we use our inside voices?

Kyandi: I'm sorry! It's just that I've been waiting to post this chapter and the next one!

Rette: Oh, right. Those are the chapters where I-

Kyandi: Shush! You can't tell them! They have to read it.

Rette: But Laxus and I-

Kyandi: I mean it! Hush up!

Rette: And then there's the battle-

Kyandi: Rette! Shut the hell up!

Rette: Alright, alright. I understand.

Kyandi: Good! Now everyone, please, enjoy and review.

Rette: Laxus and I-

Kyandi: *pops hand over mouth* I do not own Fairy Tail.

Rette:...

Chapter 14 Conductor Crystal

Rette didn't make it back for the start of the festival, though Lucy promised to keep her informed of everything that happened until she arrived. When Lucy last spoke to her before the start of the Miss Fairy Tail pageant, Rette had been on her way home after finishing another job. Not that Lucy, or anyone for that matter, thought Rette would have much cared for the pageant. Rette didn't seem like the type that liked being pranced around in front of people, no matter how big the prize was. And after Evergreen showed up and turned all the contestants into stone, many were glad she didn't.

After Evergreen took the women hostage, Laxus showed up with Freed and Bixlow in tow. Much to the shock of everyone there, since the Thunder Legion hardly ever showed their face in the guild hall.

"The real festival begins now! Why don't we play a game, old geezer?" Laxus announced, smirk on his face.

Laxus scanned the crowd before him. There was all the usual crowd there, but he didn't see Rette. He couldn't help thinking it was a shame.

"Don't do something stupid. We have to get ready for Fantasia. Turn them back to normal now!" Makarov demanded.

"Fantasia is late at night. If we hurry, people might get to see it." Laxus retorted, sending a bolt of lightning crashing down towards Lucy.

It missed, though only barely. It didn't do anything to calm those watching though. Laxus looped an arm around Lucy's neck, grinning as he looked down at those before him.

"I'll take these girls as hostages. I'll destroy them one by one if you break the rules. Like I said, this is the main show." Laxus announced.

"There are things that can't be taken as a joke, Laxus!" Makarov warned him.

"Of course, I'm serious." Laxus replied.

"It's just a game, to find out who..."

"...is the strongest here, in Fairy Tail." Bixlow said, finishing the sentence Freed started.

"The rules are simple. The last survivor wins! Fairy Tail fight starts now!" Laxus declared.

As if those words revived Natsu, who had spent the last few days looking as sick as a dog, a table flew into the air, tossed by Natsu. A big grin spread across Natsu's face.

"Isn't this great!? This is way too easy to understand! I'm pumped!" Natsu said cheerfully.

"Natsu, your arrogant way of talking...pisses me off." Laxus remarked.

"Natsu..." Makarov warned.

"What festival is this, old man? Let's start!"

With that remark, Natsu stormed the stage, more than excited to get the fight started.

"D-did you forget how terrible you were beaten by Laxus!?" Warren demanded.

"That was when I was a little kid." Natsu said.

"Wasn't that last year?"

"Last year, I was still a little kid!" Natsu insisted.

"Calm down, Natsu!" Laxus demanded.

Just a foot shy of Laxus, lightning struck Natsu, zapping him and laying him out flat on the ground. Not that anyone expected anything different. Happy even had to remark about Natsu just "barely" surviving.

"If you want them returned to normal, you'll have to defeat us." Evergreen said.

"We only have four people on our side, you have almost one hundred people. It's not fair for us." Bixlow added.

"The time limit is three hours. If you can't defeat us, they will turn into sand." Evergreen said. "The battlefield is the entire Magnolia Town. The battle starts when you find us."

"Well then it looks like we don't have much of a choice."

Everyone twisted around to face the back of the room when the new voice sounded. Standing just outside the doorway of the guild, eyes tracing the frame of the door, was the very person Laxus had been hoping would show up.

"Rette!?" Gray called in surprise.

Rette stood there, one hand on hip. She had chosen to clad herself a pair of skin tight, black shorts with a short, gold cloth tied around her waist, and a white top that looked like it was no more than a long scarf wrapped around her chest and tied in the front. Black gloves covered her hands and knee high boots clad her feet. Not a single emotion pass her face as her eyes went from the door frame to the stage, scanning the women turned into stone before landing on Laxus. Rette heaved a sigh.

"I see my words to you the other day were a complete waste. You really are a very annoying man. No wonder my Annoying Man Radar was going off at a whomping twelve the moment I stepped into Magnolia." Rette remarked. "Seems I was right and I know who the better man is."

Laxus' eye twitched. Only he understood the meaning behind her words, for it confused everyone else. His grin vanished. He wasn't amused by her comments. In fact...they pissed him off. Especially when she made them in the indifferent, I-couldn't-care-less, bored tone of hers that drove him up the wall every time he spoke to her. He stood up straight, pulling his arm from around Lucy's neck, lightning already flickering around him. Rette knew what was coming.

"Rette, look out!" Gray yelled just before Laxus discharged a bolt right at her.

Rette's right hand snapped up, almost as if she thought she could simply stop the bolt of lightning. Laxus would have laughed...if he didn't see the blue-purple magic circle that appeared with her Crystallization magic

"Crystallization...Conductor Crystal."

A large, clear crystal formed in front of Rette, glowing at it took shape. The lightning hit the crystal...and was sucked inside it, trapping the bolts within and turning the crystal yellow. The crystal then shrank until it was just a little smaller than the palm of Rette's hand. She turned her hand over, holding it out, palm up and let the crystal drop into her open hand. Rette lift the crystal up into the air to look at it, watching the tiny bolts of lightning as they bounced around inside the crystal.

Everyone stared in wonder. Even Makarov and Laxus were shocked at what had just happened. Neither had known that Rette possessed a spell that could trap another's magic within a crystal.

"Actually kind of pretty. I would expect something from you to be a bit more...well, black and ugly, to be truthful. Thank you for the crystal." Rette remarked, turning her eyes back to Laxus.

"What the hell was that!?" Gray asked.

"The spell is called Conductor Crystal. You see, I'm a naturally mistrusting creature. I developed the spell shortly after joining the guild and seeing all the powerful mages that were a part of it. I had a bad feeling, after watching Laxus, that it would end badly and, though I'm not completely weak, I don't stand on the same ranking as an S-class mage. If something was to happen, I wasn't going to leave myself in a position to be crushed. I'm not in the habit of staying in an environment where one person is toxic and not take precautions." Rette remarked.

Rette looked at the crystal one more time before tucking it away into a pouch on her belt. So she had always been mistrustful of Laxus. It explained why she had a habit of watching him whenever he was in the guild hall at the same time as her.

"I figured out this ability pretty quickly. It uses a crystal made of my magical energy, to absorb and capture other spells, putting them in my hand for later use. And since the crystal is made of my magical energy and this is a form of sealing magic that feeds the spell within bits of my own magic, it sustains the spell, increasing it's power until I decided to release it again." Rette added.

She was not going to mention that there were certain types of magic, like Makarov's giant magic, Erza's requipping magic, and Lucy's Celestial spirits, that she couldn't absorb. Or that the longer she left the spell in the crystal, the stronger it got until the crystal could contain it no longer and the power went wild, exploding on her. What could she say?

It was a new spell...she was still working out the knicks.

Rette dug in the pouch she had put the crystal in and pulled out another. This one was an orange color, edged in black and flickered like flames. She held it up in front of her.

"This one is my favorite and most of the crystals I've gathered, are made with the same magic as this one. It's Natsu's flames...and this one is a couple of months old." Rette said.

Horror rippled through everyone. Natsu's flames were horribly destructive on their own, but to be capture, confined in a small space, and fed Rette's magic energy for a couple of months, left to grow stronger and stronger...the destructive power of those flames when she finally released them would be horrible. Rette simply tucked the crystal away once more.

"I also have Gray's ice, Max's sand, Juvia's water, and quite a few others. I've been looking to add Laxus' lightning to the collection for a while now." Rette remarked idly.

Laxus clicked his tongue, not concerned in the least that she had absorbed his spell so much as just annoyed by it. From what he could tell, she could only capture elemental magic. That meant that the members of the Thunder Legion would have nothing to worry about. Rette could join the fight if she wanted. He just might find her while she was out searching with the others, and teach her a lesson.

"You have three hours before I start breaking them." Laxus said, his grin returning.

"Don't mess around!" Makarov snapped, growing in size.

"I said calm down...let's enjoy the main show." Laxus told him, raising a hand.

Rette raised an arm to cover her eyes as there was a bright flash of light. Everyone was blinded for a moment and when the light faded, Laxus and the Thunder Legion were gone.

"They've disappeared!" someone exclaimed.

Rette's eyes narrowed as she stared up at the stage. She stepped out of the way as the others rushed from the guild hall to set about finding Laxus and his lackies. Gray joined Rette just outside the doorway, Makarov just behind him, yelling that he would stop Laxus and his plan.

Only to run smack dab into an invisible barrier.

Gray turned around to face him, confused on what was going on with Makarov.

"What are you doing, old man?" Gray asked.

"What is this? I can't move forward. There's an invisible wall." Makarov said.

"What are you doing at such an important time!? There's no invisible wall!" Gray said, waving his hand through the air and encountering nothing.

Despite nothing feeling anything himself, Makarov couldn't go forward and Gray, despite trying, could not pull him forward. Rette tapped Gray's shoulder and pointed upward as letters appeared in the air above the doorway.

"This is...this is Freed's Restriction spell!" Makarov said.

"Restriction spell?!" Gray asked.

"It's a kind of barrier. It magically traps all those who step in the circle. I'm afraid in order to cover the festival, he wrote the Restriction with deceiving letters. Those who step into the circle will have to obey an additional rule. If you don't obey the rule, you will not be able to get out." Makarov explained.

The rule appeared above them.

 _Rule: No statue nor male person over the age of 80 gets out!_

"What the hell is this unreasonable rule!?" Gray asked.

"So that's what Freed did."

Gray and Makarov turned to Rette as she stared up at the rule. She didn't seem surprised to find the spell in place.

"You knew it was there!?" Gray asked.

"Thyme can sniff out a spell better than anyone. She knew there was a spell laid here, we just didn't know what it was. That's why I didn't go inside the guild hall. Though, even if I was over eighty years old, it doesn't look like it would have effected me anyhow since I'm female." Rette remarked. "I must say, for keeping Master out of the battle, Freed out did himself."

Gray clicked his tongue in annoyance, but Makarov hummed in agreement with Rette.

"It requires a lot of time to cast the spell. It's not appropriate in a battle. However, as a trap, it could have tremendous effect." Makarov remarked.

"The reason the old man can't get out is because of this lame magic!? Can't you destroy it or something, old man!?" Gray asked.

"The rule of the spell is absolute, Gray. Freed made sure that not Master nor those turned into a statue, could leave the guild hall. They never intended to let Master join in the fight. He's too strong." Rette told him.

"If it comes down to this, leave them to me!" Gray said, turning and running off. "I won't forgive him even if he's your grandson! I will kill him!"

Rette watched Gray's retreated form before looking down at Makarov. He was gritting his teeth and Rette knew it was in both frustration and anger. Laxus was an idiot, but he was a strong idiot. Very few had the power to stand against him. Rette knew she didn't. If Erza wasn't currently a statue, she could stand against Laxus. Movement out of the corner of their eyes had both Rette and Makarov turning to see Reedus poking his head out of hiding.

"I...I'm...sorry...I'm...scared of...Laxus." Reedus said.

It seemed a lot of people usually were. Rette couldn't blame the sweet, mellow Reedus for wanting to hide from Laxus.

"Reedus! Do you know Porlyusica's house in the North Forest?" Makarov asked.

"I know." Reedus replied.

"She might have the cure for the stone curse. Can you go there for me?" Makarov asked.

Rette gave Makarov a questioning look. It probably would have been faster for her to go get it since she had her Sun Wings spell. Makarov looked up at her seeing the look on her face.

"I have a different job for you, Rette." he told her as Reedus agreed to his job.

Before Makarov could tell Rette her job, though she was pretty sure it was going to be guard duty for the statues, Natsu finally woke up and started looking around for Laxus, who was long gone.

"What happened, old man!?" Natsu asked.

"The festival has started! Lauxs is in this town! Crush him!" Makarov ordered of Natsu.

"Gotcha! Just you wait, Laxus!" Natsu replied, all hyped up.

He charged forward, heading for the front door of the guild hall...only to smack into the barrier and sink down to the floor. Rette looked down at him, her expression never changing despite the sudden urge to both laugh and smack a hand to her face in embarrassment. This was suppose to be one of her teammates?

Rette suddenly understood why Laxus felt embarrassed by those currently in the guild. It was endearing at times, but right now...not so much.

"Well...that was wasted hyped up energy." Rette remarked.

While Natsu and Makarov tried to figure out why Natsu couldn't get through, more letters appeared in the air.

"Fairy Tail's inside fight speed report," Rette read out loud. "Jet vs. Droy vs. Cornell. Cornell...that's Alzack, right?"

"Why did they fight each other?" Natsu asked.

"It has to be more of Freed's Restriction spells." Rette remarked.

More letters appeared, announcing that the winner of the fight was Alzack. Makarov stared in horror at the announcement as it ticked down the number of Fairy Tail members left out in the city. Rette stared at the spell before calmly turning away to walk away.

"Rette!?" Makarov called.

Rette stopped and turned to face Makarov. Her expression was hard as stone as she looked back at them, creeping out Natsu and Happy. Makarov probably wanted her to stay in the guild hall, to protect the statues, but she wasn't going to stand for this. True, she wasn't well acquainted with Bisca, and Juvia was still new to her, but Cana and Mira had treated her like a little sister, Levy was nice to her, and Erza and Lucy were her teammates and friends. Not to mention that Laxus and his Thunder Legion were forcing the others, forcing friends, to fight each other. She had almost lost Erza once, and it had hurt her heart. Now Lucy, Cana, and Mira were being threatened too.

She wouldn't stand for someone, even another member of Fairy Tail, threatening them.

"I can find and avoid the traps. I'm not the strongest, but if nothing else, I can stall Laxus while Reedus goes to Porlyusica for the cure to the stone curse on Erza and the others. I'm not going to sit around and watch him make our family fight each other. I refuse." Rette told him.

It shocked Makarov, hearing the anger and passion in Rette's voice, but not as much as it shocked him to hear her refer to the members of Fairy Tail as her family. Maybe she really was starting to understand what it meant to be apart of the guild. With that, Rette cast her Sun Wings spell and flew off, Thyme following after her. Rette used Thyme's sharp senses to avoid Restriction spells and found herself a perch high above the city.

She had a Unison spell that would allow her to rain slivers of crystallized light on the city. They were so thin and tiny that they were nearly invisible to the naked eye, but those slivers would then register every magical disturbance within her range. That would include both mages and their spells.

Rette cast the spell, an emerald green magic circle spreading in the sky to over the city, as well as across the ground. The shower of crystal slivers began raining down on the town below.

"Two layer magic circle...Sensory Shower."

Rette closed her eyes and slowly all the mages in Magnolia appeared before her eyes in slightly differing shades of colors. To her, it looked like map of Magnolia laid out in black and white static, with splashes of colored light to show where mages and spells were. Back towards the guild hall, the orange-black flame that was Natsu, was drowned out by the large, white blaze that was Makarov. She located many of the others as well. There to one direction was the forest green slash that was Freed. In another direction was the dark purple, bobbing fire of Bixlow with his "babies". She even sensed the pale green, elegant swirl of Evergreen almost directly in front of her. Several forest green spells were laid out all over the city, trapping many of the others within them.

Then Rette saw it.

The strong, yellow, crackling slash that was Laxus.

It was coming from the Kardia Cathedral...almost directly under her feet.

Rette looked downward, her eyes locking in on the church, just down the street from her. So Laxus was hiding out there. Rette turned to Thyme. All it took was one moment looking at each other and Thyme knew what Rette wanted. She took off back towards the guild so she could lead Erza to the cathedral once she was revived. That would leave Rette to distract Laxus. She cast her Sun Wings spell and flew off towards the cathedral, making sure to avoid any of Freed's spells.

Rette slipped in through one of the windows high up in the main hall. She hid herself among the rafters and looked down at the hall below. Laxus, having lost his temper, pounded a fist into a column. Rette could see why. A magic screen displayed the field report for the whole Fairy Tail Battle. At the moment it was displaying that a revived Erza had just defeated Evergreen. But it also showed that only eleven members of Fairy Tail remained in the fight.

"Why the hell did Ever get herself taken out by the likes of Erza!? Well!? Damn it, Ever, when did you get so god-damn weak!?" Laxus roared from below.

"Erza is simply too strong for her. You should have sent myself or Bixlow." Freed said, appearing from the shadow of another column.

"And what are you doing back here, Freed?" Laxus asked.

"Well, the game is over. With the hostages freed, the Master will never give in." Freed replied.

Laxus turned a pissed look on Freed and Freed threw his arms up in front of his face when Laxus attacked him. The attack, though, flew by just to the right of Freed. That was some temper if it lead him to attack then those who were the closest things to friends he had.

"It is not over. If you want to chicken out now, then get lost. I don't need weaklings like that in my Fairy Tail." Laxus told Freed.

Rette watched as Laxus, with an amount of magical energy she found astounding, cast a spell called the Hall of Thunder, which surrounded the whole town of Magnolia with large lacrimas filled to the brim with his lightning magic. He even cast Living Link magic on them so anyone who took one out, took themselves out with lightning. To make it worse, once their timers hit zero, they would level the whole town. The sheer amount of magical energy now in the sky, made the hair on the back of Rette's neck stand on end. Laxus then had display boards pop up in front of all those still remaining in the game.

"Can ya hear me, old man? And everyone from the guild, too...It looks like we've lost one of our rules...so I'm going to instate a new one. So as to keep this battle of Fairy Tail moving...I've activated the Hall of Thunder. Only one hour and ten minutes remain. Do you think you can defeat us? Or will you play nice and retire? "Master"." Laxus announced before cutting off the communication with a laugh.

"You would go this far!?" Freed asked.

"'This far'? I decide my own limits. This is a battle! It's not over until one side or the other is obliterated completely!" Laxus declared.

"I'd say you've gone insane, but I've never been sure you had any sanity to begin with."

Laxus and Freed both spun around, finding Rette standing just a few yards from them, her hands on her hips. She tilted her head to the side in a curious fashion, her hair falling like a silver waterfall over her shoulder.

"Did you honestly think you could hide from me? A person with the amount of magical energy you have? I could follow that angry yellow slash all the way across the world if I had to." Rette added idly.

"Your Seek spell." Laxus growled.

"No. It's a two layer magic circle spell called Sensory Shower. It's how I knew exactly where each and everyone of Freed's enchantments were. Nothing magical can escape my eyes when I use Sensory Shower." Rette replied.

Freed's hand went to his sword, but Rette didn't even bother looking at him. She wasn't concerned about Freed. Her eyes locked in on Laxus' and the two stared at each other, the tension crackling between them. It was clear that this, whatever it was, was between Laxus and Rette. Freed had no part in it.

"What are you doing, Freed? Bixlow is still out there hunting fairies, you know. The old man's resting his hopes on Erza...I'll take her myself. Same for Mystogen. **After** I've dealt with this little annoyance." Laxus said, meaning Rette. "So you get out there and take out Cana and that Phantom girl. I don't need either of them in my Fairy Tail. Feel free to kill them."

"Kill them!? We may be fighting them right now, but they're still members of-"

"Did you not hear my orders!?" Laxus yelled, cutting Freed off.

Rette didn't even flinch. Though her anger did rocket up another notch.

"Now that we have come this far, I fear there is no turning back. I will accompany you along this path...even if it leads to hell. I will accomplish my mission. I will be aiming to kill. Don't get cold feet now." Freed told Laxus.

He threw Rette one last look, but she had her eyes set on Laxus. Freed left, leaving Rette and Laxus alone. Rette lightly crossed her arms over her stomach, her head tilting to the opposite side it had previously tilted to.

"I don't know how you managed to find such loyal comrades when you have such a volatile, short temper." Rette remarked.

Laxus didn't look amused. His expression was dark, his temper already sparked by Evergreen's defeat and the lost of his hostages. Rette was becoming a real pain in his side. First her Conductor Crystal spell and now this Sensory Shower spell. Her magic was so flexible, she probably had a spell for just about everything. What else did she have to use against him? The thought pissed him off. But he wasn't going to let her get to him. She was weaker than him, had admitted that she couldn't stand with an S-class mage. He should have no problem beating her. It was a shame he had to beat her up. She was pretty hot after all and the though brought a grin to his face.

"So you've come here to fight me? Alone?" he asked.

"Not quite. More along the lines of stalling." Rette replied, sounding bored as always.

"Stalling? Haha! For what!?" he asked.

"For Erza to get here, of course. Or Mystogen. I heard both are up and about somewhere in town. Though I really don't like the idea of relying on a man I've never met before, so I sent Thyme to find Erza and bring her here. I just have to keep you from making anymore stupid choices until then." Rette replied.

She had a way of talking...that really grated on his nerves.

"So you're counting on her too? You really think Erza could beat me!?" Laxus asked.

"I think I've made it perfectly clear what I think of you." Rette remarked.

And that she had. She had made it clear that she thought of him as lower than Natsu and since Erza was stronger than Natsu, in Rette's mind, that put Erza way over Laxus' head. He didn't know which pissed him off more. That Rette thought he was below Natsu, or that she thought him way out of Erza's league.

"You really don't give others much credit, do you?"

This new comment of Rette's snapped his attention back to her. He raised an eyebrow at her, annoyed that she still looked bored. Soon, very soon, he change that expression.

"Doesn't matter. You really think you can stall me or whatever it is you're trying to do? Don't make me laugh!" Laxus retorted.

Rette heaved a sigh as if she was put out by him and his attitude. She spread her arms and shrugged her shoulders as her eyes went to the ceiling. As if she was put out by a child. Laxus had a serious attitude problem that needed addressing.

"Look, you annoying man, I really have no interest in fighting you. I've got just about all of you I want now that I have some of your lightning trapped in one of my Conductor Crystals and you no longer hold any interest to me. Nor do I really care about all of this "who's stronger than who" crap. That being said, I like what you're doing here just about as much as I like needless displays of power. Which is none at all. If you really wanted to take over the guild, there are about dozen better ways to have gone about it. This...this just makes you even more annoying and immature than I originally thought." Rette told him, spreading her hands in an annoyed gesture.

Laxus was fed up with her tone and this made the third time, at least, that she had called him immature. He wasn't going to stand for it. He struck before he could think about it, hitting Rette with a strong, electrical blast. He thought he got her, since he had moved too fast for her to use her own magic, but when the brightness of the electrical blast faded, Rette was still sitting there, unscathed.

"How the hell!?" he demanded.

Rette heaved another sigh as she dusted off her clothes. She then held out an arm and knocked her knuckles against it, causing a rippling of light over a reflective surface over her skin. The light traveled over her arm and spread out over her chest and down her whole body.

"Another Crystallization spell called Pressure Armor. It covers me from head to toe in a nearly invisible armor of crystal. What I like about it is that with each attack, with the more pressure applied to it, the stronger it becomes. There are some attacks that can pierce through it, but that attack just now, won't cut it. You can attack me all you like, but if you do that, who do you think will run out of magical energy first?" Rette asked.

"You're really starting to piss me off." Laxus growled at her.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying for that. My evasion and defensive skills are among my best and I take pains to make them the best possible. Its why, when it comes to stalling and forcing another to fight harder and waste more energy, I'm the best there is." Rette replied.

Laxus was starting to see what she meant by stalling him. With her Pressure Armor and Conductor Crystal and the hordes of other highly evasive spells she had in her arsenal, she was the perfect person to distract another mage, to make them waste their magical energy. She wouldn't have to lift a finger, or try to injure him. Just last long enough for Erza or Mystogen to show up and take over.

Rette spread her arms wide then as if inviting him to try all he liked.

"If you want to fight me, than fight. It won't be the first time I've been someone's punching bag in order to stall for another." Rette told him.

Laxus grit his teeth, fists clenching at his sides.

"Fine then. I don't have to use magic to deal with you." he told her.

Rette's left hand came up when he started towards her and she cast a Light of Creation spell with the speed of practice. A fraction of a second after a swift gesture with her hand, Rette spoke.

"Blinding Abyss."

Laxus roared, his hands going up to his eyes as a blinding light suddenly blinded him, filling the room with such bright light, everything turned white. Even as he closed his eyes and pressed the back of one arm to his eyes, all he saw was white. He rubbed at his eyes but it did nothing to drive away the stark white he found rather his eyes were open or closed.

"Rub all you want, it won't fade any sooner. Blinding Abyss is just a fancy, magic way of saying I've just shined a really bright light in your eyes." came Rette's voice from somewhere in front of him.

Though he couldn't see her, he could pin point her by sound and scent. Rette had a really strong scent of lavender and sweet pea. It filled his nose and could lead him right to her. He turned in the direction she was standing but no matter how much he blinked, he couldn't see past the blinding white that had fallen over his eyes. Just how long would her spell effect him?

"You might not want to waste your magic energy on me, but I'm not going to let you put your fist to work either. Been there, done that, don't need a second act." Rette said, sounding about as interesting as she usually did.

He had completely pin pointed her by then and charged her, but Rette had the advantage in that she could see. She jumped, placing a hand on his shoulder as he neared and flipped herself right over his head. Laxus turned, trying to catch her, but Rette danced right out of his reach. All he got was a fleeting feeling of the very tips of her silky hair on his finger tips.

"You're really going to insist on this, aren't you? You really want to bring down the guild as we know it, that bad?" Rette asked as he turned to find her again.

His vision was starting to clear slightly, some color slowly returning. The longer he stood there, blinking his eyes, the more his vision cleared, until finally he could at least make out the out line of her. Rette stood a good thirty feet from him, her head tilted to the side as she watched him.

"What does it matter to you?" he asked.

"Nothing really. I just don't see any merit in this. You're Master's grandson. Someday, when he thinks you're ready, you'll be at the top of the list to take over the guild. Why go to these lengths? Everyone already knows how good you are. Is it that you don't trust you have what it takes to inherit the guild any other way?" she asked.

Was she...actually trying to understand him? Or was it another tactic to stall him? Sitting there and talking to her wasn't going to do him any good. But he had to admit that she was clever and even though she wasn't the strongest person out there, she knew how to use what she had. She would be a good addition to his Fairy Tail when he took control of the guild. First and foremost, he had to teach her a lesson for going up against him and wasting his time. He straightened his back and shoved his hands in his pockets. The calm posture had Rette's head tilting the other way in a curious way.

"You ask too many questions. It's my turn to ask one." Laxus said, buying time for his eyes to clear a bit more.

"I'm listening." she replied.

"I asked once before..."

"Indirectly probably."

"...but why not come to my side? I can train you to become strong, to make S-class. So why not?" Laxus finished as if she hadn't interrupted him.

Rette blinked at him, still no expression on her face. He could make out her face now. She reached up, scratching one cheek as the other hand went to her hip, her hip junting out.

"Hmm...interesting question. I have a feeling though that my answer is only going to anger you more since you don't seem to like not getting your way." Rette said.

She heaved a sigh and waved a hand in the air in an almost dismissing manner. She then fixed her eyes on his face.

"Truthfully? I have no interest in being S-class. I told you that I don't care about all of that being strongest crap. I'm just trying to live and being a normal ranked mage is fine enough with me. If it didn't require me being apart of a guild to find decent jobs, I probably wouldn't have ever joined Fairy Tail to begin with. But I have and Fairy Tail became **my** guild. I joined, gave my loyalty to the guild, and did so under it's current master, Master Makarov. I don't know about you, but once my loyalty is given, it doesn't shift. Ever. Unless Master does something to betray my loyalty to him, it's not going to change. And since I acknowledge Fairy Tail as my guild, it's mine. I protect what's mine no matter the risk to myself. That's just how I live my life." Rette told him.

Loyal to a fault, huh?

"Why are you so loyal to that senile, old fool?" Laxus asked.

Rette's hands went up in an almost put out gesture. She heaved another sigh.

"It's not a matter that it's Master and not you. I really couldn't care less about who is the master of the guild. He was the master when I joined and as such, until he steps down, my loyalty will remain with him. I know how much it hurts to be betrayed by someone you thought was on your side and I refuse to be the one to do that to someone else. Master and the others, for some reason or another, trust me not to betray them, so I won't. It's a matter of pride and principal and personal morals. Had you been the master when I joined, then it would have been the same. I'm loyal to the guild and it's master. If Master passes the guild on to you, then that loyalty will be to you. But not a moment sooner."

That was a surprise. Rette really didn't care who was the master. In her mind, whoever was the master, had her loyalty. She was loyal to the guild, first and foremost. Until Makarov stepped down, her loyalty would lie solely with him. Masters may change, but her loyalty was always with Fairy Tail and whatever master that entailed. Such a stubborn resolve. It made Laxus like her just a little bit more. This meant that if he took the guild from Makarov, Rette wouldn't question it. She would just go along with it.

Meaning he just had to put her out of the game until this was all over.

That was fine with him.

"But honestly," Rette drew his attention back to her as she started speaking. "I don't think you'll actually do this."

"Say what?" Laxus asked with a growl.

"I don't think you really plan to see the the Hall of Thunder through. You want to change Fairy Tail, to be it's master. What good would it do you to destroy Magnolia and the guild then? You can put up an act all you want, but I'm not buying it. This is just as much your home as it has become mine." Rette said confidently.

She honestly believe that, huh? She wasn't willing, even after everything he did, to believe he really meant harm to the town. She wasn't willing to believe the worst of him. Again, that was fine with him. He just had to knock her out until this was over.

"Believe what you want. I just need to deal with you quickly." he remarked.

Rette's eyebrows snapped down. She didn't like the change in his attitude. For some reason...she had a bad feeling this wasn't going to end well for her.

-0-0-0-0-

All over Magnolia, displays screens popped up, announcing the newest fight to start. Many members of the guild, still conscious, stared in horror at the words before them. At one end of the town, Mira's hands flew to her mouth in horror. At another end of the town, Erza froze in her steps, eyes wide. Back at the guild hall, Levy shook her head as if to deny what she was reading. In bold letters, the display boards read:

 _Laxus vs. Rette. Battle in progress._

Rette was good, handled most jobs on her own, but she wasn't on S-class level. Laxus, as an S-class mage, would demolish her and he wouldn't be nice about it. But as the minutes ticked by, the display never changed. The longer they all watched, the longer the display remained unchanged. Many began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, Rette would shock them all and manage to win. Mira couldn't help her concern for Rette. Rette had been like a little sister for her.

"You don't think she'll actually make it, do you?" Cana asked.

"No. Rette's strong, but Laxus is stronger." Mira said sadly, knowing it was true.

"This Rette," Freed said from where he laid on the ground after Mira beat him. "she is the new girl with the Unison magic, right? The one everyone is calling the Nexus Mage?"

"Yes." Mira answered.

"It must take a skilled mage to meld two kinds of magic like that, but I doubt she will beat Laxus. He is probably playing with her to pass the time." Freed remarked.

"No. I know Rette. She won't let him play with her. If anything, she's probably buying time for Erza or Mystogen to find them." Mira said firmly.

She could see that being Rette's plan. The girl was clever, always thinking, always trying to stay one step ahead of everyone else. She never trusted people enough to stop doing so. She knew her limits better than anyone in the guild and was always mindful of what she could and couldn't do alone. Never rash, never easily provoked. Always mistrustful and therefore cautious.

That was Rette.

She would do what she could until help could arrive and, just like everyone else in Fairy Tail, she wouldn't give up. Mira was sure of that.

"Rette's clever. She'll be alright. She always is." Mira assured the others, though she was trying to assure herself more.

She would hold on to the hope that Rette would be fine until Erza or Mystogen showed up. Until then, Mira would pray that Erza and Mystogen hurried. No one wanted to see Rette hurt.

END

Kyandi: I'm in a hurry to get the next chapter up, so I won't be entertaining you, today, with my and Rette's witty banter.

Rette: We're calling it witty banter, now, huh?

Kyandi: I'm not getting into it with you, right now.

Rette: If you say so.

Kyandi: Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Witty banter? Seriously?

Kyandi: It is witty banter!

Rette: I thought you weren't going to "get into it" with me.

Kyandi:...ARGH! Everyone, enjoy and review!

Rette: We will return shortly.

Kyandi: Bye!


	15. Playing With Lightning

Kyandi: I'm back!

Rette: At least she didn't yell it.

Kyandi: Sorry it took me so long. I was at the movies.

Rette: Family bonding?

Kyandi: Something like that.

Rette: I can't really see how it's family bonding since all of you split into two groups and saw two different movies.

Kyandi: No one could decide on a movie!

Rette: Uh-huh. Can we move on?

Kyandi: Right! Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 15 Playing With Lightning

Damn this man!

Rette jumped out of the way, avoiding a bolt of lightning that made her hair stand on end. He wasn't playing with her anymore and it was all she could do to avoid some of his more powerful attacks. But she had a feeling he had caught on to the weakness of her Pressure Armor spell. Rette's feet slid as she landed and she barely kept herself up.

Why was it she was always finding herself in situations where she got hurt...a lot?

Laxus turned to her, a grin on his face. She still had that indifferent look on her face as she straightened up, but now her skin was marred with scrapes and cuts. There were even a few spots on her skin where bruises were starting to show.

"Dodging now, huh? Is there a problem? You're slowing down." Laxus taunted.

"Why not just come out and say what you think and drop the taunts." Rette retorted.

"Tch, fine. You're Pressure Armor is getting heavy, isn't it?" he asked.

Silence on Rette's behalf was answer enough for him. It caused a grin to grow across his face, turning it into a smirk.

"That spell of your's is useful alright, but as it grows stronger with each hit, it also grows heavier, doesn't it? I'm guessing the crystal has to thicken to strengthen itself. It's already slowing you down." he mocked.

Rette jerked her head to the side, her neck popping as she did. With a jerk of her hand there was a shattering of tiny crystals around her as she released her Pressure Armor spell.

"I'm not going to lie and say that's not true, but I don't need the Pressure Armor to defend myself and I can always re-cast the spell if I need to." Rette replied.

"Then lets see you do it." Laxus snapped.

Lightning danced across the floor towards her. Rette jumped, the wings of light from her Sun Wings spell sprouting from her back. With one mighty beat of her wings, Rette soared into the air. Laxus followed her movement as she twisted in mid air to hand upside down.

"I'm actually not surprised you figured out the draw back. Every spell has a weakness or draw back." Rette remarked.

"Really now? Then just try to find mine!" Laxus challenged.

Rette dropped and shot across the room, swerving around the columns to avoid another arch of lightning. A shower of crumbling plaster rained down on the floor below as the lightning connected with a column rather than Rette. Rette vanished among the columns. Laxus went looking for her, searching the upper half of the room. He didn't see Rette until she stepped out from behind a column. As soon as she was in sight, she threw something at him. Laxus caught it and looked down at what was in his palm. Sitting there in his palm was an orange-black crystal that looked like it had flames dancing in it. Rette darted out of range as she released the hold on the spell.

The crystal in Laxus' hand shattered and the flames trapped inside, burst forth. Laxus cursed to himself, jumping back as he discharged a wave of electricity to keep the flames away from himself.

"Cheap move! Using others' magic!" he roared.

"The man who first taught me magic, taught me that to ensure your victory, to ensure your existence for another day, sometimes a cheap move is what it takes." came Rette's voice from somewhere else in the room. "And it takes very little magic energy for me to set these little crystals off. Saves me trouble. I told you, I really don't care to fight you."

Laxus' reply was a wave of lightning that drove Rette out of hiding. She pulled another crystal out of her pouch, this one glowing a yellow-white. She threw it at him, releasing the magic.

"But since you want to complain, this one has my own magic in it." Rette called as the crystal shattered.

Rette ducked behind a column as the light magic trapped inside the crystal exploded outward. Rette had managed to trap her Ignite spell within the crystal and the moment it was set free, the light in the room...went up in flames, rocking the whole building with their intensity. Thankfully, the crystal was a newer one and didn't cause a lot of damage to the cathedral. Laxus on the other hand, had a few burns on his hands where he had shielded his face. Laxus looked up at her as the smoke cleared.

"You're actually pretty good, aren't you?" he growled, as if admitting that, pained him.

"Not really. There's always someone better." Rette replied, still indifferent.

She watched as a nerve under his eye twitched, showing just how annoyed he was.

"That look of your's...so cool, so indifferent. I'm going to shake you if it's the last thing I do!" he declared, the smirk back on his face.

Rette decided that it was official...he was enjoying himself too much. She wasn't having fun at all. She knew sooner or later, she wouldn't be able to dodge his attacks anymore and wasn't looking forward to being turned into a human lightning rod.

The sound of eletro-shock therapy didn't sound pleasing at all.

-0-0-0-0-

She had to hurry, had to move faster.

Erza ran as fast as she could. She had seen the display appear, declaring that a fight between Laxus and Rette had started. She had seen Rette in action, knew the girl to be clever enough to take care of herself, but with Laxus as her opponent, she was in danger.

But where were they!?

It was at a time like this that Erza wished she had Warren's telepathy magic or Rette's tracking spells. It would have been no problem to find the two then. Or even to just have Natsu's nose. Rette always smelled strongly of lavender and sweet pea. It would have been impossible for Erza not to track Rette by her scent alone. Thyme would have been a good asset too, since the cat could track Rette for miles.

As if her thoughts had summoned the little feline, there was a loud gasp that drew Erza's attention skyward. Thyme was flying right for her. Thyme barreled into Erza's chest at top speed, her breathing coming in pants. Erza wrapped her arms around Thyme, holding the cat while she caught her breath.

"Thyme? Where's Rette? Did she send you to find me!?" Erza asked.

Thyme looked up at her and nodded her head. Though she had to be tired, Thyme pushed herself out of Erza's arms and turned, waving for Erza to follow her. Erza knew that Rette had sent Thyme to find her, knowing full well that she couldn't win a fight against Laxus.

"Lead the way, then." Erza told the cat.

Thyme nodded and took off, leading the way back through town. Erza only hoped she reached them before Laxus did something to really hurt Rette. The girl put up a strong front, took injuries without much complaint, but she was still a young girl. There was only so much damage she could take before she crumbled at Laxus' feet. Then she would be at his mercy and there was no telling what Laxus would do to her given all the past times she had annoyed him.

Erza and Thyme both came to a stop as another display appeared in the sky. Erza read it, wondering if someone else had ended up in a fight and froze when the words she saw, sank in.

 _Laxus vs. Rette...Winner Laxus._

Erza's stomach bottomed out, her anger rising. All across town, the others stared in horror at the words, knowing full well that Rette's defeat wouldn't have been a painless one. But every last one of them were proud of the girl. She had been in the battle with Laxus for a good twenty minutes at least and had managed to hold out this long. Mira cried out for the girl, her heart hurting at the knowledge that Rette had to be in pain. Cana laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Mira. Rette's strong willed. She'll be just fine." Cana assured her.

Rather Rette would be fine or not, the defeat of the girl who usually showed no emotion, yet wanted to fight for her guild mates, put a fire under her friends' tails. They would find her and they would make sure that Lauxs paid.

-0-0-0-0-

Rette couldn't move. Her body hurt all over. She hadn't seen that last attack coming. Having used her Ignite spell again, Laxus had taken advantage of the resulting smoke to gain ground on her. He had charged her, Rette not seeing him until his arm came out of the smoke and he seized her by the throat. The electrical shock he sent charging straight through her then, had made her whole body feel like it was on fire. It had burned through her very veins. She had known, without a doubt, that she was going to have trouble speaking and would have the perfect imprint of his hand on her throat.

And just after her throat had healed from the bruises Jellal had left.

What was it with men and grabbing her around the throat?

Laxus gave her a good long zap, just enough that when he released her, she crumpled to the ground at his feet and didn't get back up. He didn't want to kill her. Just make sure she would be down for a while.

Of course that had been after he had managed to land a couple of his electric punches on her, leaving behind burned skin and bruises. Those had stung greatly too. She had replied in kind, of course, by blinding him with her Blinding Abyss spell and then hitting him square in the jaw with a spell called Light Burst which simply gave her punches a little extra kick.

Not that it seemed to bother Laxus any.

He was lucky she didn't hit him below the belt while he couldn't see.

Her body hurt too much to move now, her skin felt numb and she couldn't even force her eyes to open. Laxus knelt next to her, pulling off the cloth tied around her waist to bind her hands behind her back so she couldn't get free, and taking her belt which held the pouch of her Conductor Crystals. It wasn't like she was going to be moving for a while anyway. She had known it was just a matter of time before he finally got his hands on her. She just hadn't expected an electrical shock to the throat to be how she went down.

"You caused me to use more magic energy than I wanted to." Laxus said, nudging her with one hand, rolling her onto her back.

Rette winced in pain, her eyebrow twitching from the pain. Even charred up, beat up, and unconscious, Laxus couldn't help thinking she was still pretty. Laxus picked up a piece of her hair, finding that despite the good number of electrical shocks, the strands were still silky and soft. He thought they would be charred and frizzed.

"But we both know you weren't honestly fighting me though. Pisses me off that you half-assed it." Laxus growled, releasing her hair and standing up.

There was no reply from Rette, even when he nudged her with one booted toe. He would give her one thing...she was good motivation. The others would have seen the displays declaring their fight and Rette's defeat. Though Rette had never really been a social butterfly and was either gone on a job or behind the bar helping Mira at the guild hall, the others seemed attached to her. Especially Erza and her group who had formed a team with Rette. Laxus was sure that the moment Natsu and Erza saw the displays, they would have gone nuts trying to find Rette.

Now it was just a matter of who showed up first.

But what really got under his skin was that even when he landed a hit, even when he had her in his hands, she had never made a sound, had never broken that indifferent expression of hers. It really annoyed him. Just what was this girl made of that allowed to keep going like she wasn't effected even after taking a thrashing? Even when he could see the exhaustion in her eyes?

Laxus' eyes scanned Rette's prone figure. There were a few char marks on her face and many more on her arms and exposed mid-drift. Her clothes were tattered and, somewhere during the fight, she had lost both boots.

One of which she had thrown at him, but he was never going to tell anyone that.

Laxus took a step back towards her, about to reach out when the doors of the cathedral opened. Laxus turned, finding, not Erza, but Mystogen. The masked man looked from Laxus to Rette on the floor as Laxus turned to fully face him. As Mystogen looked at Rette, he saw her twitch and then move slightly. Laxus looked down at her when she moved, regaining her consciousness.

"Still got fight in you, huh? Just lay there like a good girl and be quiet." Laxus told her, nudging her once more with one boot.

Rette forced one eye open, looking up at him as he walked past her to face off with Mystogen. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she forced herself to roll over onto her stomach, watching the two mages as they confronted each other. Her vision was already starting to go black around the edges again and she had no strength to free her hands. She would pass out for good at any moment. But at least she had managed to stall Laxus. The person who showed up hadn't been the mage she was hoping for, but at least it was someone on the same side as her.

With that grateful thought, she black out.

-0-0-0-0-

Erza, lead by Thyme, arrived at the cathedral at the same time as Natsu. When they arrived, they found Laxus facing off with Mystogen. Erza's presence distracted Mystogen, giving Laxus an opening to attack him. Laxus' attack hit Mystogen straight in the head, ripping away the mask he wore and revealing his face which looked so similar to Jellal's. Both Erza and Natsu mistook him for Jellal, though Mystogen looked to Erza, informing her that he was not Jellal. He announced he had to leave the rest to her and Natsu. He vanished before anyone could say anything to stop him.

Erza remained frozen on the spot, not even hearing Natsu when he said he would deal with Laxus. Natsu, noticing that something was wrong, tried to get her attention. What finally got her attention though, was a fierce electrical shock from Laxus. Natsu, even more angrier than before, charged Laxus. It was while Natsu confronted Laxus, that Erza's eyes found Rette, unconscious and bound, laying on the floor.

"Rette!" Erza called, but the girl didn't budge.

She looked pretty beat up from where Erza stood and Natsu's flames, as he attacked Laxus, were coming too close to the girl. The attacks became fiercer when Laxus grabbed Natsu's wrist, holding him in place to deliver a punch to Natsu's face. Natsu seized hold of his wrist in turn, and the two traded off hits until Laxus swept Natsu's feet out from under him. Even then, neither released their grip. Natsu swung his leg out to return the favor, but Laxus slammed a foot down on his head, pinning him to the ground before hitting him with a hit hard enough to send Natsu sliding across the floor.

Natsu jumped back to his feet to keep attack, but Erza jumped him then, planting a hand on the back of his head and slamming his face into the floor. They had been getting closer and closer to Rette, their attacks almost hitting her as well.

"You idiot! You're going to hit Rette!" Erza scolded Natsu.

When she said the silver haired girl's name, Laxus turned to look back at Rette. Even Natsu froze, his eyes seeking out the girl. When they found her, his eyes grew wide at the sight of her condition.

"Rette." he said in shock and anger.

"She put up quite the fight. Was quite the annoying little thing at first. Wouldn't accept defeat until she couldn't move." Laxus said, laughing.

Thyme hissed from where she floated beside Erza and Natsu. Her ears went back against her head, a low whine-like sound leaving her as she sank to the floor. Rette wasn't moving. Erza laid a reassuring hand on Thyme's head. Laxus looked at the cat as she raised her head and hissed at him.

"Oh, scary. Whatcha gonna do, ya mangy cat?" Laxus asked with a grin on his face.

"How could you!? How could you hurt one of your own guild mates!?" Natsu yelled, furious.

"I gave her a choice. She chose loyalty to the old man over her own safety. She knew exactly what she was getting herself into, knew she couldn't win, and she still came here. Girl's got spunk, I'll give her that." Laxus replied with an idle shrug of his shoulders.

Erza fixed her eyes on Rette. The others would be happy to hear that Rette had refused to betray the guild and Makarov, but would be furious to see the resulting state Laxus had put her in for it. Rette hadn't fought against the others, as they had. She had gone straight for the source, knowing full well she didn't stand a chance. All just so she could buy time for those who did stand a chance.

Erza knew what she had to do.

She left Natsu to deal with Laxus and to get Rette back, and went to deal with the Hall of Thunder. She would destroy them all in one hit. But the amount of magic energy it took to summon that many blades was too much for her. There were just too many of the things to bring down. It was then that she heard Warren's voice in her head, calling to all Fairy Tail mages in his range. Gray had found the man and explained to him what needed to be done.

"And Rette!? What about Rette!?" came Mira's voice.

"Did she really fight Laxus?" Wakaba asked.

"She did. I couldn't get close to her to see how she's doing but from what I could see...it's not great. She's badly beaten up." Erza replied.

"Oh no!" Mira cried.

"What the hell was she doing, fighting him?! She had to know she didn't stand a chance!" Macao exclaimed.

"That's exactly what she knew. Rette went there to buy time for those of us who did stand a chance against him. From what Laxus said, he gave her a choice; her safety or her loyalty to the guild. Rette never budged from her loyalty to us. Not even when it was another member of her guild who was far stronger than her that she was against. We owe her greatly." Erza replied.

Silence spread through the connection as each of them thought that through. Rette had actually fought for them when usually she acted like she couldn't care less. Whether she wanted to admit it out loud or not, she was a true part of the Fairy Tail family. But even with Rette's sacrifice, arguments erupted among the members, people fighting about their defeats at the hands of others. The whole guild was fighting amongst themselves. They would never accomplish anything at this point. If Laxus succeeded at one thing, it was tearing their guild apart. It would be hopeless at this point.

"Everyone, shut up! You're hurting my head."

Everyone knew that voice, despite sounding strained and cracking, and fell quiet instantly. Erza twisted around as footsteps sounded behind her.

"Rette!" she exclaimed as the girl, beat up and shaky looking, stepped up beside her, Thyme flying next to her.

Obviously, the little cat had set Rette free and had awoken her.

"That's enough with the arguing, everyone. Can't you see this is exactly what he was aiming for?" Rette asked, her eyes fixing on the orbs floating in the sky above them.

"Rette!" came the mixed exclamations of the others.

"Listen to me, everyone. I'm having a hard time focusing as it is. I can't do so if you're all talking at once." Rette said.

Everyone fell silent in respect for the girl.

"We don't have time for all this fighting. It's exactly what he wants. Laxus, like everyone else, knows that when Fairy Tail mages fight together, there's nothing that can stop them. Hasn't Fairy Tail proven this time and again?" Rette asked.

Silence stretched as they listened to her.

"I know I'm still new to the guild, and as far as socializing goes, I'm the weakest of the bunch. I don't understand a lot of things, especially not where the feelings of others are concerned, but what I do understand is the strength of this guild and the passion of it's members. I never wanted to be apart of a guild. The mere thought of being apart of one, made my stomach turn, but I can't, for a single moment, regret joining Fairy Tail. I've never felt as accepted and at home as I do with all of you." Rette admitted, her eyes drifting close as she fought to focus.

"Rette." Erza breathed, turning to the girl in surprise.

"And you're all just going to let this tear you apart!? That's not the Fairy Tail I know. Our town, our guild, our family, is in danger...and you all are arguing like a bunch of children. Grow up already. We're the only ones that can do this. I hurt, more than I've hurt in a long time, and my magic energy is running low. Despite that, I can't stand back and do nothing. When Laxus started this and threatened our guild and then the town, he declared a battle. If I have to, I'll do this myself." Rette said, taking a deep breath.

Erza watched in surprised as the girl's eyes opened, clear and focused, as if she was pushing back all her pain for the sake of the town.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I will not take this. If he wants a battle...I'll give him a war." Rette declared.

Silence met Rette's words as the others absorbed what she had said. Erza smiled, looking at the girl who, for once, had replaced her indifferent look for one of determination. A blue-purple magic circle formed around her. large crystals already forming in the air. Dozens upon dozens of them floated around her. Grins fell on the faces of several of the others. They could feel her determination from across the town. Rette might not understand a lot about others and how to interact with them, but she knew how to get her point across.

"So what's it gonna be guys?" Cana asked. "You heard the lady. You going to let a newbie show you up like that?"

"Let Rette do this all on her own after she already put her skin on the line to help us once today? You've got to be kidding." Wakaba added in.

"She might not understand stuff, but she understands Fairy Tail pride. That's more than enough for me." Gray added.

"We can settle our issues later." Max agreed.

"Good job, Rette. I'd say you understand enough." Macao told Rette, who blinked in surprise.

To Erza's amusement, Rette's cheeks turned a light pink for the first time in the time Erza had known her. Erza smiled at the girl, laughing lowly to herself.

"There's no need to blush for telling us your feelings, Rette." Erza said.

"I'm not blushing. And I wasn't sharing feelings. I was...just stating where I stand." Rette replied, laughs from the others ringing in her head, making the blush darken.

"Alright guys, are you ready to do this!?" Macoa called.

"But those things have Living Link magic. If we attack them, we're just going to get attacked right back. And it's going to hurt!" Happy said.

"I have that somewhat covered." Rette called. "Using my Conductor Crystals, I can absorb enough of the magic in them that it should spare all of you some of the pain. With how little magic energy I have left, that's about as much as I can do. I'm sorry."

"No, it's more than enough, Rette." Erza assured her.

Rette nodded, though she still felt like she was kind of letting them down.

"Than we'll just have to deal with the rest." Lucy said confidently.

"Seems I'm not the only one not willing to let go of what I consider mine." Rette remarked, turning to look at Erza. "I'm going to set up my crystals in the center of town."

Erza nodded and Rette, using her Sun Wings, flew into the air, heading for the top of the cathedral which was at the center of the town, her crystals following her. She landed lightly and scanned the town around her.

"I'll handle the two hundred in the north! Everyone else, concentrate on the southern side! Rette...when your ready." Erza called.

Rette looked around once more, focusing the last of her magic energy into the crystals. She would absorb as much of the lightning as she could.

"I'm ready. I'll absorb as much of it as I can." Rette declared.

"Don't leave a single one!" Gray yelled.

With that, everyone attacked. All in one go, the lacrima were destroyed, saving the town. Then came Rette's part. She could feel the power building up in the air before the lightning struck. Her crystals spread out, locating each member of Fairy Tail. When the Living Link magic kicked in, Rette used the last of her magic to absorb as much of the magic as possible, but even with that, her energy ran short and everyone received pretty bad hits. Even Rette was hit with an attack when one of her crystals near her over loaded and zapped her. She fell from her perch and would have hit the hard pavement below if not for Thyme, who caught her and sat her down gently.

Several lightning filled crystals came flying to her, falling into a pile beside her. She would have to worry about them later. She couldn't move anymore and she was fighting to stay conscious. Thyme sat next to her, soothing her hair out of her face.

"Is everybody alright?" Erza called. "Honestly...you people can be so reckless."

"You're not exactly...one to talk." Gray retorted.

"Haha...we really are...quite some guild, aren't we?" Erza asked.

"We'd be even better if Laxus wasn't at the rebellious age." someone added.

"Rette, you okay?" Gray called.

At first there was only silence and the others started to worry, but then Rette heaved a sigh.

"Truthfully, I've been better. What sucks, is I've been worse too. I'm afraid someone's going to have to come and get me. I can't move a single finger and I'm not sure Thyme can carry my dead weight all the way back." Rette said, groaning as she tried to move.

"What's that sound, Rette? A groan of pain?" Gray taunted.

"That's the sound of me considering punching Laxus in the neck." Rette retorted. "You too, if you're going to mock me."

Laughter rang through the connection, but Rette had been somewhat serious. She was going to have more bruises around her neck because of Laxus and that's wasn't okay. Nor was the trouble he had put them all through.

"You done us proud, Rette." Macao said.

"Ain't that right!" Wakaba agreed.

"You're a real manly girl, Rette." Elfman agreed.

"Keep that up and you'll make my head too big for my shoulders. I feel cockiness too you know." Rette replied.

She heaved a sigh, her eyes drifting up to the sky above. Her vision was becoming doubled as she fought to remain conscious.

"I'm about to pass out. Someone do me a favor when you can and find Thyme. Make sure she's alright." Rette said, before passing out.

Now it was up to Natsu.

END

Kyandi: I would punch him in the neck too.

Rette: You just had to throw in that reference, didn't you?

Kyandi: What can I say? I'm obsessed with those videos.

Rette: Not to mention that it fits how I felt at the time?

Kyandi: Huh? Oh...y-yeah. That too.

Rette: Why don't I believe you?

Kyandi: Because you're mistrustful!

Rette: That's beside the point.

Kyandi: Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back tomorrow, since it's one a.m. and we're tired.

Kyandi: Right. Bye-bye!


	16. Favor To Ask

Kyandi: Greetings everyone! Aren't you all glad I only sleep five hours?

Rette: That can't be good for brain function...Oh! Now I understand why you're so weird.

Kyandi: ...You know, you can't talk.

Rette: We've had this conversation before. Do you want another existential crisis?

Kyandi: I think I'm good.

Rette: Then shall we move on?

Kyandi: Right. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 16 Favor To Ask

Rette, to her displeasure, ended up sleeping through the big blow out battle with Laxus, Natsu, and Gajeel. When she finally woke up, she found herself in her own bed at home with Mira looking after her with the help of Cana. Rette wasn't quite sure how she felt about others being her house just yet, since most of the rooms were still only half furnished, but she was glad to see the two alright.

According to Levy, who stopped by to visit, Natsu and Gajeel actually managed to work together to bring Laxus down and it turned out that Laxus was a Lightning Dragon Slayer. They all had a brief scare in which they thought Makarov would die, but thanks to Porlyusica, he was going to live and they all had a really big scare when Laxus tried to use Fairy Law. Apparently, deep in his heart, Laxus really didn't want to hurt any of them.

Rette wasn't usually the one to do something like this, found it a little childish, but... **she so knew it!**

Rette wasn't allowed to leave her bed for the time being, but she got enough news from the others to stay up to date. The others, though, threw a blow out party in grateful celebration of Makarov being spared death's door. Something Rette was half glad to miss since crowds still weren't her thing.

"It looks like thanks to Porlyusica, his life is no longer in immediate danger." Erza announced. "Don't worry, the master's going to be just fine."

Cheers erupted all over the guild at Erza's announcement. Relief filled every member. Though a few members of the guild insisted that they knew Makarov wouldn't go out that easily.

"What about Rette?" Gray asked from his table.

Several others agreed, wanting to know how she was doing since she didn't really like having many people over to her house and only a few people had gotten to see her.

"Rette's exhausted all her magical energy and it'll take a while for that to return. Not to mention she took quite a beating from Laxus. She hasn't been able to get out of bed yet and will be stuck there for a while, but she should be fine. She's at home resting for the time being." Mira answered.

"Thank goodness." Lucy said.

"Don't worry about her. It'll take more than that to keep that girl down. She's surprisingly stubborn." Wakaba said confidently.

"I don't think I've ever heard her talk like that before, though. Hell, I've never heard her talk that much before." Macao remarked.

The others laughed, agreeing with the two. Rette didn't share much about her thoughts and feelings. For her to do so where the whole guild could hear her...it was surprising. All chatter stopped when Laxus walked in through the doors, wanting to see Makarov. Many of the members protested, not wanting to let him see Makarov, but fell silent when Erza told them to leave it. She told Laxus where he could find Makarov and let him pass.

But Natsu, despite how beat up he was, wasn't going to let it happen. Natsu got in front of Laxus, pointing a finger at him as he rambled off something that was muffled by his bandages. No one else in the guild understood what came out of his mouth. Only Gajeel seemed to understand what he was saying and repeated the challenge for the others. Laxus walked past Natsu, as if he hadn't heard a thing, but waved a hand over his shoulder to show he had heard and understood.

Laxus entered the infirmary, finding Makarov in the last bed. For a long moment, the two remained silent, Laxus leaning against the wall by the door.

"What a noisy rabble." Laxus remarked.

Makarov heaved a sigh, pushing himself up in bed. He turned to face Laxus, who was looking away from him.

"Laxus...do you understand what you have done here?" Makarov asked.

When Laxus didn't answer him or look at him, Makarov demanded he look him in the eye. Laxus turned to face him.

"You know what this guild is? It's a gathering place for comrades-in-arms. It's an agency for missions. To some kids who don't have any family, like Rette, it's even their home." Makarov said.

At the mention of Rette's name, Laxus shifted slightly. After finally coming to after his fight with Natsu and Gajeel, he knew what he had done to Rette wasn't right. She was simply being loyal to the guild. Something he hadn't been. His eyes shifted around the room, as if in search of the girl, but when he didn't see her in any of the beds, his eyes returned to Makarov.

"It does not belong to you. This guild was built upon the trust and honor of each individual member. And that is how we have formed stronger and firmer bonds than you'll find anywhere else. You have violated that honor and put your comrades' lives in danger. This is not a crime that I can forgive." Makarov told him.

"I understand. I just...wanted to make this guild...stronger." Laxus replied, looking down at his fist.

"Honestly...you really are a clumsy sort of man. Let some of that tension out of your shoulders, would you? If you do, you may just find yourself seeing things you've missed up until now. Hearing words that you never heard before. Life is to be enjoyed, you know." Makarov told him. "You know...watching you grow up was my reason for living. I didn't need you to be strong, or smart...All I wanted was for you to be happy. That was enough for me."

Laxus couldn't look at his grandfather and ended up staring at the floor. He knew what was coming next and though Makarov really didn't want to do it, he knew he had to.

"Laxus...you are hereby excommunicated from this guild." Makarov said.

"Right...thanks for everything...gramps." Laxus said, turning to leave the room. "You take care of yourself."

With that, Laxus left, as asked. Silence fell over the hall once more as Laxus walked back through it. He stopped in front of Erza and Mira, asking for one last thing. Erza didn't think it was a bright idea, but she knew it was up to the two involved to decide how it turned out.

So she agreed.

-0-0-0-0-

Laxus was...surprised to say the least.

The house before him was a modest place, somewhere he could imagine a family living. Wide, open windows, arched doorways, lots of space, lavender planted all around it, wind chimes chiming away happily from where they hung all over the place. It wasn't the kind of place he had expected **her** to live in. Especially with only one other living being living in the house.

Erza and Mira walked up to the door, knocking on it and waiting for an answer. The house was quiet for the most part and they waited in silence until Cana opened the door. She looked at Erza and Mira and then at Laxus. She raised an eyebrow at Erza, but Erza waved it off.

"He wants to talk to her. Is she awake?" Erza asked.

"Yeah." Cana confirmed.

She stepped out of the way, letting the three into the house. Laxus stepped inside, looking around at the simple, but homey house beyond, painted in hues of gold, white, and grey. Cana and Erza took him to the living room while Mira went upstairs to talk to the owner of the place. The furnishing were minimal, the color scheme in gold, purple, and silver. Across the hall was the kitchen. Laxus could see the kitchen table from where he stood, as well as the back porch that opened up beyond that.

Mira came back quickly and gave him a smile.

"Come on." she told him.

Erza and Cana remained down stairs and Laxus followed Mira upstairs. Pictures of the members of Fairy Tail, hung on the wall along the stair case. There was even one of him, leaning back in his chair, his feet proped up on a table. Mira lead him down a hall with four doors leading off of it and knocked on the door of the last, rear facing room. She stepped aside and left him to go in by himself. Laxus pushed open the door...and instantly got a house slipper to the face.

"Just how idiotic can you be? I've wondered before, but now I'm fully intrigued."

Laxus snatched the shoe of his face and peered across the gold and purple colored room. Even when injured...Rette had one hell of an arm. She was sitting propped up in her bed, bandages covering just about every bit of exposed skin he could see. Her hair was a mused mess about her head and tied back loosely with a gold ribbon, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked a little pale. Add in all of the bandages and the fact that her voice sounded scratchy and off and the girl looked a mess.

And he had done it all with his own hands.

Rette looked at him, meeting his eyes with an intense stare that had him looking away from her. When he looked away, she heaved a sigh and ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face.

"Even I could tell your heart wasn't in the fight. I didn't need a failed Fairy Law to tell me that." Rette muttered.

Laxus continued to stare at the floor. When he didn't say anything and didn't look at her, Rette tossed her blankets aside. She swung her feet off the bed and pushed herself, unsteadily, to her feet. Laxus turned wide eyes on her as she limped across the room towards him. When she reached him, she grabbed his collar and pulled him down to eye level. He didn't stop her, just stared at her when their faces were just mere inches apart.

"Look here, Laxus, I don't care that your Master's grandson. Whatever blood relations you have, don't matter one bit to me. That you got hung up on it, is childish and ridiculous." she told him, surprising him. "To me, you have now and always, been you...a very annoying man."

Though it sounded like an insult, Laxus understood what she was trying to say. She saw Laxus for who he was, not who he was related to. She had never looked at him as anything more than himself. She flicked his nose before releasing him and turning to limp back to her bed. She dropped to sit on the edge of the bed with a wince and looked back at him.

"Look, I can forgive a lot of things. The bruises around my neck, the beating you gave me, even the shock I got trying to absorb your magic after the Hall of Thunder had been broken. I can forgive that. I've never really been the type of person to hold grudges, but you really crossed the line with threatening the town and guild. Whether you meant it or not." Rette told him.

Laxus was sure she was going to get him back for what he had done. And he would deserve it. After all, he had taken it a bit too far and had given her quite the beating. But then Rette just shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm sure Master's already given you a scold and I'm a firm believer that hatred and violence will only breed more hatred and violence. I refuse to be a part of that cycle. Two wrongs don't make a right. But I also can't let you off with nothing. I have pride too, you know. So expect a punch in the future. I'm too sore right now to muster up any energy. With that, we can call it even."

Laxus stared at her in shock. A single punch? That was all she was going to give him after everything he did? Anyone else in the guild would have beaten him senseless. Or tried to, at least. Rette tilted her head to the side with she saw the shocked look on his face.

"Everyone makes mistakes. Even huge ones like this. Heavens know I've made plenty of them myself and I'm younger than you. I think you've learned your lesson and I'm willing to forgive you. At least for your treatment towards me. The rest isn't for me to say." she told him.

Laxus stared at her, unable to believe that she didn't hate him after the way he had treated her, but was more than happy to accept it. Rette gave him a nod, easing herself back onto her bed and into her pillows.

"You're really going to let it go at one punch?" Laxus asked.

Rette looked over at him as she swung her feet back up on the bed.

"If you really feel that you have to make up anything then the next time your in the area, bring me some dark chocolate. I love dark chocolate. We'll call it even then, because I don't think for a single moment, that we won't meet again." Rette told him. "You're too much of a stubborn and annoying man to leave me be for long."

Laxus stared in wonder at Rette, a smile curling his lips. She had fought him, knowing she would lose, had gotten back to her feet after he had beaten her, poured the last of her magic into saving the others, and had forgiven him with only so small of a price. She was something else. He found...he really liked her.

Spunk and all.

Laxus walked up to the bed, yanking his fur lined jacket from off his shoulders. He easily dropped the jacket over her head. Rette pulled it off her head, looking from it to him with a questioning look. He then reached out and lightly tugged free the gold ribbon she had tied her hair back with. Rette stared at him as he wrapped the ribbon around his hand.

"You hold onto that and I'll hold onto this. It'll give me more of a reason to come back soon." he told her.

Rette looked down at the jacket. When she looked up at him, he could swear he saw the tiniest of up lifts to the corners of her mouth.

"Don't expect this back if you leave it with me." she told him.

"I think I'll live. Just don't expect this ribbon back either, then."

With that Laxus turned to leave. Rette looked down at the jacket, fingers brushing over the fur trim and then looked up at his back as he headed for her door.

"Laxus."

Laxus turned around to look at her, meeting her magenta-lavender eyes. For a moment, she just stared at him, as if trying to figure out what to say. How did people do this? How did they express their feelings without being overly mushy? She didn't have the slightest clue. Then she heaved a sigh.

"Take care of yourself, you annoying man. And come back soon. I'm sure everyone will miss you. Annoying habits and all."

Laxus grinned at her. Despite the attempts at insulting him, he understood, now, that she didn't mean it. She just didn't know any other way. He could come to really like her. Shame he didn't figure it out until it was too late.

"Everyone?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah...everyone." Rette confirmed. "Now get lost, you big lug."

Rette waved a dismissing hand at him, turning her face from him. But that didn't stop Laxus from seeing the light pink blush that started to color her cheeks. Laxus chuckled to himself as he left. It was a screwed up kind of way to start a friendship, but Laxus had a feeling that Rette would be the kind of friend who would always be there. No matter what he or anyone, said or did. It made dealing with her indifferent tone and expression, a bit easier to deal with.

Just a little bit.

-0-0-0-0-

A week passed after that and Rette found herself, during that time, faced with new visitors who about drove her up the wall. After Laxus's departure from Magnolia and the guild, instead of just Mira and Cana hanging around to keep an eye on her...Rette found herself in the caring(not so gentle) hands of the Thunder Legion. They had showed up the day after Laxus had left and insisted that since Laxus had been the one to hurt her, they, as his loyal Thunder Legion, would be the ones to take care of her until she could do so herself.

Rette didn't have the heart to tell them no, but now...she wish she did.

Rette currently sat in a chair in her kitchen, Laxus' jacket draped around her shoulders, watching as Evergreen, with Bixlow putting in his own two jewels worth, failed at attempting to cook. Thyme, to escape the constant noise and awful cooking, had begun spending a lot of time with her fellow talking cat, Happy. But only after Rette had told her to. Now, Rette heaved a sigh.

"Tea?"

Rette looked up as Freed sat a tray on the table in front of her and poured her a cup of tea. About one of the only good things that came out of having the Thunder Legion in her house, was that Freed made an awesome cup of tea. He was also about the only one out of the three that could cook, but for some reason...he always left the cooking for Rette, to Evergreen and Bixlow.

Rette had started to wonder if he was trying to kill her.

"Thanks." Rette told him, accepting the cup from him. "You know, I can walk just fine, now. The three of you can go home."

"What are you talking about? We said we'd take care of you, so we will!" Bixlow said from where he stood beside Evergreen.

Beside him, Evergeen made an epp noise as the flame she was cooking over, suddenly flared up, completely roasting whatever she had been cooking. Rette heaved a sigh. In the week they had been "taking care" of her, Evergreen had burned through five of Rette's pans.

"Could you at least let me cook? You've burned through five of my pans and those aren't cheap, you know. Not the good ones." Rette said.

"I think I got it now." Evergreen said, only for the flame to flare up once more.

"How have the three of you survived this long?" Rette asked, face bland.

The three gave her sheepish looks. Rette drank her tea, watching them. She had figured out, pretty quickly what this was all about. It didn't take a genius to see what the three were up to. And they seemed to think that they could hide it from her.

"Laxus told you three to keep an eye out for me, didn't he?" Rette asked.

The three froze for a second, giving Rette her answer. It seemed the annoying man just got more annoying. Rette knew that had to be the case. It was all good and well if they wanted to stick around until she could walk on her own, but to stick around even after that? It could only be under orders from Laxus that they stayed.

"That man annoys me." Rette remarked. "If he wanted to make sure I recovered properly, he should have stuck around himself."

The three laughed, though Rette had been perfectly serious. Rette sat her teacup aside with a sigh. She looked up at the three.

"I want to go to the guild hall today." she said, pushing herself up from her chair.

"You can't! You're still healing." Freed insisted.

"I do have to make a living, you know. It's not like I'm going to take a job. I can at least wipe down a couple of tables and help man the bar." Rette told them.

"You need to be resting." Freed insisted as Rette left the kitchen and headed for the front hall, where her shoes awaited her.

"Uh-huh." Rette replied, obviously not listening.

"Rette!" Freed said sternly.

"I've done enough resting. If I lay around anymore, I'll grow stiff. If you're so worried, then come to the guild hall with me and keep an eye on me. I promise I'm not going to do anything to hurt myself. And the three of you need to get reacquainted with the others." Rette told him, bending over to grab her shoes.

She was already stiff, and still really sore, but she managed to get her shoes on herself. Since the fight with Laxus, Rette had been wearing the loosest pieces of clothing she had. Today's choice was a halter style, white and gold sundress. She still wore her gloves, refused to let anyone take them off, as well as the choker and charm around her neck. Since all she had were boots, and her battered legs didn't want to comply with boots, Mira had brought her a pair of sandals. Which she slid on now.

Without another word to the three with her, Rette headed for the guild hall. The long, stairway path that lead down from her house on the cliff, to the guild hall below, was rough on her body, but she made it without a complaint. Getting back up the stairs would be the hard part. Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow followed her into the guildhall, still complaining that she should be resting. Rette ignored them and went to the bar.

At the bar, Natsu was having the same argument with Makarov that Erza said he had been having for the last week. Rette instantly ducked behind the bar, escaping the Thunder Legion. For the moment. Mira looked at her once she was behind the bar.

"Oh Rette! Shouldn't you be at home, resting?" Mira asked.

"Home has become...a little hard to handle." Rette replied, her eyes going to Freed and his two companions.

Mira laughed softly to herself as she looked towards the Thunder Legion as they mingled with others but kept a close eye on Rette. Rette turned towards Mira then.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you and Erza." Rette said.

Mira looked up at Rette in surprise. Rette rarely sought out others to talk to. Whatever it was, it had to be important to Rette.

"What is it?" Mira asked.

"I would like it if you would teach me Take Over magic."

Mira stared in shock at Rette. Take Over magic wasn't easy. It was an advanced type of Transformation magic and if a person wasn't sound enough, mentally, than it could end up with the person losing control. As Elfman had done in the past.

"Rette..."

"My fight with Laxus showed me that I'm not strong enough to protect what's mine on my own, Mira. And I don't like that." Rette said, cutting Mira off. "I need to get stronger and I think, if I can learn Take Over magic and combine it with one of the magic types I already have, it might help."

Mira stared at Rette. From the set of Rette's face, she was determined to do this at any cost. She had seen how weak she was compared to someone like Laxus. In a time of need for the guild, Rette wanted to be strong enough to really help...not just stall. She was willing to do what she had to, to catch up in the regard of power.

"Rette, Take Over magic can be dangerous." Mira told her.

"I know. I heard the story of what happened to your little sister, and I'm sorry about that. But I've already lost a lot of what is mine in the past, Mira. I don't want to do that again. And how am I to protect that if I'm not stronger?" Rette argued.

Mira didn't know what to say. Rette was dead set, determined to do it no matter what. With that kind of resolve, how could Mira say no? She heaved a sigh and agreed. She was rewarded with the small curl of Rette's lips. It could barely be considered a smile, but to see it, made Mira smile in return. Erza approached the bar then, looking between the two.

"Rette, shouldn't you be resting?" Erza asked.

"I've been asked that more times today than I want to count." Rette muttered.

Mira covered a laugh with one hand as she turned to see to a couple of men sitting at the bar. Rette turned to face Erza over the bar.

"I was going a little stir crazy at home. I know that Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow mean well, but they won't let me do anything for myself, and only Freed can cook. Which he won't do for some reason. I'm about to starve at home." Rette told Erza, much to the red head's amusement.

"Well, as long as you aren't pushing yourself." Erza replied.

"I'm not. But I did want to as a favor of you."

Erza raised an eyebrow at Rette. She was intrigued to hear what it was that Rette wanted from her.

"When my injuries heal...would you teach me to use a sword?"

Well that was a shock. Erza had pictured a lot of things Rette could of asked her for, but that hadn't been one of them. She hadn't pictured Rette as a sword person, but her expression was determined.

"Sure. Why the sudden interest?" Erza asked, easing herself onto a stool.

"Once my magic energy is depleted, I'm useless. I have next no physical strength or weapon skills. I can use daggers, but that's about it. I've always relied on my magical abilities and even those are subpar." Rette replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"They're not subpar, Rette. You're a talented mage. Only a very rare few could manage the type of magic you use." Erza told her.

"I just know how to delicately handle what abilities I do have. That's all. As far as actual power goes...well you saw what Laxus did to me. I had my butt handed to me on a silver platter." Rette retorted bluntly.

"Laxus is an S-class mage, Rette. He's nothing but raw power and he doesn't have your ingenuity. A normal mage wouldn't have lasted as long against him as you did." Erza assured her.

"I wonder about that." Rette remarked lowly, her eyes shifting away from Ezra.

Erza eyed her. Though Rette had helped them, time and again, she felt inferior to the others. Erza knew what it was like to feel weak compare to others. She knew that Rette just wanted to feel like she stood a chance protecting what was dearest to her.

"I'll teach you, but you had better keep up." Erza told her sternly.

Rette gave her a curt nod. With a new form of magic under her belt, as well as proper sword skills, Rette felt she could be more confident in a fight.

Now it was just getting her injuries to heal.

-0-0-0-0-

Over the next couple of days, Rette insisted on going back to work at the guild hall. As she shed her bandages one after the other, she was able to, finally, force the the members of the Thunder Legion to focus on their own work instead of her. When it no longer hurt for her to move around excessively, Mira and Erza began their training of her.

In Rette's personal opinion, learning Take Over magic was easier than learning to wield a sword. Mostly that was because Rette didn't have the strength that Erza did, so all of Erza's swords were extraordinarily heavy for her. Erza insisted that if Rette could learn to wield one of her swords with ease, than she could wield just about any blade, so Rette didn't complain.

Too awfully much, that is.

Take Over magic, though, was no walk in the park either. Rette had to log some serious man hours of hard work with it. Thyme thought it was interesting and played spectator for Rette's training sessions. There was even one time that Rette glanced over at the cat to find her munching away on a bowl of fish flavored popcorn.

Which was as disgusting as it sounded.

Rette knew.

She had tried it.

By the time Rette was cleared to go back to taking jobs, she felt that she, at least, had a good grasp on sword play. Her Take Over magic still needed a lot of work, though, to Mira's surprise, Rette was most comfortable using the same Take Over magic as her. Rette had tried Animal Soul and Beast Soul, but neither really felt right to her. But Satan Soul seemed to fit her just fine. It made Mira give her a worried look, but Rette just wrote it off. What did it matter if she had another form of magic to fall back on?

It wasn't like she cared what it said about her as a person.

If Mira, the sweetest person she knew, used Satan Soul, then it couldn't say anything too bad.

Rette had to put her Take Over training on hold when Lucy, who needed make that month's rent, took a job and the whole team went. Rette ended up as a waitresses at a diner called 8Island and ended up dressed in a barely able to contain her, uniform. It wasn't a big deal to Rette, who usually wore the bare minimal in the clothing department. And, to be honest, it wasn't different from her work at the guild hall either. Lucy wasn't too happy about it, not seeing how it was a mage's work, Natsu ate the customers' food, and Gray walked around in his underwear and a bow tie.

The last one had Rette shaking slightly as she fought to repress her laughter.

Erza, though, took to the job like a fish took to water. She approached her customers with a seductive smile that had them blushing and completely at her whim. Gray, Rette, and Lucy stood and watched her for a moment before Rette shook her head and went back to work. How Erza could find the self confidence to pull that off, was beyond Rette, because she sure as hell couldn't.

At the end of the day, Rette was glad to be done and back in her normal clothes.

"Good work out there, everyone!" Yajima, the owner, said. "You young 'uns these days sure are hard workers, eh? There'll always be a position for you here!"

"Thank you. Today was an educational experience." Erza, who had yet to change out of her uniform, said.

"Not for me. I do this all the time when I'm home." Rette replied.

"Yeah. Now I know how you and Mira feel." Gray retorted.

"We make it look easy, don't we?" Rette asked.

Gray could swear he heard smugness in her tone, but when he looked at her face, it was it's normal bland, aloof look. Maybe he was hearing things. Then she let out a small, barely there, almost snort-like laugh and Gray knew he hadn't been hearing things.

"By the way, Mr. Yajima...How did things go at the Council?" Erza asked.

"Oh, well...I'm not a member anymore, you know." Yajmia replied.

"The Council!?" Natsu and Gray exclaimed in fear.

"Didn't you guys know? Mr. Yajima used to be one of the councilors." Lucy told them.

"Talk about being oblivious." Rette remarked.

"We don't want to hear that from you!" Natsu and Gray snapped.

Rette shrugged it off and ignored that. She was well aware that sometimes she could be a little too oblivious to things around her. At least she was aware of it.

"When that Jellal and Urtear betrayed us...well, it was a historic failure on our parts, you see...I heard right now, they're all very busy laying the groundwork for setting up a whole new magic council." Yajima said.

"Oh yes, because we can't live without one." Rette said sarcastically.

Yajima chuckled lowly at her. For some reason, her not-so-sarcastic-sounding, sarcastic remarks, amused the old man. Rette just went with it. Who was she to keep someone from finding amusement in something?

"We caused you kids a whole lot of trouble too, didn't we? I must apologize." Yajima said, scratching his head.

"Oh, no...I heard that you in particular were against the firing of the Aetherion to the very end. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Erza told him.

"Nah, I just don't think I'm cut out for politics, anyways. Cooking is so much more fun!" Yajima said.

"That makes two of us, Mr. Yajima." Rette said with a respectful bow of her head.

Yajima smiled at her before turning to Natsu and Gray.

"By the way, Natsu, Gray...A lot of things are going to be changing at the council. Without me around, there won't be anybody to stand up for Fairy Tail when they get into trouble anymore. So I'd suggest you keep that in mind." he told the two.

"Absolutely!" the two agreed quickly.

"It seems the Magic Council is one of the sure fire ways to get to those two." Rette remarked.

Erza and Lucy laughed, agreeing completely with Rette in that case.

"Rette."

Rette turned to look at Yajima when he called her.

"I've heard that, recently, you've gained a lot of fame as the world's first Nexus Mage." Yajima said.

Rette reached up and scratched one cheek. She still wasn't sure what to think about that. Weekly Sorcerer had approached her about doing a photo shoot along with Mira. Mira had insisted that it would be fun for them to do it together and Rette had taken the offer. A few days later, the photos appeared in the magazine and Rette's fame went up once more.

At least she was getting over her issues with cameras and having her picture taken.

"I still do not understand what's so intriguing about it." Rette remarked, making the old man chuckle at her.

Then he turned serious as he fixed her with a firm stare.

"About that information you asked of me...I'm afraid I can't find anything pertaining to it." Yajima told her.

Erza, Natsu, and the others turned to look at Rette as she waved a hand in front of her face.

"No, it's alright, Mr. Yajima. I didn't really think you would find anything. But thank you for looking for me." Rette told him.

Yajima nodded and apologized. Rette waved it off, just grateful that he had looked into it for her at all. After saying their farewells to Yajima, they left. The others, too curious to let it go, turned to Rette as they headed home.

"What was that about, Rette?" Gray asked.

"It's nothing. I just asked him to look into a matter for me." Rette told them.

The five of them stared at her with intense looks that said they weren't going to let it go. Rette glanced at Thyme, who looked away, as if to say that she was going to have no part in this. Rette heaved a sigh.

"Really, it's nothing. I'd tell you if it was." Rette assured them.

None of them looked convinced, but they didn't have much choice but to have faith in Rette. It wasn't like the girl was going to tell them anything until she was good and ready to. They dropped the subject.

For now.

A few days later, Rette walked into the guild hall to find a large diagram draw in the air with a magical pen. Rette came to a stop next to Mira to look up at it.

"What exactly is this?" Lucy asked, voicing the question in Rette's head.

"We've come up with an organization chart of the dark guilds." Mira replied.

"Why, exactly?" Rette asked.

"They seem to be awfully active recently. So I think we need to work on strengthening inter-guild relations." Mira replied.

"Inter-guild relations? I though most guilds don't get along or are extremely competitive." Rette remarked.

"In some cases, that's true. Which is why we need to strengthen those relations we do have." Mira explained.

Rette nodded and turned her attention back to the chart in front of her, looking at all of the guilds laid out in front of her eyes.

"What's that big circle for?" Elfman asked, meaning the large circle in the center of the chart that held three guilds within it.

"Ah, Juvia knows that. That's the most powerful force amongst all the dark guilds." Juvia said.

"The Balam Alliance. I've heard of it." Rette remarked.

Her hands went to her hips as she tilted her head to one side. On her shoulder, Thyme copied the action, the two staring at the chart.

"The Balam Alliance is a massive force made up of three individual guilds. The best of the worst, I suppose you could say. Each of these three have a number of lesser guilds under their control. They basically keep the underworld in check. Well...all but Raven Tail, that is." Rette remarked.

"Ahh! Eisenwald!" Lucy exclaimed, finding the name on the chart.

"That's right...that's the guild Erigor belonged to." Erza remarked.

"So that guild was under the control of these, "Oracion Seis"." Gray said, following the link between the two guilds with his eyes.

"So was Ghoul Spirit, the dark guild the Thunder Legion annihilated." Elfman pointed out.

"All those guilds that Juvia and Gajeel destroyed when we were part of Phantom were under the Oracion Sies, as well!" Juvia said with a smile.

"Don't say that stuff with a smile." Gray told her.

Lucy shivered, hoping out loud that Oracion Sies wasn't mad at them for all of that. Many of the other members listening in, joked that it wouldn't matter since there was only six members in the guild. Rette glanced at them before fixing her eyes back on the chart.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you. That "tiny guild of six" you're laughing about, supports a third of the underworld. There may only be six of them, but they truly are the worst of the worst. Just one of them...could annihilate a squad of Holy Knight without breaking a sweat. They're nothing to laugh at." Rette said.

Many of the others grew dead silent, their faces draining of color.

"How do you know so much about them, Rette?" Gray asked.

Rette shifted uncomfortably, reaching up to rub the back of her neck as her head bowed. Whatever the reason, it made her ashamed.

"Um...my biological father...was a dark mage." she said lowly.

Several pairs of eyes turned on Rette, who hunched her shoulders up under the intensity of their stares. She was horribly ashamed of what her father had been and what he had done. It had been the reason she had run away in the first place. Well...one of the reasons.

"That's what you meant when you said he did a lot of things you couldn't agree with?" Lucy asked.

"I'm ashamed of him. Always have been." Rette said.

Mira laid a hand on Rette's shoulder, making her look up at her. Mira offered her a smile when Rette's eyes landed on her face.

"Whatever he may or may not have been, **you** are a member of Fairy Tail. It doesn't matter." Mira told her, the others agreeing with her.

Rette gave her a grateful nod and turned her attention back to the chart.

"The point is, because of him, I'm always keeping my eyes on the dark guilds. And as you know, several dark guilds came after me before I joined Fairy Tail." Rette explained. "Since Oracion Sies is one of the strongest, I definitely keep an ear out for any information on them."

That made sense. Rette didn't want to be trapped by her father or his world, so she kept an ear out for any movement from them. It was probably what had saved her many times in the past.

"About those Oracion Sies," Everyone turned when Makarov's voice sounded from behind them. "We're going to take them down."

Everyone was shocked by Makarov's words. Well...almost everyone.

"Oh! Welcome back, Master!" Mira greeted.

"You have a way with entrances, Master." Rette added.

"What kind of reactions are those!?" Lucy asked.

Rette waved it off. She took great pains not to act like others. Who wanted to be one out of a million when they could be one of a kind? No one, that's who.

"So, Master...what exactly is this about?" Erza asked.

"At the regular meeting a few days ago, the Oracion Sies came up on the agenda. Seems they're up to something. It was decided that this development cannot be ignored, and so a guild must be sent to eliminate them." Makarov remarked.

"And let me guess...we drew the short stick." Rette guessed.

"Fairy Tail is taking up the responsibility?" Juvia gasped.

"Not quite...the enemy, as Rette said, is simply too large for that. If we went alone, then we would eventually end up as the sole targets of the Balam Alliance's wrath. As such, we're going to be forming an alliance of our own." Makarov explained.

"An alliance of our own?" Rette repeated thoughtfully.

"Fairy Tail. Blue Pegasus. Lamia Scale. Cait Shelter. Each of these guilds is to select a number of members, and those members will join forces to defeat the enemy." Makarov told them.

Complaints rose from a few members of the guild. The loudest of which, was Natsu. Rette heaved a sigh, the sharp sound cutting several people off and making them turn to her.

"Master is thinking about the long-term consequences, here. Six they may be in number, but unusually strong they are in power. I told you, already...they're nothing to laugh at." Rette said, spreading her arms in an instinctive gesture.

"I am glad you understand that, Rette," Makarov said, making Rette turn to look at him. "because you're going to be one of those going."

Rette's eyes went wide.

Wait...

What...

 **WHAT!?**

Someone shoot her now.

END

Kyandi: I probably would have passed out.

Rette: Sorry, but I don't do that.

Kyandi: You do complain though.

Rette: Everyone complains some times.

Kyandi: Very true. Well I have errands to do today, so everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	17. Uncomfortable and Uneasy

Kyandi: Hello everyone. I'm back!

Rette: She took a bit with this chapter because she couldn't decide where to cut off for the end of the chapter.

Kyandi: It ended up being a little on the long side. Though to be honest, it's a little shorter than the last chapter.

Rette: I'm sure no one will complain about that.

Kyandi: Probably not.

Rette: Should we get started?

Kyandi: Yes. I've been awake for almost forty-eight hours and am ready to go to bed. So everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 17 Uncomfortable and Uneasy

"I should have kept my mouth shut."

Rette had been grumbling to herself the whole ride, her face pale and her stomach uneasy. Then again...that could be from the bouncing and swaying of the cart they were riding in.

"I don't belong here." Rette added.

"You!? What about **me**!? Why the heck am **I** included in this grand strategy!?" Lucy asked.

"I think this is a pain as well, so don't you two start complaining." Gray remarked.

"I never stopped complaining from the start." Rette growled in a rare show of annoyance.

"This is the Master's decision. Do we not have a duty to live up to his expectations?" Erza asked.

"If I say no, will you hit me?" Rette asked.

Erza shot her a stern look. Rette took that to mean, yes, she would hit her for saying that. Rette heaved a sigh and let her head drop back against the back of the seat she was sitting in. She felt sick to her stomach, was on a job she really didn't want, and was now being told she should feel honored.

Rette called bull crap on the whole thing.

"But what about Gajeel and Juvia!? They'd be much better suited for a battle like this!" Lucy complained.

"They're both busy with other work, though." Happy said.

"In the end, its just the same group as always." Rette remarked.

"Surely that's a good thing? This is our first strategy meeting with the delegates from the other guilds. It's important that we have good relations within our own delegation." Erza said.

"As long as we get there soon and I can get my feet back on steady ground." Rette retorted, Thyme stroking her hair from her usual perch on Rette's shoulder.

"Wait...Rette, do you get motion sick!?" Gray asked, in shock as he turned to look at her.

"Oh, shut up. Natsu gets motion sick too." Rette retorted.

"Yeah, but Natsu's just Natsu." Gray said.

"Everyone is allowed their weaknesses, Gray. At least I handle mine better than him." Rette told him, shooting him a look to shut up already.

Thankfully, Happy, who had been leaning out the window, suddenly declared that they had arrived. Rette was glad to be out of the cart and took a moment, once her feet were back on solid ground, to draw deep breaths in through her nose, calming her stomach. Their meeting place, was a large, guady mansion with hearts as a main feature. The whole thing made Rette seriously wonder about the mental state of the person who owned it. They went inside, looking around the place.

Thyme remained perched on Rette's shoulder, which was left bare by the cropped off, black, strapless top she was wearing. While Rette looked one direction, Thyme looked the other, the two trading off as they walked down a carpet walk way set in the middle of the grand, front hall.

"I don't know about this place." Lucy remarked.

"It's a villa belonging to Master Bob of Blue Pegasus." Erza said.

"Is that the guild master who wears what looks like boxers, all the time?" Rette asked.

"If that's what you want to remember him for, then yes." Erza replied.

Well that explained the taste in the mansion. Just then, a spot light flicked on at the end of the hall, highlighting three people.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Fairy Tail...it is a pleasure to finally meet you." one of the said. "We are the delegation from Blue Pegasus...The Trimens."

"The what, now?" Rette asked, lowly.

The three introduced themselves as Hundred Night Hibiki, Holy Night Eve, and Empty Night Ren. Which, in Rette's opinion, was a little ridiculous. But, then again, she was called the Nexus Mage, so who was she to bash on nicknames? Lucy made a comment about how the three were cool, unlike the guys they had brought with them. Rette didn't agree, but nor did she disagree. Hibiki, Eve, and Ren instantly surrounded Erza, Lucy, and Rette, ushering them to a couch.

Rette didn't know what the hell was going on.

"You are every bit as beautiful as the rumors say." Hibiki told Erza.

"A pleasure to meet you, Titania." Eve added.

"Please, step this way." Ren insisted.

Erza went with them easily, taking a seat and being offered drinks and other things by Hibiki and Eve. Lucy went a little more reluctantly and Rette was completely freaked. She didn't handle crowds well and she certainly didn't handle things like this at all.

"A lady as pretty as you, should rest her feet." Hibiki told Rette. "And what a lovely kitty."

"You have such lovely eyes." Eve added looking between Rette's magenta-lavender eyes and Thyme's blue-purple ones.

"Please have a seat." Ren insisted.

Thyme ate up the attention, her tail curling happily at the compliments paid her. Rette, on the other hand, turned a pleading look on Gray, silently asking for his help.

Gray did nothing to help her and Rette was soon ushered into a seat beside Erza. What was she suppose to do with all this attention and praise? **What the hell was she suppose to do!?** No one in her life had prepared her for this. Her adoptive mother certainly hadn't. Then again, Rette had been eleven when she had last seen her adoptive parents. She doubted her mother had considered boys in Rette's life at that point. She had been too young. Because of that, Rette was at a loss for how to deal with this.

"Now...you must be tired from your long journey. Let us spend this night of rest together...forever~!" Hibiki said, Eve and Ren joining him to sing the last word.

Was it too late for Rette to run for the hills?

"My friends...I think that is quite enough of that, yes?"

A fourth voice suddenly joined in, drifting to them from the top of a flight of stairs. It was sickly sweet and had a weird look falling on Erza's face. They turned towards the stairs.

"Wh...what the? What is that sickly sweet voice?" Lucy asked.

"Mr. Ichiya." Ren said, simply.

"Ichiya?" Erza asked.

"It has been a while, my dear Erza." came that sickly sweet voice again.

"T...to think that **you** would be participating." Erza said.

Rette took the moment of shifted attention, to move away from the couch. She wrapped her arms around her middle as she moved towards Gray and Natsu. The man Ren called Ichiya, turned out to be a small man with a big personality, who seemed to think that Erza was his girlfriend. Which seemed to freak out Erza more than Hibiki, Ren, and Eve's attention freaked Rette out. Rette knew she couldn't count on Erza to show her how to handle guys.

The interaction between Ichiya and the other three members of Blue Pegasus, was entertaining though. The three younger member never used the same title for Ichiya. One moment they called him Mr. and the next they called him Boss, or Big Brother, or something else. They were consistently inconsistent. What really freaked Rette out was that Ichiya made it a point to sniff both her and Lucy before announcing that they both had a wonderful perfume.

Which was his annoying way of saying they smelled good.

"Is that lavender?" Ichiya asked when sniffing Rette.

Rette felt a chill run down her spine. She turned a look on Erza, whose shoulders sagged almost as if in defeat.

"I'm sorry...I have trouble dealing with him as well." Erza told her.

Meaning Rette could not count on Erza to rein in the situation.

Great.

"Insufferable dandies of Blue Pegasus. Could I trouble you to keep those hands of yours off our lovely ladies here?" Gray asked.

Something Rette never thought to hear come out of Gray's mouth. But she was happy with any help he offered.

"Oh, you men can just run off home." Ichiya said, the other three bowing as in farewell.

"Whoa, whoa! Are you Pegasus punks tryin' to pick a fight, sending over this bunch of womanising creeps?" Gray asked.

"Are you sure you want to try?" Ren asked.

"We are powerful mages, you know." Eve added.

"A fight!? Alright! I'm in!" Natsu declared, as if finally coming back to life after the ride in the cart.

Rette recovered faster than him and even she didn't have that kind of energy. Erza tried to step in to stop the fight, but Ichiya's insistent sniffing of her, creeped her out too much. She ended up punching Ichiya. Rette ducked as he flew towards her, letting him fly over her head to fly right at the two people just coming in through the door. The first of the two, held up a hand, stopping Ichiya's flight path and freezing the man's head. Rette turned when Gray's eyes widened and saw why, pretty quickly.

"Interesting manner of greeting us you have there. Would you be the delegates from Fairy Tail?"

Standing there in the doorway, was none other than Lyon. Both he and Gray were surprised to see each other. Natsu was just surprised to see that Lyon had actually gone and joined a guild. Lyon hmphed and threw Ichiya back. Once again, Rette, who stood the closest to the door, ducked to let the man fly back over her head. Gray and Lucy dodged him as Ichiya hit the floor where they were standing.

"What are you playing at!?" Gray asked Lyon.

"Well, you did it to me first, right?" Lyon replied.

Rette saw that he still had his...delightful personality.

"What do you all think you are doing to our boss!?" Ren asked.

"It's terrible!" Eve agreed.

"Could all of you men perhaps just leave?" Hibiki added.

Apparently, the three had something against other men, but seemed to be just fine with each other. Was Rette the only one there that saw just how messed up everything was already? To make things worse, the person with Lyon, was Cherie, one of his minions from Galuna Island who went on and on about love. She turned the carpet into one of her dolls and attacked Lucy. Maybe, perhaps, because Lucy had been the one to defeat her on the island? Rette wasn't sure. She had moved off to the side of the door, by then, and was watcing the confrontation from a distance, Thyme sitting on her shoulder.

It looked like a full out battle was about to start. This was one of the reasons why Rette hadn't wanted to go on this mission.

"Enough!"

The sudden voice, was loud, deep, and boomed throughout the room with ease. The man that entered, was large, carried a staff, and had a commanding presence that instantly called a stop to the fighting going on. Rette was considerably impressed since the only two people she had seen put a stop to a fight that easily, had been Makarov and Erza.

"We are here to form an alliance and defeat the Oracion Seis. This is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves." he insisted.

"Jura." Lyon said softly.

"This man is...the ace of Lamia...Iron Rock Jura." Ren remarked.

"Who?" Natsu demanded.

"He's one of the Ten Great Holy Mages, like Master, Natsu. Even I know that." Rette told him.

"Five fairies, and four pegasi, I see...but three of us will be quite sufficient." Cherie taunted.

Some people just couldn't keep from picking a fight, could they? Rette found herself thinking that as she watched Lucy and Cherie glare at each other. Good relations between guilds, huh? This didn't look like good relations.

"Three of the guilds are now assembled. All that remains is the delegation from Cait Shelter." Jura remarked.

"You say "delegation"...but from what I hear, they are only sending a single mage!" Ichiya replied.

"A single mage!? Those assholes are only gonna give us one mage to help out in this stupidly dangerous mission!?" Gray snapped.

"W...wait...don't tell me it's going to be some stupidly powerful person!?" Lucy added.

In Rette's opinion, they already had stupidly powerful people among them. But that was just her opinion. Rette's attention shifted from the conversation as some walked through the door to her right. A little girl hurried past Rette, only to trip over nothing, landing face first on the carpet with a little cry that drew all attention to her. Rette hurried forward, taking hold of the girl's arms to help heave her to her feet.

"Thank you!" she told Rette, once Rette sat her on her feet.

Rette gave her a nod and stepped back as the little girl dusted her dress off and faced the others. Rette could sense a deep magical power in Wendy that wasn't so uncommon from Natsu's and Gajeel's. Rette had a pretty good idea on what that meant, but she didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry I'm so late. I'm here from Cait Shelter. My name is Wendy. Pleased to be working with you all!" Wendy said in greeting.

Shock rung out from the others, but Rette's eyes narrowed, her head tilting to the side as she looked at the girl. Only Jura seemed not to bat an eyelash and continued on with the meeting.

"All the guilds are now assembled." Jura announced.

"Whoa, whoa, hold it!" Gray told him.

"An offensive endeavor of this scale, and they send us a single child...? What do Cait Shelter think they are playing at?" Cherie asked.

"Appearances can be deceiving. You never know the great power one might hold until they use it. I believe we'll be surprised." Rette remarked, her eyes still fixed on Wendy. "Alone, she may be, but that does not mean a thing."

"Alone? I think not."

Wendy whipped around as a small, white cat, dressed in a fancy little dress and with a bow tied on her tail, came towards them. Thyme perked up, her ears standing up straight.

"Carla! You followed me here!?" Wendy asked.

"But of course. I would worry to no end if you were to go off alone." the cat, Carla, said.

Happy was seeing hearts when he looked at Carla. A reaction Thyme was happy he had never had with her. Carla, though, turned her nose up at Happy. Thyme hopped from Rette's shoulder and trotted over to Carla. When she stood in front of her, Thyme bowed in greeting and held out a paw.

"Her name is Thyme. She doesn't speak much, but she says she pleased to meet you, Carla." Rette explained.

Everyone, but Rette's guild mates looked at Rette in surprise. Rette's guild mates knew that Rette and Thyme had that kind of connection. It was almost as if cat and girl could read each other's thoughts. Thyme never had to say a word if Rette was around. Carla looked at Rette and then at Thyme. She took Thyme extended paw and gave it a shake. Thyme smiled at her and turned to return to Rette's shoulder, wrapping her long tail around Rette's neck the moment she was settled.

"U...um...I...I can't actually fight at all, but...I know lots of support magic that should be useful to you all. So please don't leave me out completely!" Wendy cried.

"Honestly...it's that timidity of yours that makes people look down on you!" Carla scolded.

"You'll be just fine, Wendy. Have a little confidence." Rette told Wendy as she walked up to the little girl.

Rette pat her head, making Wendy give her a grateful smile. Rette's eyes as she looked down at Wendy, though, were still calculating. As if she saw or felt something that the others didn't.

"Rette, here, is right. My apologies...we were a little taken aback, but I'm sure nobody meant you any insult. We look forward to working with you, Wendy." Erza told Wendy.

"Wo-w...It's Erza...it's really her, Carla!" Wendy said excitedly. "And you're Fairy Tail's Nexus Mage, Rette Starrilia, right?"

Rette scratched one cheek, unsure how to take that. Cait Shelter was suppose to be a remote guild, located out in the wilderness, away from big towns. That one of it's members knew of her, meant that rumors about Rette were reaching far and wide. It was a bit embarrassing.

"They are more agreeable than I had expected." Carla remarked.

"I **think** that's a compliment." Rette muttered.

Happy tried to talk to Carla, but she simply turned her face from him. Happy mistook it as shyness. Rette and Thyme shared a look, but neither said a word. They didn't want to crush the poor guy's feelings. Eve and Ren, on the other hand, made comments about how cute Wendy was and how she would be a beauty when she grew up, while Hibiki made his move. Soon all three had moved in on Wendy, making the girl uncomfortable. Rette heaved a sigh and went to her rescue, while Natsu tried to place where he had heard Wendy's name before.

"Could you three at least reframe from charming a little girl? Your energies would be better spent on women your own age, or, better yet...the mission we are on." Rette said in her usual indifferent tone, taking Wendy's hand and pulling the girl away from them.

"You are so right, Miss Rette. You're so smart!" Eve said in praise.

"And beautiful." Hibiki agreed.

"We should go out sometime." Ren added.

"I didn't mean turn your attention to me! I'm taken." Rette told them, turning to usher Wendy away from them.

So it was a bit of a lie to say she was taken, but if it did anything to keep them from flirting with her, than she would lie. Wendy gave her a grateful smile though, that completely made up for it.

"You would do best to stay over here and away from the strange, flirting men." Rette told Wendy lowly.

"I agree with her." Carla told Wendy.

Wendy nodded in agreement and remained at Rette's side, as if Rette would protect her from Hibiki, Ren, and Eve. If nothing else, Rette could always fly the both of them out of there with her Sun Wings. She just hoped it didn't come down to that.

"Now, then...since everyone has finally arrived, I shall proceed to the explanation of our strategy!" Ichiya announced. "...But first, I must visit the perfume of the lavatory."

Rette had to wonder if it was just all Blue Pegasus members that were like that, or just their men. Apparently their men, at least, had...unique quirks. They all waited for Ichiya to return. When he did return, Rette's eyebrows snapped down. Something...wasn't right. Something about the magic energies around her had changed. Thyme obviously smelled it too, for she shifted on her perch. Rette couldn't, for the life of her, pin point what the change was, or where it was coming from, but something was off.

"Are you alright, Rette?" Erza asked, seeing the look on her face.

"I'm fine. It's...nothing." Rette said.

Until she could figure out what the change was, she couldn't really explain to Erza what was bothering her. So she remained quiet and listened to Ichiya as he started.

"North of our current location lies the Warth Woodlands. It is there that a mighty magic was sealed away in ancient times. It's name..."Nirvana"." Ichiya told them.

"Nirvana? Have you heard of it, Rette?" Lucy asked, turning to Rette since Rette had traveled all over Fiore before joining Fairy Tail.

"I've come across it a time or two, but more in name than anything and only in books. I do know that it's said to have a mighty destructive power." Rette replied, recalling an ancient text she had read a few years back.

"We know that its destructive power was so great that the people back then saw fit to seal it away." Ren agreed.

"But we don't know exactly what kind of magic it was." Eve added.

"But since the Oracion Sies have gathered in the Warth Woodlands...we should assume that Nirvana is their goal." Hibiki said.

"In order to prevent them from obtaining it...we must defeat them now! We have thirteen mages, whilst they have but six. But we would do well not to underestimate them. Each of those six mages is extremely powerful." Ichiya said.

Hibiki cast his Archive magic, bringing up displays with pictures of the six members of Oracion Sies.

"Cobra, who uses poisonous snakes. Racer, whose name would appear to indicate that he uses speed-related magic. Hoteye of the Heavenly Eyes. Angel, a woman who is said to be able to see into your heart." Hibiki said, showing the first four members.

Cobra was a decent looking man with the smile and sharp gaze of a snake. Racer had a pointed nose, whiskers at the very corners of his mouth, and looked like he would be a disagreeable sort of man. Hoteye was dressed like a priest with a whole lot of hair. Angel, the only female of the group, was pretty, but Rette had a feeling that her beauty was only skin deep. Then popped up the fifth member; a young man with hair that was half black, half white, and with a coating of make-up that made him look like a woman with his almost feminine face.

"Information on this man is scarce, but he is known as Midnight." Hibiki said.

"And he looks like a woman with that make-up." Rette remarked.

A few of the others cracked smiles, but for the most part, they were all focused on the pictures. The last member, and the leader of the guild, appeared on the displays. It was an older looking man with markings on his face and sleeked back, pale hair.

"And finally, their leader, Brain. Each of these mages has power enough to annihilate a guild single-handedly. We must take full advantage of our numerical superiority." Hibiki said.

"Er...erm...you probably shouldn't bother counting me at all." Lucy said.

"I'm no good at fighting either." Wendy agreed.

"Wendy! Will you stop being like that!?" Carla scolded.

"Worry not...our strategy is not limited to simple combat. The important point is that we locate their base of operations." Ichiya explained.

"Their base?" Lyon asked.

"We have yet to confirm this for certain, but we believe they have established a temporary base of operations in the Woodlands." Ren said.

"If so, we can be sure that it will not be easy to find. They are powerful, yes, but even the powerful can be worn down by numbers. For them to have remain in action for this long...they have to be just as clever as they are powerful." Rette said idly, arms crossed over her stomach.

"Correct. If at all possible, we want to get all six of them together at that base." Ichiya said.

"Which means we will, more than likely, be splitting up." Rette said with a sigh.

"What do we do once they are gathered there?" Erza asked.

"We use our guild's mighty pegasus airship, The Christina, to destroy their base and team along with it!" Ichiya announced.

"...You're breaking out a bomber craft against humans?" Lucy asked.

"That is the nature of the enemy we face. Now, take heed...if combat does ensue, nobody is to face an enemy alone. You must always do battle in groups of at least two." Jura said.

"Right! I'm all pumped now! I'm gonna take all six of them on by myself!" Natsu declared before storming out of the mansion.

Rette heaved a sigh and reached up to press two fingers to her temples. Leave it to Natsu to go running into it head long with no caution to the situation.

"I suppose we should go after him." Erza said.

"Leave it to Natsu to lead the charge." Rette remarked.

She followed her guild mates as they headed out after Natsu. Rette was glad she had chosen to wear shorts today. A skirt would have made it hard to run. As it was, the ends of the long, pale blue scarf she had tied around her waist, trailed behind her as she ran. The others followed behind them, not wanting to be shown up by the delegation from Fairy Tail. Rette, not really caring about the whole competitive spirit thing, allowed the others to pass her, falling to the back of the pack easily. She was starting to get a little uneasy when Jura and Ichiya didn't instantly join them and cast her Pressure Armor spell, just in case.

She was running along at the back of the pack when a shadow fell over them. Rette looked up to find the Blue Pegasus airship, Christina, over head. It was a magnificent piece of work, really. As they were looking up at it, something suddenly hit the airship, blowing it up. Rette knew then that her unease was justify and she fell back in a hiding space, keeping an eye out for the enemy. Getting caught up in a sneak attack wouldn't help her. Thyme vanished up into the trees while Rette hid among the over grown roots of one tree.

As the smoke started to clear, six figures approached. At the forefront was Brain, the leader of Oracion Sies. And he didn't look happy in the least.

"Some maggots, have gathered." Brain remarked.

Behind him came the other members of his guild. Cobra had a large snake wrapping around him and Angel had two, little creatures with her that were letting off the strange magic Rette had sensed back at the mansion.

"Your way of thinking is too predictable." Angel remarked.

"We've already beaten Jura and Ichiya." the two little creatures added.

Apparently, the six had predicted everything they would do. Rette knew they had to be clever. A clever person knew one of her own. She made sure to remain hidden, keeping herself calm, her breathing slow. Getting worked up would only give her away. Obviously, Natsu and Gray didn't believe in such a thing, for they both rushed forward, ready to attack. Racer, at the order of Brain, attacked as well, moving so fast that Rette wouldn't have stood a chance trying to follow his movements. He got behind Natsu and Gray and attacked before the two really knew what hit them.

Lucy called out to the two, only to notice that her voice wasn't the only one that called out. She turned to her right, coming face to face with a copy of herself. She stared at the copy in confusion before it pulled the whip at it's belt and whipped her. Lyon and Cherie confronted Hoteye and were beaten with the very earth they stood on. Racer went after the Blue Pegasus boys next while Erza confronted Cobra. Gray tried to help, only to get frozen with one of his own spells when the twin creatures with Angel, turned into a copy of him and attacked him from behind.

Soon, only Erza stood, battling off both Cobra and Racer. Rette peeked out from her hiding spot, searching the place for Wendy. Where had the little girl gone? Rette spotted her then, hiding behind a boulder, her little form shaking from her fear. There was too much open space between Rette's hiding place to Wendy's. She would be seen before she could ever reach Wendy. A sudden, soft cry of pain from Erza had Rette's eyes shifting back to Erza. Cobra's snake had just bitten Erza, the poison making her collapse. In what seemed like just a few short minutes, everyone had been defeated.

The rumors Rette had heard, hadn't been mistaken. Oracion Sies really was made of monsters. She didn't stand a chan-

No.

Rette wouldn't think that way. She had a new magic under her belt, she was excelling at her sword play...she was getting stronger. And her friends were in danger. Rette would do anything for them. When exactly her mind set had started to change, she didn't know. Rette braced herself when Brain raised a hand, a vile form of magic forming at his palm. It was like the very atmosphere was wavering at his command.

"You trash, should all vanish." he said darkly.

Just then Brain's eyes latched onto Wendy. The spell stopped as Brain stared at Wendy in wide eyed shock. He even uttered her name, though Wendy looked confused about who this man could be and how he knew her.

"It's definitely her. The Sky Sorceress." Brain uttered.

The Sky Sorceress.

That was a better nickname than The Nexus. Though why that popped into Rette's mind, first and foremost, was beyond her.

"Looks like I've picked up someone valuable." Brain said.

Rette saw his next spell in time, to dart out of hiding, casting her Sun Wings spell as she grabbed Wendy around the waist and jumped into the air to avoid the stretching, dark cloud-limb-thing, that had been about to grab her. Rette shot into the air, carrying Wendy with her. She only stopped when she was high enough to keep an eye on the members of Oracion Sies and still have room to react to an attack. Wendy looked up, her eyes traveling over the black, cropped, strapless top clothing Rette's chest, past the lavender Fairy Tail emblem between her collar bones, to the magenta-lavender eyes looking down at her.

"Rette!" Wendy cried in relief and surprise.

"Are you alright, Wendy?" Rette asked.

Wendy nodded and Rette looked down at the mages below her. They were staring up at her, watching Rette's form as her dragon-like wings of light flapped to keep her air-born. Cobra was looking at her with a frown on his face, like something displeased him. Rette kept her eyes on them, not quite sure what to do next. Fighting them would be difficult since they out numbered her, were very strong, and she had Wendy to worry about.

"Wendy, do you know him?" Rette asked lowly.

"No." Wendy replied.

Well, Brain obviously knew her. Which wasn't saying much. People knew Rette that she didn't know. Rette freed her right hand when Brain attacked, trying to take Wendy from Rette. Rette swiped her hand through the air, a blue-purple magic circle forming a second before a clear crystal formed.

"Conductor Crystal."

Brain's spell was sucked out of the air and into the crystal. The crystal shrank and fell into Rette's hand. Rette held it up to her eyes, Wendy staring at it in surprise.

"Well...I'll be throwing this one away. That has to be one of the most vile feeling magics I have ever felt." Rette remarked.

With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the crystal down below, letting it drop towards Brain and his guild mates.

"You can have it back." Rette called, releasing the spell trapping Brain's spell in the crystal.

The crystal shattered and the spell lashed free. Of course, being that it was Brain's spell to began with, he simply waved it aside. Rette twisted around, still holding Wendy tight to her. She suddenly swooped to the side, earning a cry of surprise and fear from Wendy, when Cobra's snake lashed out at Rette's legs. There was no way she was going to get bitten. A copy of Rette blocked her retreat. Wendy squealed, hugging Rette's neck tightly, but Rette appeared about as indifferent as always.

"Me or not... **you're in my way**." Rette retorted.

She spared her look-alike no mercy. She charged forward without stopping, making her look-alike widen her eyes in shock. Just before impact, Rette shifted suddenly, hitting the fake her hard in the face with her feet, knocking her out of the sky.

"Get out of the sky, you fake." Rette retorted, flying in a circle over the fallen look-alike. "The sky only needs one of me."

After the training with Erza, Rette didn't need to rely on her magic to handle a pitiful look alike. But that look alike surprised her by casting one of Rette's Creation of Light spells, sending a spear of light rocketing into the sky towards her. Rette cast another Conductor Crystal, absorbing the spell.

"Alright...not just a simple look-alike." Rette muttered to herself. "Good to know."

"Rette!" Wendy warned, peering down at the ground.

Rette looked down just as Cobra's snake struck out at her. Rette instinctively raised her right arm to protect her and Wendy and the snake bit down on her arm...only to jerk back with a hiss when it's fangs encountered the crystal of her Pressure Armor. The snake retreated to Cobra, who was confused. Rette raised her arm to look at it, glad to see that the snake's fangs hadn't been strong enough to pierce the crystal.

"Seems I was right to cast that spell. I do not relish the idea of being bitten by a snake." Rette remarked.

Wendy called another warning and Rette dropped, avoiding a kick from her look alike. She had a pretty good idea on what those little twin creatures were. Now that she had the time to think of it...they gave off the same magical feeling as Loki and the rest of Lucy's Celestial spirits. Meaning that Angel was a Celestial mage. Rette twisted around and kicked a foot out. It was still really weird to kick herself in the face, but at the same time...kind of funny.

But apparently, it had only been a distraction.

Rette was now close enough to the ground that Hoteye could take over. Before Rette could be swallowed whole by the earth, Thyme rammed her from the side, knocking her out of the way. Wendy squealed as they tumbled out of the way. Rette gave a mighty beat of her wings and shot into the sky once more, Thyme following. She peered back down at Hoteye before glancing at Thyme.

"Thanks, Thyme." Rette told her.

Thyme gave a curt nod of her head. Silently, Rette requested that Thyme go check on the others. Thyme nodded once more and zipped away, heading for Erza first. Rette really had no idea what she was going to do. If they all came at her at once, as they had with her comrades, than she would be done for. It seemed though, since Brain wanted Wendy, and the girl was in Rette's arms, they were trying to avoid anything that could kill the girl.

Rette would have set Wendy down and continued fighting with the added usage of her hands, but she had a feeling that the moment she sat the girl down, they would just go straight for Wendy and the moment they did that, Rette would rush to her rescue again and would end up leaving herself open to attack. It was best that she kept Wendy with her. Rette was so caught up in her plan making that when Wendy's warning reached her ears, she couldn't move fast enough to avoid the hard hit from behind. Her look alike had used her own Light Burst spell to hit her over the back of the head.

Everything spun for a moment as the hit vibrated off the crystal encasing her head, rattling her brain inside her skull. The shock made her lose control over her Pressure Armor spell, the crystal covering her body, shattering. On top of that, Rette almost dropped Wendy, which was probably what Brain had been hoping for. His magic curled forward, aiming for Wendy. Rette refused to let him get to her that easily. She curled herself around Wendy and gasped out in pain when the spell lashed across her back. The skin across her shoulder blades were bared by her top and the spell lashed across them hard enough that Rette felt the skin slit open and began to bleed.

She had never felt more like cursing than she did at that very moment.

"Rette!" came the warning call of Gray from where he lay on the ground.

Rette twisted around, shielding Wendy the best she could. The hit from Racer came fast and came hard. Rette hit the ground hard, still curled protectively around Wendy, refusing to let her go for a single second. Brain clicked his tongue in annoyance when Rette refused to release Wendy. It seemed the girl was going to be stubborn to the very end.

"Then I suppose we'll take both." Brain muttered to himself.

His spell wrapped around Rette and Wendy tightly, picking them up off the ground. Rette grit her teeth, trying to force her way free, but her arms were trapped around Wendy. Only Wendy had use of at least one arm. The spell tightened around them, pushing on the wound on Rette's back. The increase in pain had Rette's struggles dying.

"Wendy!" Carla called.

Happy and Carla rushed forward, Carla reaching for Wendy. Thyme darted forward too, fear for Rette pushing her to move fast. Wendy reached out for Carla, but ended up grabbing Happy and just before Thyme could reach Rette...

They were gone.

END

Kyandi: I would never want to be whipped like that.

Rette: Leather would have hurt worse.

Kyandi: I imagine so.

Rette: Question though.

Kyandi: Hmm? What?

Rette: Why am I always the one getting caught!?

Kyandi: ...

Rette: Kyandi-sama.

Kyandi: You make a pretty damsel in distress?

Rette: ...

Kyandi: Anyway! Everyone please enjoy and review. We'll be back soon. Bye!

Rette: Only if I don't hurt you first.

Kyandi: Eepp!


	18. Big Reveal

Kyandi: Greetings, my lovely readers!

Rette: We apologize for taking so long.

Kyandi: Yeah, I've been busy. But I have two new chapters for you.

Rette: But there's a catch.

Kyandi: Yeah...after I update these chapters...I'm going to be gone for a week. I'm going to be on a family vacation and will be away from computers and internet alike.

Rette: So we won't be able to upload any new chapters during that time.

Kyandi: But I will be taking journals so I can still plan out chapters and I promise to type up and upload as soon as I get home.

Rette: With that, I think we should jump into the chapter. There's going to be a big reveal at the end of the chapter.

Kyandi: Yep. I gave you people five hints towards this reveal, so let's see if any of you got it, or the even noticed the hints. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 18 Big Reveal

"Damn it! They ran away!"

Natus was fuming while the others were either nursing their wounds or staring at the ground as anger and frustration tumbled through them. Thyme sat on the ground next to Carla, her ears laid flat against her head. After Rette, Wendy, and Happy had vanished, Hoteye had gone in for the final blow. Thankfully for them, Jura had showed up at the last second to save them. He had brought a beat up Ichiya with him. Somehow, Ichiya ended up looking more ragged than the rest of them.

"Thank god your safe, Jura." Lyon remarked.

"Your wrong. I was in critical condition." Jura said, gesturing to a wound in his lower right side.

"That wound..." Lyon said, looking at it.

"For now Ichiya's pain relieving purfume is suppressing it temporarily." Jura said.

To demonstrate the ability, Ichiya used his pain relieving purfume to relieve the pain of the others. Hibiki, Ren, and Eve applauded him as he struck a ridiculous pose.

"They kidnapped...Wendy, Rette, and Happy...Where are they!" Natsu yelled, running off to find the Oracion Sies.

Carla grabbed him by his scarf, yanking him to a stop. Getting a little choked by the sudden yank, Natsu flopped back onto his back. The others were surprised to see that, just like Happy and Thyme, Carla could sprout wings and fly. Natsu on the other hand, just remarked that she was like Happy and Thyme. Carla wasn't too happy to be compared to Happy, but she let it slide.

"More importantly, even though I'm worried about Wendy, Rette, and the male cat...we know we can't blindly charge into enemy territory when we have no chance of winning." Carla said.

"Just as Carla said, the enemy is stronger than we thought." Jura said.

"And about that..." Carla said, jerking her head to the side, gesturing to Erza.

Erza was leaning against a tree, gripping the arm the snake had bitten. She was clearly in pain despite Ichiya's pain purfume. Much to Lucy's embarrassment, and Hibiki, Ren, and Eve's enjoyment, Erza grabbed Lucy's belt, yanking it free of it's loops. Lucy's skirt instantly dropped to the ground. Lucy jerked it back up, but everyone had already gotten a view of her underwear. Erza used the belt to tourniquet her arm. She then threw her sword on the ground and demanded they cut off her arm to stop the flow of the poison to the rest of her body.

Protests instantly went up from the others. Lyon, seeing that the others wouldn't do it, agreed, picking up the sword Erza had thrown down. Gray yelled at him to stop.

"We cannot allow this woman to die now." Lyon reasoned.

"But..." Lucy trailed off.

Cherie and Lucy argued then, Cherie, obviously, on Lyon's side. Several of the others demanded that Lyon stop. Jura kept the Blue Pegasus members back, insisting that it was Erza's wish and they should respect it. Gray stopped Lyon, though.

"Do you believe her arm is more important than her life?" Lyon asked.

"There could be another method. Don't think about using such a nasty method." Gray replied.

Erza, unable to remain conscious much longer, passed out, her breathing heavy. The poison was already causing suffering on her behalf.

"This isn't good! If this continues the poison will circulate." Eve said.

"Wendy can save her."

All attention turned to Carla in surprise.

"This isn't the time for comrades to be arguing. We should combine our forces and resuce Wendy, Rette, and the male cat." Carla told them.

"Can she counteract magic?" Eve asked.

"Not just counteracting but she also has her pain relieving kiss of healing which can counteract fevers." Carla said.

"Well...yo-you see...that's my role..." Ichiya said lowly.

"Healing, you say...could it be lost magic?" Cherie asked.

"Could it be related to the Sky Sorceress they said?" Lucy asked.

"She is the Dragon Slayer of the sky. Sky Dragon Wendy." Carla replied.

Shock rang out among the others. Natsu was the most surprised of the lot.

"Rette did say that there were a lot of different types of Dragon Slayers in the world." Lucy remarked. "Does that mean that there might actually be a Crystal Dragon Slayer or any of the others she named out there?"

"I'll fill you in on the details later! Even though I shouldn't say anymore." Carla said. "Right now, we need Wendy...and even though we don't know where we're going, we know Wendy is important to them."

"Rette will protect her. She's fiercely loyal, Rette. She'll keep an eye on Wendy." Gray said.

The others agreed. They had seen how fiercely Rette had tried to protect Wendy and knew she would continue to do so until she drew her last breath. They would find the two and Happy before that happened.

And they would do it together.

-0-0-0-0-

"Don't be so violent! She is still a child!"

Happy, trying to protect Wendy, was knocked around for his outburst. Wendy pulled Happy into her arms, cowering as far back from Brain as she could get. The others were sitting around the cave they were currently hiding in.

"Who is this girl?" Racer asked.

The others made their speculations, though they were all off the mark by quite a bit. Especially Hoteye who thought they were going to sell Wendy.

"She can use the magic of the skies...Curative Magic." Brain replied, to the shock of his guild mates.

"You want to say that she..." Cobra cut off in shock.

"Exactly! She will resuscitate..."

"That I...I will never make anything evil!" Wendy said, cutting off Brain.

Brain didn't seem convinced that she wouldn't do as he told her, despite how determined she appeared not to do as he said. Racer stood from where he sat and turned.

"What about this one?" he asked.

All eyes turned to Rette. The girl was currently unconscious, hanging from chains embedded into the roof of the cave, the cuffs locked around her wrist, yanking them above her head. Her feet barely skimmed the ground and her chin was currently resting on her chest. Racer bent forward to look up at Rette's face.

"Leave Rette alone!" Wendy cried.

"Rette, huh? As in Rette Starrilia, the Nexus Mage?" Cobra asked, looking at Rette. "She's currently big news among the light guilds. A mage that can do a Unison Raid by herself."

Just then Rette shifted, wincing before her eyes opened. She found Racer right in her face. Where most people would have jolted from surprise, maybe even yelled in shock, Rette simply blinked, her expression indifferent.

"Well...that's certainly a displeasing image to awaken to." Rette remarked.

Racer tched in annoyance while his guild mates chuckled at him. He pulled back as Rette lift her head. Her eyes darted around the cave, quickly taking stock of the situation she was in, before drifting up to the chains binding her hands. Rette heaved a sigh, sounding more put out than concerned.

It seemed she was always getting caught and put into situations like this.

"Seems we've been graced with the presence of Fairy Tail's Nexus Mage. Am I correct?" Brain asked.

Rette turned her attention to him, looking more bored than a child with nothing to do. She turned her chin up at him, and turned her face from him, as if she found him no more interesting than a bug under her boot. Brain grit his teeth at basically being deemed unimportant.

"What does it matter to you?" she retorted, her tone just as aloof as her expression.

"You obviously don't understand your position right now." Racer remarked, standing before her once more.

"Oh, I'm positively terrified. Really, I am. Can't you hear it in my voice?" Rette replied.

Racer grabbed her chin and opened his mouth to make a comment to her annoying way of speaking and her obvious fascination with looking down on them, but was cut off when Rette swung a leg up and kicked him below the belt. The man released her and doubled over in pain that had the males in the group wincing in sympathy.

"Please do attempt to act like you have manners and keep your grubby hands off of me." Rette told him.

Racer glared up at her, but Rette just ignored him, her eyes scanning over the others before landing on Midnight. She raised an eyebrow at the sleeping male.

"Is he asleep? He's asleep. It's impossible to be intimidated by a sleeping person and someone who so easily leaves himself open for a kick to the groin." Rette remarked.

Who the hell could be scared of a person who sat on a flying carpet, snoring?

Racer was so close to losing his temper. He threw his fist towards her face, but stopped a few inches short when Brain told him that was enough. Rette never blinked, seemingly unfazed by the possibility of getting hit. After the beating she had received from Laxus not long ago, she doubted Racer could do any worse.

"That's enough, Racer. Go and bring him here." Brain ordered.

Racer stepped back from Rette, clicking his tongue in annoyance as he looked at her bland expression. He turned to Brain than.

"It's far...It'll take some time." he told Brain.

"That's fine." Brain replied.

"I see already...then there will be a tie with the Nirvana." Cobra remarked.

"Cobra, Hoteye, Angel. You continue with the search for Nirvana. I believe that it does not serve as anything if that person revives. In case of any unexpected event, Midnight and I will remain here." Brain said.

"Well, then, shall we go?" Cobra asked Angel and Hoteye.

"Are we competing, then, for the first person to find Nirvana?" Angel asked.

"One hundred million jewels! I'm in! Don'cha think?" Hoteye added.

"That's too expensive." Cobra retorted.

"What the heck...what kind of magic...is this "Nirvana"?" Wendy asked lowly from where she cowered a few feet away from Rette.

Rette glanced at Wendy, but her eyes returned to, and fixed on, the other four as they left the cave. Brain turned and looked at the two girls, a grin on his face.

"It is a magic...that exchanges the light and the darkness." he said.

"Oh lovely. Just what the world needs...useless amounts of darkness." Rette retorted.

Brain looked at her. Was she...mocking him? With her expression and tone never changing, he couldn't tell if she was just being sarcastic, or if she was mocking him. Rette didn't give any hints either. She just stared straight ahead as if she was bored with the conversation already. Brain turned away from Wendy for favor of Rette.

"Rumors have it...you were born in a dark guild." Brain remarked, looking at Rette.

Rette's eyes shifted to him, looking uninterested, but inside it concerned her that that rumor might already be in circulation. She was highly ashamed of her background, of her father and his choices in life. She didn't want those held against her. But she refused to let Brain see how much that got to her.

"And your point is...?" Rette asked.

Wendy stared up at Rette, fear and shock painted across her face. Rette was born a dark mage!? But she had been so kind to her, had protected her when Brain had gone after her. It couldn't be true, could it? Rette looked down at Wendy, seeing the look. To her surprise, it actually really hurt her to see that look directed at her.

"My biological father was a dark mage, yes, but, to his great horror and dissatisfaction, I did not carry on his legacy." Rette told Brain.

"Such a waste. From the rumors I have heard, you are an extraordinarily gifted mage. You're talents would have been better spent on our side." Brain remarked.

"I highly doubt that. I saw the work my biological father did...not interested. Not then, not now, not ever." Rette replied.

Brain shrugged his shoulders and turned away from her and Wendy. Rette glanced down at Wendy, catching her staring at her. Wendy looked away quickly, her cheeks going red at getting caught staring.

"Are you scared of me now, Wendy?" Rette asked lowly.

Wendy looked up at Rette in surprise, finding a little hurt in the other female's eyes. Though she acted and sounded indifferent to everything, the possibility that Wendy was scared of her based on something like her father's past, hurt Rette. Wendy shook her head violently. Rette had protected her, had been nothing but kind to her. Whatever her father might have been, Rette was not bad.

"No! I-I was...just shocked." Wendy told her.

"Everyone is at first. But when looking back on certain things I do or say, its usually obvious that my background isn't a good one." Rette told her. "But such is the price of magic. Magic isn't always used for good. Point in case...our current situation."

Wendy understood her point. Magic wasn't always used for good, but nor was it always used for bad. It depended on the person who wielded it. Rette's father might have used it for evil, but Rette didn't. Rette shifted, trying to ease some of the pain in her wrists before turning her attention back to Wendy.

"My adoptive parents taught me that just because my biological father used magic for evil, didn't mean I had to. They taught me the meaning of free will and what it means to choose your own path in life. To each their own, you know. Without them...I very well might have ended up like my biological father. But here I am, a proud member of Fairy Tail, using my magic to help others." Rette told Wendy.

Wendy let that sink in. People chose their own paths in life, like Rette did, but other people influence the paths they take. Like Rette's adoptive parents influenced her.

"Wendy, I have a question for you."

Wendy looked up at Rette, wondering what it was Rette could have to ask her.

"You're a Dragon Slayer, aren't you?"

Wendy stared at Rette in surprise. No one had figured it out without seeing Wendy's magic or her telling them, herself.

"How...!?" Wendy asked.

"I can sense the magic around me. You're magic feels just like Natsu's and Gajeel's, two of the Dragon Slayers in my guild." Rette replied.

"Oh."

Wendy looked down at Happy in her arms.

"Wait...two of?" Wendy asked.

"We had a third, but he was recently dismissed from the guild." Rette replied.

But Rette had said two of the Dragon Slayers "in" her guild. Not "use to be". It was probably a slip of the tongue.

Nothing more.

-0-0-0-0-

"The Dragon Slayer of the Sky..."

Natsu couldn't let that go. He ran along side Gray and Carla, Thyme riding on his shoulder. He didn't mind the little cat riding there, barely even noticed her at all.

"What does she eat?" Natsu asked.

"Air." Carla replied.

"Is it delicious?" Natsu asked.

"Yes." Carla answered.

"Is it different from oxygen?" Gray asked.

Carla and Natsu went on talking about Dragon Slayers, soon finding out that Wendy's dragon went missing at the same time as Natsu's and Gajeel's. Natsu was so caught up in the conversation that he didn't notice when Thyme suddenly left his shoulder. He found out why, a few seconds later, when he ran into an above ground root that stood up so high, it smacked him in the face. It was almost as if the hit smacked an idea into his head.

"I got it! Laxus!?" Natsu exclaimed.

"The old man said it, didn't he? That guy isn't a real Dragon Slayer." Gray reminded him.

"Wh-what is this!?" Carla suddenly exclaimed.

Ahead of them, the trees had all turned black. It was among those blacken trees that they ran into the members of the Naked Mummy, dark guild which was under the control of Oracion Sies. Unknown to them, all over the forest, the others were running into trouble with other dark guilds under the control of the Oracion Sies. To Carla's horror, Natsu and Gray charged into the battle head first. With explosive power from both of them, they plowed through the dark guild, defeating them all.

The last two gave them some trouble, but in the end, Natsu and Gray won out. Carla was both horrified and impressed. Impressed at their power, but horrified that they had taken on a whole guild without so much as a thought. Once they won, they got the members to tell them where their base was; an abandoned village. They hurried along.

They would find, and rescue, their comrades.

-0-0-0-0-

Rette's wrist felt like they were on fire. If she didn't get down soon, they would go numb. Her fingers had already started too. She was trying to figure out a way out of the chains when Racer returned, carrying a large coffin wrapped in chains. The mere sight of it creeped Happy and Wendy out, but Rette showed no reaction to it.

Truthfully...she was a little creeped out too.

"It was the fastest that I could-"

"The existence of **this man** is more important than the speed." Brain said, cutting Racer off. "Wendy, for your good you have to cure this man."

"I-I will not do it!" Wendy replied as they started undoing the chains.

"I see, I see. You will not do anything? You are going to it, otherwise you, and your friend, will not live." Brain told her.

Wendy glanced at Rette, but Rette didn't seem concerned. Instead her attention was sat on the coffin as it opened, revealing...Jellal inside. Rette's eyes widened for a moment as she looked at the man, chained inside the coffin, clothed in the tattered remains of the body suit he had been wearing when she had last seen him. Wendy gasped in shock as Rette soothed out her expression once more.

"Here is Jellal. Once, he sneaked in a discussion of the emperor. In short, this person knows where Nirvana is." Brain said.

"Do you know him!?" Happy asked Wendy who was staring at Jellal, her small form shaking.

But Wendy was shaking too much, her attention fixed solely on Jellal. She didn't answer Happy or even noticed he had asked her something.

"The Aetherion pouring in large quantities...because of that he became this way." Brain explained.

"Jellal...you mean **that** Jellal?" Happy asked.

"You know him, Happy?" Wendy asked.

"We're acquainted." Rette answered.

"Oh, we know him alright! He tried to kill Erza! He nearly choked Rette to death! He even manipulated the Council into firing an Aetherion!" Happy exclaimed.

Wendy looked up at Rette in shock, but Rette was staring at Jellal, her expression carefully blank. Though, there seem to be a sternness to the set of her face.

"I suppose he did..." Wendy said lowly.

"And this guy's still alive!?" Happy asked, freaked out.

"This man is a ghost possessed by a ghost... a pitiful idealist. However...you owe him a debt." Brain said, looking at Wendy, who bowed her head.

"You mustn't! You can't bring this guy back, no matter what!" Happy told Wendy.

"Hurry up and revive him." Brain said, spelling a knife into his hand.

He then slammed the knife into Jellal's arm, jolting Wendy who yelled at him to stop. Rette clenched her jaw when Brain hit Wendy with his staff. Had she been free, Rette would have gone for his throat. It wasn't right, watching a grown man hit a little girl. Reminded Rette of things she would rather forget.

"Heal him. It should be simple enough for you." Brain told her.

"Jellal is a really bad guy! And if you bring him back, they'll get Nirvana as well!" Happy told Wendy.

"Even so...he was the one who saved me...I loved him." Wendy said, tears falling from her eyes. "I had heard rumors about him doing bad things, but I don't believe it."

"What are you talking about!? We saw it with our own-"

"Somebody must have been controlling him!" Wendy insisted, cutting Happy off. "Jellal would never do those things!"

Rette glanced down at Wendy. She looked at Jellal with teary eyes and Rette could tell that Wendy really had loved Jellal. Whatever he had been when they had known each other.

"Please! Give me time to think this over!" Wendy asked.

"Very well. Five minutes." Brain told her.

"Wendy."

Wendy looked up at Rette, meeting her even gaze.

"Remember what I told you about free will. Not Happy, nor I or anyone else, can make you change your mind, whatever you decide to do and I won't try. It's your choice to make. Nor will I hold any choice you make against you." Rette told her. "But, because it is **your** choice...you must be prepared to live with whatever choice you make. And some mistakes are hard to live with."

Wendy looked down at her hands as they curled into fist. Rette wouldn't hold it against her, but it was obvious that Rette didn't approve of the idea of healing Jellal. Just then, Natsu's voice, calling for Rette, Wendy, and Happy, sounded outside the cave. Rette looked up. If Natsu was there, then so was Thyme. Rette even swore she felt the faintest traces of Thyme's magical energy.

"Racer...hold them off." Brain ordered.

"Gotcha." Racer replied, vanishing quickly.

"Pieces of trash..." Brain muttered.

"Gee, our feelings about you, exactly." Rette retorted.

Happy cried her name in concern, Wendy's hands clapping over her mouth, when Brain hit Rette across the face with his staff. Rette's head whipped to the side and for a moment she worked her jaw, checking to make sure he hadn't broken anything. She turned her face back to look at Brain who was glaring darkly at her.

"Times up." Brain said. "Now decide."

-0-0-0-0-

Outside, Racer shot towards Gray and Natsu, knocking the two aside. Thyme, who had been flying over their heads, whipped around in concern and shock. She tried to follow Racer's movements, but couldn't. Racer pinged off trees like a pinball on crack, making it hard for Natsu and Gray to follow his movements too.

"That guy again!" Natsu growled.

"Leave this guy to me! You head on down below, Natsu!" Gray told Natsu.

"Right!" Natsu agreed.

Racer tried to stop Natsu, only to hit a patch of ice that Gray had laid down, sending the man crashing into the ground. Natsu ignored the issuing fight, picking up Carla and jumping from the cliff he was standing on. Gray helped him out by forming a slide of ice for Natsu to slide down. Carla wasn't exactly happy with the method, but it got them down to where they needed to be. It also succeed in making Natsu sick to his stomach. Once he recovered, the two started calling for Rette, Wendy, and Happy.

Then Natsu heard Happy's voice calling his name from a cave. Natsu hurried over to the cave, Carla and Thyme right at his side. The three froze in the entryway, Natsu's eyes widening with shock. Brain was grinning, Wendy crying as she apologized. Rette's eyes were sat on the man now standing in the middle of the cave beyond the entrance.

Standing there, newly healed, was Jellal.

Wendy, having used her healing magic, passed out from exhaustion. Jellal looked down at her and Rette renewed her struggles to get free. She wouldn't let anyone hurt Wendy if she could do something about it. Natsu, flash backs of what Jellal did to Erza playing in his head, attacked Jellal.

"Natsu, don't!" Rette warned, but it was too late.

Jellal blew Natsu away, automatically defending himself from the attack. Happy cried out for Natsu as Thyme flew out of the way of the attack. The cat waited unilt the coast was clear and flew to Natsu's side, concerned for the boy, but he was buried under a pile of rocks.

"I see your power is as impressive as ever. Jellal." Brain remarked.

Jellal turned on Brain then, flicking out a hand and opening a hole under Brain's feet. Rette wished she could say that she was mature about the situation, but she couldn't help calling out a loud, "Ha!" when Brain tumbled down the hole. She stiffened when Jellal's eyes turned to her. His eyes drifted up her form to her bound and, by now, bleeding wrist. Another flick of his hand and Rette braced herself for an attack. Instead, the cuffs around her wrists were broken and she dropped to the ground. After so long of hanging that way, her legs refused to hold her up and she crumpled to the ground.

Rette stared at her wrist in surprise and then looked up at Jellal. The man stared down at her for a moment, as if he thought she would attack him too, and when she didn't, he turned to leave the cave. He stopped for a moment to look at the sleeping Midnight, before moving on, leaving the cave behind. When he was gone, Thyme flew to Rette, flying right into Rette's open arms. She peered up at Rette, a question in her eyes.

"I'm fine. It's just a few bruises and cuts. Nothing too serious." Rette told Thyme before turning to Wendy to check on the girl.

Careful of her wrist, Rette lift Wendy into her arms. It was hard to do when her fingers didn't want to completely cooperate with her. Natsu came back to life, so to speak, just then, busting free of the rocks piled on top of him, yelling Jellal's name. Natsu looked around, anger coursing through his veins.

"Where is he!?" he demanded.

"He left." Carla told him, much to Natsu's displeasure. "I do not know who exactly that man was, but surely recovering Wendy takes priority right now."

Natsu grit his teeth, not really willing to let it go. Jellal was responsible for so much pain for Erza and deserve some form of punishment.

"You want to save Erza, do you not!?" Carla yelled at him.

Natsu flinched at that, seeing her point. Though it really pissed him off, he agreed. He was at Rette's side in an instant. He knelt next to her, looking down at Wendy.

"She's fine. Just unconscious." Rette told him.

Natsu suddenly grabbed one of her hands, pulling it out for him to look at it. It, like the other one, was rubbed raw, a circle of dried and new blood shining on her skin. The joint was swollen, her fingers tingling from numbness and stiff.

"It's fine, Natsu. They had me hanging from my wrist for a while." Rette told him.

It was apparent that he wasn't happy about that, but Rette wasn't willing to waste time by letting him get angry over her injuries. She handed Wendy off to Carla and Thyme crawled over Rette's shoulder to hold onto her from behind as she sprouted her wings, lifting Rette into the air.

"Let's go." Rette said.

Natsu nodded, Happy picking him up. The three cats flew their respective human out of the cave. As they flew over head, Rette caught sight of Gray down below, fighting with Racer. Gray let out a joyous exclamation when he saw that Natsu had freed Wendy and Rette.

"It's Gray." Rette said, drawing Natsu's attention downward.

Spying them as well, Racer started towards them, flying free of the tree tops.

"Natsu! Rette! Dodge!" Gray called in warning.

Rette winced in pain when Racer collided with them, sending all six of them crashing towards the ground. Thyme recovered Rette before she hit the ground, setting her on her feet and Natsu caught Wendy. He scooped up Happy and Carla, who had been knocked out, and made a mad dash for it, Rette following right behind him.

"I thought I told you, you're not going anywhere!" Racer barked.

Rette couldn't use her hands, they were still, somewhat, numb. Casting a spell both strong enough and fast enough to stop Racer without the use of her hands, could make it unstable and dangerous. There was only one type of magic she possessed that could do the job and didn't require her hands. And it wasn't her Crystallization magic, Light of Creation magic, or Nexus magic.

"I really didn't want to ever use this magic again." Rette said, making Natsu throw a confused look at her.

Rette slid to a halt, turning to face the oncoming Racer. Natsu called out to her in confusion, but Rette just took a deep breath. Natsu stumbled, coming to a stop, Gray freezing in shock as Rette opened her mouth wide.

"Crystal Dragon's...Roar!"

A blue-purple blast shot from Rette's mouth, hitting a shocked Racer and sending him flying back onto his butt. Rette pressed the back of one hand to her mouth. She hadn't used that magic in so long, it felt weird to do so now.

"He's all your's, Gray!" Rette called before turning to head for Natsu.

She gave him a shove, getting him moving once more. Thyme flew over their heads, keeping a look out for them. Natsu turned wide eyes on Rette.

"Rette...you're a Dragon Slayer!?" he asked.

"Oh...didn't I tell you that?" Rette asked, idly.

"NO!" Natsu snapped.

"Oh...well...hey, Natsu...I'm a Dragon Slayer."

Natsu stared at Rette, as she stared straight ahead, completely indifferent about the whole thing. Natsu had the strong urge to hit her just then.

END:

Kyandi: Duh, duh, duuhhh!

Rette: That's right, people...I'm a Dragon Slayer.

Kyandi: I gave you all five hints through the chapters leading up to this. Shall I list them?

Rette: We shall.

Kyandi: Alright, Hint One in the story...Rette's Sun Wings spell takes the shape of dragon wings.

Rette: Hint Two in the story...I have an exceed partner.

Kyandi: Hint Three in the story...Rette's "adoptive parents" vanished seven years ago.

Rette: Hint Four in the story...I get motion sick. Which sucks, by the way.

Kyandi: Hint Five in the story, and the biggest hint...Rette confirms that there is a Crystal Dragon Slayer and **she uses Crystallization magic!**

Rette: If you got the hints, give yourself a round of applause.

Kyandi: If you didn't, that's alright. Just continue to enjoy and review!

Rette: And we shall return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	19. Forgiveness and Atonement

Kyandi: And we're back, everyone!

Rette: For those of you who actually figured out my little...secret, before hand, we give you a big round of applause and a cyber hug. Well...Kyandi-sama will give you the cyber hug. I'm not a hugging person. And there's actually another part to the secret, which you'll find out in the beginning of the chapter. Hint...what generation Dragon Slayer I am.

Kyandi: All of you who have paid me compliments, thank you so much! You guys are awesome for sticking with me! Anyway, I have another chapter here for all of you and I'm working hard to see if I can finish another chapter tonight before I leave in the morning.

Rette: You have twelve hours.

Kyandi: Technically only six or seven, since I sleep about five or six hours.

Rette: But you aren't driving, so you could sleep on the way there.

Kyandi: Oh! You're right! So, more than likely, I'll have another chapter for all you lovelies before I leave. But in this chapter and in the next, you're all going to get a glimpse at a different side of Rette.

Rette: You'll get to see that I'm not always so indifferent.

Kyandi: Even Rette loses her cool sometimes. So everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 19 Forgiveness and Atonement

"You're a Dragon Slayer... **a Dragon Slayer**!?"

Rette heaved a sigh and shook her head. This was part of the reason why she had never said anything to Natsu or anyone else about the Dragon Slayer thing. She knew Natsu would blow his top like this. He already had his annoying moments as it was.

"Really Natsu, I don't see why you are so surprised. There were so many hints. Why do you think my Sun Wings spell takes the shape of dragon wings? And I eat crystal shards with almost all of my meals." Rette replied.

Natsu hadn't really paid attention to either. Then again, Rette never really ate around anyone and he had never paid attention to the shape her Sun Wings too. Whatever hints there had been...he hadn't seen any of them.

"Wait! So your adoptive parents..."

"Wow, you actually figured that out on your own. Good job, Natsu." Rette replied when Natsu trailed off.

Natsu shot her a pissed off look, but Rette just waved a dismissive hand at him. It was his fault for being so slow on the uptake. Then again, no one else in the guild had probably realized it either.

"But yes. My adoptive parents were dragons. My mother was the Crystal Dragon, Chrysalis, and my father was the Ice Dragon Tundron. They were mated dragons that found me after I ran away from my biological father." Rette told him.

"Wait! Did they-"

"Vanish seven years ago? I thought I already told you that." Rette replied, cutting Natsu off.

Natsu thought about that, trying to recall any conversation in which she had told him that. He drew a blank and his expression reflected that.

"You've forgotten, haven't you?" Rette asked.

She heaved a sigh when the blank look on Natsu's face didn't change. How he remembered his own name much less where he lived, was beyond her.

"Yes, they did vanish seven years ago. The seventh day of the seventh month." Rette told him.

"Do you have the magic of both!?" Natsu asked, eyes wide.

"Yes. Ice and Crystal. But I don't use the magic of either all that much and when I do, it more Crystal than Ice. I hate the cold. I haven't really used my Dragon Slayer magic since they vanished." Rette replied.

"Why not!?" Natsu asked.

He couldn't understand why she wouldn't want to use her Dragon Slayer magic. Her dragon parents had taken her in, raised her, and taught her the magic. Why wouldn't she want to use it?

"I don't think you'd get it even if I told you." Rette replied.

Natsu looked at Rette, confused. She simply stared ahead of herself, refusing to say another word or to look at him. She really didn't want to explain it to him. That would require her talking about her feelings and Rette did like talking about her feelings. Then again, Rette didn't seem to like a lot of things. Natsu wasn't going to let it go, though.

"Tell me!" he demanded.

Rette heaved a sigh as he raised his voice once again. She didn't know about him, but her hearing was a bit better than the average human. His loud voice, so close to her, hurt her ears. And at this rate, he would draw every dark mage in the forest, to them. If she didn't tell him, then he would just keep yelling.

"Because it reminded me of them."

Natsu, who had about to yell again, snapped his mouth shut. He stared at Rette in a mix of surprise and confusion. The look on Rette's faces was almost...sad looking. She was staring down at the ground as she ran, her mouth twisted up on one side and her eyes narrowed as if she couldn't decide between being mad or sad.

"Using the magic they taught me, reminded me of them, of the time I spent with them, and it was something I didn't want to remember. Just when I thought I had a good thing in my life, that I actually might have a family and someone to actually care...they left me all alone." Rette said, her teeth grinding together as if she was in pain.

Was it just Natsu...or did she sound sad as well?

Sad and hurt.

"I was so tired of the people who should have been there for me the most, leaving me up a creek without a paddle. I didn't want to remember them anymore than I wanted to remember my biological father. So...I never used my Dragon Slayer magic. Swore I never would unless I couldn't help it. When I met you, a Fire Dragon Slayer, I didn't want to say anything to you about it because I just knew that you would insist on me using that magic. I don't want to think about them. I'll be glad if I never think about them again." Rette said bluntly.

"I thought you really cared about them." Natsu remarked.

"Yeah, well...you're wrong."

Rette fell silent after that, refusing to say another thing. Through her silence and her refusal to say anymore on the subject, Natsu got the feeling that...Rette actually cared more than she wanted to admit. She just didn't want to feel that caring, and through it, the betrayal she had felt at the hands, or claws, of her dragon parents.

For a while, they just ran in silence. Natsu, with his easily distracted mind, soon found his thoughts returning to Jellal and soon he was stomping his way through the forest. Rette glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow at him. She found herself thinking that it must be nice to have an easily distracted mind.

"Jellal...that asshole...What's he doing in a place like this!?" Natsu growled to himself.

Rette opened her mouth to tell him what had happened but came to a sudden halt when Hibiki's voice suddenly filled her head. Natsu came to a stop beside her, looking around for the other male.

" _Natsu. Rette. Can you hear me? It's me...Hibiki of Blue Pegasus_." Hibiki said.

"Yeah, we hear you." Rette replied.

" _Thank goodness...I was getting worried because I wasn't getting through to anyone._ " Hibiki said in relief.

"Where are you!?" Natsu yelled, still looking around.

Rette clamped her hands over her ears and gave Natsu a bland look that he knew meant he was coming close to getting hit. He gave her a grin.

" _Keep it down! One of our enemies has incredibly good hearing._ " Hibiki warned him.

"Oh joy." Rette muttered, pulling her hands away from her ears.

" _There's every possibility that he's eavesdropping on our conversation. That's why I'm speaking directly into your heads. What's the situation with Wendy? I'm guessing you have her since Rette's with you._ " Hibiki said.

"I've got her here." Natsu confirmed.

" _Thank goodness! Excellent work. Rette, how are you?_ " Hibiki asked.

"My wrist and fingers are a little swollen from hanging from chains, but I'm mostly unharmed." Rette told him.

" _Good. I'm going to upload a map to lead you two to where we are. Please hurry back._ " Hibiki said.

"Upload?" Rette questioned.

She soon got her answer as a map magically popped into her head, showing her the way back to Hibiki, Erza, and Lucy. Well that was a handy ability. Rette was promptly impressed.

"Whoa!? The heck is this!? Somehow I know where Erza is! It's like I knew it all along!" Natsu exclaimed leading the way.

"That's an impressive magic, Hibiki." Rette told him, following behind Natsu.

" _Thank you. My magic, Archive, deals with the compression of information. It allows me to transfer information from person to person more quickly than would be possible through verbal communication._ " Hibiki told her.

"Is that a relatively new concept of magic? I've never heard of it before." Rette remarked.

" _Yes, it is. Then again, I have never heard of Nexus magic before either and, yet, here you are._ " Hibiki said with a laugh.

"Life is full of surprises." Rette replied.

Hibiki agreed before telling them to hurry once more and cutting communication. It took some time running, more so on Rette's behalf since Natsu had to speed up, but they finally reached the camp with Wendy in tow. They broke free of the trees, Natsu grinning like an idiot.

"We're here!" Natsu announced.

"Natsu! Rette!" Lucy cried, glad to see them.

Rette hurried to Erza's side instantly, dropping to her knees at her side. Lucy gasped when she saw Rette's hands but Rette waved it off.

"How's she doing?" Rette asked.

"Bad." Lucy replied.

"Natsu, bring Wendy here." Hibiki told Natsu.

Natsu sat Carla and Happy down and started shaking Wendy to wake her up. Wendy finally came to and when she saw Natsu, she backed away from him quickly, covering her head like she was afraid he was going to get mad and hit her.

"I'm so sorry...I..."

"That doesn't matter right now! Erza was taken out by a poisonous snake! You've got to help her! Please!" Natsu told her, cutting her off as he bowed to her.

"Poison?" Wendy asked.

"We need Erza's power on our side in the battle against Oracion Sies." Hibiki told her.

"Please...you have to save Erza!" Lucy added.

"It's something only you can do, Wendy." Rette piped in.

"B-but of course! Right! I'll do it!" Wendy declared.

Wendy knelled next to Rette, reaching out and casting her healing magic. Slowly Erza's color improved as the poison was taken out of her system. Rette watched as Wendy worked. It really was an amazing ability to have. When she was done, she declared that all the poison was gone from Erza's body and then turned to Rette. Carla and Happy had woken up by then.

"Let me see your hands." Wendy told her.

Rette held out her hands and Wendy went to work healing the wounds on her wrist. Rette was grateful when she could finally feel her fingers again. The swelling went down, and the wounds vanished. Soon her hands and wrists were back to normal.

"Thanks, Wendy." Rette told her.

A round of high fives went around and Natsu even crouched down next to Wendy to get one from her too. He thanked her with an honest smile, surprising Wendy.

"She may not open her eyes for a while yet. But she'll be okay now." Wendy told them.

"Incredible...the color really is returning to her face...so this is sky magic." Hibiki said, his face only inches from Erza's.

Rette shook her head at his strangeness. She grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back away from Erza.

"How about giving her room to breath." Rette suggested, Hibiki smiling up at her.

Hibiki made it a point, then, to assure Rette that her beauty was unmatched as well. Rette let go of his collar, making him fall back. It still creeped her out when he did that. She simply didn't know how to deal with it. Natsu suddenly slammed a fist into his other hand as he remembered something.

"You won't believe it, Lucy!" Natsu said, making Lucy look at him. "Rette's a Dragon Slayer!"

All eyes turned on Rette in shock. Rette reached up and scratched at one cheek as they stared at her. Had none of them seen the hints? Hibiki, Wendy, and Carla, she could understand. She had known them for less than a day. But her own guild mates? Someone should have been able to figure it out.

"You are?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah. My adoptive parents were a mated pair of dragons. The Crystal dragon, Chrysalis, and the Ice dragon, Tundron. I really don't see why it's a big deal. Natsu's a Dragon Slayer, Gajeel's a Dragon Slayer, Wendy's a Dragon Slayer. Even Laxus, was kind-of-sort-of a Dragon Slayer. Is it that big of a deal that I am too?" Rette asked.

"Yes!" came the combined answers of the others.

"Then now isn't the time to tell you that, not only did I learn my Dragon Slayer magic from dragons...I have Dragon lacrima in me too. Two of them."

This earned Rette another round of stares from everyone. Maybe it was too soon for her to drop that bomb on them. But at least they knew. The others managed to snap out of it and, ironically, it was Natsu, the one who had been the most surprised and loud at the discovery, that accepted it first.

"You know too many different types of magic, Rette." Lucy said.

"Only six. And in case you haven't notice...a lot of them burn through my magical power pretty quickly. Since I use magic that combines two types of magic, I need to know more types." Rette reasoned.

It didn't make her stronger than anyone. It just meant she had more types of spells to throw at others. That was all.

"May I say something?" Carla asked, speaking up.

Everyone turned their eyes to the small white cat.

"I would request that you not force Wendy to use her Sky magic any further. As you can see, using this magic takes up large quantities of Wendy's magical power." Carla said.

"No, don't worry about me! I just..." Wendy said, trailing off as she looked at the ground.

"Don't worry about it, Wendy. We understand." Rette said, laying a hand on Wendy's head. "I'm sure if you keep training then one of these days, it won't make you so exhausted."

Wendy gave Rette a sheepish smile. Despite reviving Jellal, Rette was still being nice and supportive of her. Almost like a big sister would.

"Now we have to just wait for Erza to wake up, and then go on the counter-attack." Hibiki said.

"Yeah! Time to take down the Oracion Sies!" Lucy agreed.

"Yeah! We're not letting them have Nirvana!" Happy cheered.

Everyone jolted in surprise as a black pillar of light from deeper in the woodlands, suddenly shot up into the air. The mere sight of it, sent shivers down Rette's spine. Being more in-tuned in sensing the magic around her, Rette could feel the sheer force and power of the magic behind that light and it made her stomach feel like it had just bottomed out.

"That's..."

"That's Nirvana." Rette said, finishing Hibiki's sentence for him.

If that light meant that Nirvana had been unsealed, then they were in so much trouble. Someone had beat them to it and had freed the magic that had been sealed away for a long time. And Rette had a good idea on who it was that had unsealed it.

"Jellal is there!" Natsu growled, looking up at the light.

"Yeah, I think so too." Rette agreed.

"Jellal!?" Lucy exclaimed, looking at Natsu.

Natsu took off then, without explaining a thing. Lucy called after him, but Natsu didn't stop. He charged straight forward.

"We can't let Erza meet up with that guy again! No matter what!" Natsu called back. "I'm going to take him out!"

Soon, Natsu was gone from sight, leaving only a trail of dust in his wake. Now really wasn't the time for Natsu to be running off on his own.

"We should go after Natsu." Hibiki said.

"Natsu...was he saying something about Jellal? Rette, what's going on?" Lucy asked.

"That can wait, really. Right now we have to find-"

A yell from Carla cut Rette off, making them all turn to the cat. It was when they turned that they saw why she had yelled. Erza was gone. She must have woken up and over heard them speak of Jellal. Rette snapped her teeth together in a small show of annoyance and concern.

"What on earth is wrong with that girl!? Without a single word of thanks to Wendy!" Carla said in annoyance.

"Erza...you don't think she heard Jellal's name and..."

Happy trailed off in fear of what could have happened. Rette shook her head. She really wanted to go after Natsu, but out of the two, it was Erza that concerned her more. For more than one reason.

"You guys go find Natsu. I'm going to find Erza. It'll be easier for me since I can track with my magic." Rette told them.

Hibiki nodded and Rette took off. She needed to find Erza before she found Jellal. Else wise the whole thing could be disastrous. Rette had had just about enough disaster and darkness in her life. Nirvana was seriously about to mess with her life and having a full out, blow out between Erza and Jellal added on to that, would only make things horribly worse.

"Erza, where are you!?"

-0-0-0-0-

"I don't like this at all."

Rette looked up at the pillar of light from Nirvana. It had turned from black to white, the feeling of the magic shifting somehow. Rette sat on a tree limb, staring up at the magic, Thyme perched on the branch next to her. Erza, from what Rette could pick up with her magic, had headed straight for the pillar of light. Rette, in her search for Erza, had run into a few dozen members of small fry, dark guilds that had been scattered throughout the woodlands, but none had really been much of a challenge. Most had already run into other members of her party and had been pretty beat up already.

Most of Rette's search for Erza, had been manual. With all the magical disturbance in the air, Rette was having a hard time tracking her clearly. It was like a fall of gray snow had fallen over her magical senses, blocking out all other magics.

Suddenly, spiking very clearly through the gray, flurry of magic that fell around her, Rette felt another magic, slashing like a spill of black ink across her senses. This one was dark, the ill intent of the wielder, ringing clearly despite the distance between her and the person and the magical interference. Rette turned, glancing in the direction it was coming from.

"Do you feel that, Thyme?" Rette asked.

Thyme hissed her answer, the fur along her long tail, puffing up. Rette felt the same way. The feeling of the magic was icky. It made her skin crawl.

"Whoever it is, it's not one of our own. We have to find Erza and can't get caught up in a battle now. Come on, Thyme. Let's leave before whoever it is, notices us." Rette told the cat.

Rette and Thyme both jumped from the tree limb, both using their magic to sprout wings. They took off in the opposite direction of the icky-feeling magic, flying between tree tops. It was then that the ground started rumbling. Rette and Thyme rose up above the trees to get a look. Around them, what looked like legs, were rising out of the ground, all converging on the spot where the pillar of light rose from the earth. As Rette watched, a ruined city rose from the earth on long legs like that of a spiders. It was outlined by the setting sun, the growing darkness making Rette feel even more danger in the air.

"Is that...the final form of Nirvana?" Rette asked, staring at it.

Thyme shivered once, sharing Rette's horror at the sight of the thing. Rette gave her head a shake. Now was not the time to space out.

"Come on, Thyme. The others will need us." Rette said.

Across the woodlands, hanging from a ledge on the side of the spider-like city, Erza held on for dear life with one hand, the other clutched tightly around the hand of Jellal.

"Cancel the self-destruction magic that you cast on yourself." Erza demanded, looking down at Jellal.

Jellal, who upon being revived, had found his memories missing, stared up at her in surprise. He didn't understand her insistence that he live.

"Your duty is to live. Even if you're ugly...or weak...fight for your dear life." Erza told him.

Erza managed to swing a leg up onto the ledge, pulling herself up. Once she was up, she turned back to Jellal, yanking him up too. Not that he helped her much.

"I...couldn't stop Nirvana." Jellal said. "It's...all over..."

"It's not over yet...look." Erza told him, gesturing to one of the large leg-like extensions holding up the city.

Jellal followed her gesture and could just barely make out Natsu, Gray, and Lucy, climbing their way up the leg, refusing to give up even when it seemed hopeless.

"We'll never give up." Erza told Jellal. "Because we will always be connected through hope. Live and see the future with your own eyes. Jellal."

Jellal stared at her in shock as she smiled at him. Erza offered him her hand and he took it, letting her pull him to his feet.

"Erza!"

Erza and Jellal looked up, Erza smiling when she saw Rette and Thyme come into view, the two soaring through the air with ease. Rette had a bruise on one cheek and there was dried blood on her shoulders and hair from the cut on her shoulder blades, but else wise, she looked fine. It looked like both Rette and Thyme had been able to avoid a lot of damage. Rette came to a halt before them, almost screeching to a stand still, when her eyes landed on Jellal. Her expression never changed, but Erza could feel the tension coming off the girl.

"Rette, don't attack him!" Erza told her quickly.

"I'm not going to."

Erza, surprised, stared at Rette who finally turned her eyes from Jellal to her. Thyme didn't seem to happy with Rette's choice, but Rette seemed calm, if not tense.

"I know if you're standing here with him on peaceful terms then there is a reason for it. Not to mention that he was the one that freed me from the chains the Oracion Sies had me in. I'm inclined to both trust your judgement and give you a chance to explain it to me." Rette told her.

Erza heaved a relieved sigh and gave Rette a grateful nod. It still surprised her how level headed Rette could be at times.

"Now, can Thyme and I give you two a ride to the top? Would save you a whole lot of climbing." Rette said.

Erza and Jellal looked up at the distance between where they stood and the top. It would be quite a climb. To have Rette and Thyme fly them would cut down the amount of time they would have to spend to get to the center.

"Thank you, Rette." Erza told her.

Rette shrugged her shoulders indifferently and flew behind Erza, hooking her arms under Erza's to lift her off the ground. She was suddenly grateful for all the training Erza had been putting her through. Else wise, Erza would have been too heavy with all the armor on. Thyme took hold of Jellal, lifting the man easily. Making sure they both had a good grip, the two flew off towards the top. Just as they did, the thing started moving, the leg-like extensions carrying the city at the center, forward.

Rette was not looking forward to setting foot on the thing.

Along the way to the top, Erza explained to Rette how Jellal had lost his memories and had tried to destroy Nirvana by placing a self-destruct spell on both Nirvana and himself. She told Rette how Brain had come along and broke the spell, taking control of Nirvana.

"I see. But wouldn't that be a good thing? Jellal losing his memories, I mean." Rette asked.

"How so?" Erza asked, Jellal looking at them.

"Well, think about it. Without his memories, his personality has certainly taken a change for the better. I can't say I was too fond of the Jellal that tried to choke me to death." Rette said.

Jellal looked down, feeling just a little worse. Rette though, waved a dismissive hand about the whole thing.

"Don't feel bad. You aren't the only man who's grabbed me by the throat like that and I'm on somewhat good terms with the other. My point is that it's kind of like...a clean slate. He can start over, right his wrongs, and build a better, brighter future. I, for one, am willing to give him the chance to atone for his sins." Rette said.

"Too forgiving." Thyme said in one of her rare moments of speaking.

"Perhaps so, but sometimes forgiveness is the only thing standing between a person destroying everything and that same person saving the world. I would rather save than destroy." Rette replied.

Ironic considering she couldn't forgive a lot of things from her past.

Jellal stared at Rette in open shock, but Erza just smiled. Rette was oblivious to a lot of things but when it came to things like this, her simple outlook on things, was sometimes the most wise. Rette never really over thought things like that. Just like she had forgiven Laxus, she was willing to forgive Jellal. Only, though, if he was willing to change for the better and atone for his crimes. In this case, Erza was inclined to agree with Rette.

"Well put, Rette." Erza said.

"I'm not always oblivious. I just don't make it a point in showing how observant I can be. It can be rather trying." Rette replied.

They finally cleared the side of the moving city. Rette and Thyme spiraled down, finding a solid road to set Erza and Jellal down on before landing themselves. Rette instantly stumbled, her stomach feeling like it was going to turn over and turn inside out when she felt the vibrations of the moving city. Erza took hold of her arm to keep her on her feet.

"Are you alright, Rette? Your face went green." Erza asked.

"I'll be fine. Just give me a moment to get my stomach under control. The jerky vibrations of this thing went straight to my stomach." Rette replied, feeling a little green.

"You get motion sick?" Jellal asked.

"I can preform Nexus magic and combine magic on my own, something unheard of in the world, but yes, I get motion sick. It's utterly pitiful." Rette said.

Erza smiled at the kind-of-sort-of sarcastic retort from Rette. Erza explained Nexus magic to a confuse Jellal while they gave Rette a moment to pull herself together. After a few minutes of telling herself that the city was not a vehicle, after repeating that over and over, Rette was able to calm her stomach enough to push on. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep from getting queezy though. She felt sick to her stomach, they still had four members of Oracion Sies to take down, and now had to stop this walking city.

It was going to be a long night.

END

Kyandi: I would hate to have motion sickness.

Rette: It sucks.

Kyandi: I imagine so.

Rette: Boats are the worst.

Kyandi: Now, on that, I agree. I get sea sick.

Rette: It's awful.

Kyandi: Yep. Anyway, everyone give me a few hours and I should have one more chapter done for you before I head off on my trip. So enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back in a few hours.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	20. Drowning in Memories

Kyandi: We're back! This will be my last chapter before I leave for my family trip.

Rette: We hope it will be enough to tide you over until we return.

Kyandi: I must warn all of you, in this chapter, you get a glimpse of another side of Rette and get to see that under that indifference, she's just as human as everyone else and has her fair share of demons.

Rette: I don't want to discuss demons.

Kyandi: I'm sure you don't. So everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 20 Drowning in Memories

"Do you have any news of the others?"

Erza looked back at Rette. Despite looking like she was ill to her stomach, Rette was keeping up with Erza and Jellal. Thyme was sitting on her shoulder, ready to fly Rette up off Nirvana if Rette needed a moment to collect herself.

"I and Thyme separated from Lucy, Hibiki, Carla, Wendy, and Happy when you ran off. While searching for you, I came across Ren and Eve, but they were down for the count. Since I haven't heard anything from him, I'm assuming that Hibiki is too. On my way up to this thing, I saw Lyon and Cherie with a defeated Racer. I saw Natsu, Lucy, and Gray on my way up. And Jura was clinging to one of the legs along side Hoteye from Oracion Sies. As for where Ichiya, Carla, Wendy, and the other members of Oracion Sies are...I don't know. I assume Happy's with Natsu by now." Rette replied, her eyes shifting around them.

Being naturally mistrusting, Rette hadn't let her guard down for a moment. She was warily looking around them, keeping an eye on their rear.

"Good job, Rette." Erza told her.

Rette hummed her acknowledgement, but something else obviously had her attention. She was acting more iffy than usual. It was like she knew danger was lurking just around the corner.

"You seem uninjured for the most part." Erza said.

"I still have the gash on my back from Brain's attack and a couple of other minor bumps and bruises. When I was captured I had been strung up by my wrist the whole time and my hands had been pretty done for, but Wendy healed them. The rest, I can live with. According to Natsu, the Oracion Sies had several of the dark guilds under their command, spread throughout the woodlands, but I only ran into a couple dozen members. Most were already pretty beat up. I do have a whole new slew of Conductor Crystals at my disposal, now, though." Rette replied.

Erza balked at the idea. Rette liked her Conductor Crystals just a little too much. The thought that she now had a new batch of unknown spells at her disposal, was a troubling thought and an even more troubling thing for any opponent going up against her. Jellal raised an eyebrow as he looked at Erza, silently asking what a Conductor Crystal was.

"Its a spell of hers that uses her Crystallization magic to absorb and seal away magical attacks from others. Rette can then release the seal on the crystal later and use the spell within however she sees fit." Erza told Jellal.

Erza turned to look at Rette while Jellal balked at the idea. Should a strong enough spell be thrown Rette's way...that would be quite the weapon in the girl's hands.

"Your magic energy level?" Erza asked.

"I've had to use a bit of my magic, but I've had more time to recover than the others. I'm running at about ninety percent." Rette replied.

Erza nodded. Some of Rette's spells could come in handy later on. Jellal glanced back at Rette, eyeing her expressionless face. She didn't seem like much to the unobservant eye, but appearances weren't always as they seemed. He could sense a depth of magic in her, a sly cleverness in her eyes, that was completely different from the aloof air she had about her. He had a feeling that she could handle more than she let on. Rette caught him looking at her and arched an eyebrow at him. Jellal turned his gaze forward and Rette shrugged her shoulders.

A sudden explosion brought the three of them to a stop, making them turn and in look in the direction they thought it might have come from. Rette was sure it wasn't caused by Natsu on a rampage, but something else caught her attention. The same, dark, icky magic she had sensed out in the woodlands, suddenly appeared behind her, making her skin crawl.

"What was that explosion just now?" Erza asked, Rette not listening.

"It was from the direction of the King's Room." Jellal replied.

Rette started looking around them, turning on the spot to search behind them. She froze when her eyes landed on the man approaching them from behind. It was definitely Midnight and he was grinning in a way that sent an electrical chill down her spine. Thyme hissed in warning just before Midnight spoke, drawing Jellal's and Erza's attention to him too.

"Father is so nasty to take my enjoyment away from me." Midnight remarked. "You guys are the last prey left for me. Let's have fun."

Midnight's eyes scanned the small group. Rette tensed, readying herself for the fight she knew was coming. But Jellal stepped in front of Rette and Erza, extending one arm in front of them. Rette turned her eyes to Jellal in surprise.

"Please stay back, Erza, Rette." Jellal told them.

"Jellal." Erza said lowly.

"You can't. If you are at anything less than a hundred percent, which I know you are because I can sense your magic, then he'll rip into you. I've seen the damage these guys can do, I can feel the depth of his power. If he's one of the last ones standing, then he's one of the strongest." Rette told Jellal.

The smirk Midnight leveled in Jellal's direction had another icky chill crawling over her skin. Without a doubt, the guy was a creeper if he managed to creep her out. Jellal looked back at Rette, giving her a thin smile. He obviously wasn't going to back down. Rette knew it was going to end horrible...and it did. In the condition he was in, Midnight took Jellal down with one hit.

"Poor clown. You forgotten how to use magic as well as your memory?" Midnight questioned.

Erza stared, wide eyed at the scene before her, as Jellal struggled to get to his feet. Rette had warned him and he hadn't listened. Why didn't people ever listen to her?

"Huh. Are you still alive?" Midnight asked, looking down at Jellal. "You know, I want to see your frightened face."

Rette took one step forward, ready to jump in and help if she could. Erza laid a hand on her arm, holding her back, her eyes fixed on Midnight, same as Rette's. Thyme bristled where she sat on Rette's shoulder. Rette was unsteady, her stomach rolling, but she would fight. Erza glanced at her. She couldn't let Rette into the fight when the girl was unsteady on her feet. Rette's head whipped around to face Erza when the woman suddenly shot forward, sword in hand.

Midnight turned to face her but didn't lift a finger to stop Erza. Erza swung her sword...only for it to jerk to the side to miss Midnight. Both Erza's and Rette's eyes went wide. Rette had seen this type of magic before!

"Is it already the time for the main dish? Erza Scarlet." Midnight said, almost as if he was taunting her.

"Erza, get away from him! He's too dangerous!" Jellal yelled.

Rette though, was watching Midnight. He never lift a finger and no matter how many swords Erza used or how many time she tried to strike him, the sword always changed direction. Rette had a good idea on what kind of magic he was using. Rette took a step forward, her right hand curling back over her shoulder. It pulled at the gash on her back, making her wince for a moment, but she pushed the pain away. Using her Crystallization magic, she formed a sword out of crystals. Thyme, seeing what she was aiming for, jumped from her shoulders.

Erza turned a sharp, surprised look on Rette as she threw the crystal sword, launching it like a dagger. Just like with Erza's attacks, the sword swerved missing Midnight completely. Rette's eyes widened in enlightenment. She knew it! She never missed when throwing a blade. To miss now...there was only one type of magic she could think of that could do that without any noticeable shields.

"I knew it." Rette breathed. "I know exactly what kind of magic you use and the weaknesses behind it. It's Reflector magic. It's weakness-"

Midnight's eyes widened slightly at her declaration. With a swipe of his hand, he hit her hard with spell that whipped a vine of dark colored magic at her. It whipped her up off the ground and sent her flying back into the buildings further down the road where she landed with a crash, smoking bellowing up.

"Rette!" Erza cried.

Thyme, her paws flying in a flustered and concerned gesture, took off after Rette, her eyes wide. She vanished over the roof tops in search of Rette. Midnight, smirk back in place, turned back to face Erza as she attacked him in retaliation of his treatment of Rette. Midnight raised a hand, knocking her back. Then, right before Erza's eyes, her armor began to twist and distort, wrapping around her body and nearly choking her. Erza broke free to Midnight's surprise and quickly requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor.

"I see. So that's the nature of your magic." Erza remarked, now seeing what Rette had been trying to say.

"Indeed. My magic, Reflector, has the power to twist and distort anything. If can deflect incoming magic back the way it came and by warping the path of light, it can even be used to create illusions." Midnight said.

"Here goes nothing." Erza said, attacking again.

"Did you not hear me? Your magic cannot make contact with me, remember? No matter what your comrade said, there are no weaknesses." Midnight declared.

Using dozens upon dozens of swords at once, Erza attacked Midnight from all angles, trying to find an opening, but all reflected away from Midnight and back at Erza. Erza, with the skill she had picked up over the years, easily swatted them all to the side. Midnight then simply distorted her armor about her one more. Erza cried out in pain.

"More...I want to see more agony upon your face." Midnight said, licking his lips as he wrung more cries from her. "That face is wonderful."

Even twisted up and bound, Erza managed to move enough to throw a sword at him. Midnight dodged it, letting it pass harmlessly over his left shoulder. He retaliated with his Spiral Pain spell, sending Erza crumpling to the ground.

"Please, don't go dying just yet, Erza. I'd like you to entertain me until we reach Cait Shelter." Midnight told the unconscious Erza.

"Cait Shelter?" Jellal asked.

"The first of our destinations." Midnight confirmed.

"Why...target Cait Shetler?" Jellal asked.

Midnight glanced over his shoulder at Jellal, a grin curling his lips.

"Nirvana was created many ages ago, by a race who wished to put an end to war. The Nirvit. However, Nirvana turned out to be far more dangerous than tey had imagined. As such, they sealed away the magic they had created with their own hands. Fearing the evil uses to which it could be put, they continued to watch over the seal over the decades and centuries. A guild made up entirely of the descendants of the Nirvit race...that is Cait Shelter." Midnight explained.

Jellal was shocked. He had never known that Cait Shelter was made up of the descendants of the race that had made Nirvana.

"They posses the power to seal Nirvana away once more. As such, they must be destroyed. After all, we would not want this glorious power sealed away once more, now, would we? This power that will allow us to cast the entire world into chaos! And this will also serve the function of teaching them a lesson. Throwing the Nirvit, who always clung to neutrality, into war. With the power of Nirvana, we will turn their hearts to darkness and have them slaughter one another! Isn't it simply thrilling!?" Midnight exclaimed as if he was on a high.

"You disgusting..." Jellal muttered, his disgust with Midnight making him trail off.

"Oh, stop trying to act the righteous man, Jellal. You yourself are filled with nothing but darkness. You are a foul, depraved, and evil man." Midnight replied.

"Th...that's not true..." Jellal said, trying to deny it.

"Oh, but it is! You forced children to labor under your command! Killed your own comrade...tried to kill even Erza! How many people do you imagine you have cast into misery? How many people have succumbed to terror and wept tears of anguish thanks to your actions? Join us, Jellal. You would make a wonderful member of the six." Midnight said, offering Jellal a spot in the Oracion Sies.

"If anyone is the foul, depraved, and evil man, it is you, not Jellal."

Midnight's eyes shifted from Jellal to the sky over head. There he found Rette floating in the air, dragon-like wings of light sprouting from her back. There wasn't a single new scratch on her and her expression was still blank. Midnight's eyes narrowed. This girl didn't know to stay down, did she? But that was good. It just meant more entertainment for him. Thinking about what pained expressions he could wring from her, had him licking his lips once more.

It had Rette feeling positive that he was a creeper.

Midnight turned to face her, ready for act two of his entertainment. He hoped this girl lasted longer than Erza did.

"Rette, run!" Jellal yelled at her,

But Rette wouldn't. One of her guild mates, one of her friends, was hurt and it was Midnight's fault. Rette wouldn't let that slide. She wouldn't let his insult of Jellal slide either. Jellal was torn up enough about all he had done. Midnight didn't need to add his two jewel worth in. Rette landed lightly on her feet, refusing to acknowledge the way her stomach instantly turned the moment her feet were back on the moving Nirvana. She wouldn't let motion sickness knock her down right now.

"You are wrong about him. Whatever he may have done in the past, there is nothing but light in his future. The sins of his past can be forgotten and forgiven, if those around him are willing. When he awoke with no memories, he awoke a new man, and I, for one, will not hold his past actions against him. Everyone makes mistakes. It's just human nature. His future has nothing but light." Rette said. "Right...Erza?"

Rette turned to look back at Erza, turning attention to Erza as she pushed herself up to her knees. Erza raised a stubborn gaze.

"I know of the light that dwells within you, Jellal. Rette is right." Erza agreed.

Rette nodded, more to herself than to anything. She met Erza's gaze then. Erza knew what words were going to come out of Rette's mouth next. It was becoming a thing for Rette.

"Rest a bit, Erza. I handle him for a while." Rette told her guild mate.

Erza chuckled. She knew if anyone could give another person hell, could waste their time, drive them up the wall, and manage to bounce back from any injury...it was Rette. The girl was too stubborn to be knocked down and die.

"Got it." Erza said.

Rette nodded and turned to face Midnight.

"Oh? It is your turn to offer me entertainment?" Midnight asked her.

"If you think you can scare me into giving you the screams your twisted mind wants, you're sadly mistaken. I've faced down a man far scarier than you before. You...you are nothing." Rette told him.

Midnight grit his teeth and swiped out an arm, casting his Spiral Pain spell once more. The vortex wrapped around Rette, but not a single cry of pain sounded, making Midnight frown. When the spell faded, he found Rette, untouched, swiping her hair out of her face.

"How?" Midnight demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Rette retorted.

She wasn't going to tell him that it was her Pressure Armor spell. She really didn't feel like having him use her own crystal to strangle the life out of her. Just in case he caught on and tried to use it against her, Rette released the spell. Midnight still had that sick grin of his in place despite the fact that his last two attacks hadn't hurt her.

More and more, he was reminding her of **him**. The reminder made her more sick to her stomach than the motion sickness did. It made her feel like something slimy was crawling over her skin, made her feel like curling up into a corner and never moving.

Rette hated that feeling.

Before she knew it she was walking towards him, her hands curling into fists at her side. As she neared him, one of Midnight's eyebrows shot up.

"You...everything about you, right down to that sick puppy smirk on your face...its all just like **him**. It makes me sick to my stomach." Rette remarked, her tone still indifferent.

But there were so many indicators that Rette was anything but indifferent. To Jellal and Erza, the way her fists curled, the way the words came out of her mouth, the set of her mouth, the sharpness of her eyes, they knew...Rette wanted to kill something. Midnight just happened to be right in front of her. Midnight, as if catching on to it too, smirked even wider, making Rette's spine snap straight as a rod.

"Then do something about it." Midnight challenged, laughing in her face.

Rette opened her mouth to say something in retort but found herself being wrapped up in Midnight's Spiral Pain spell once more. This time, the thing cut, wrapping her whole body in pain. The pain did nothing but make the memory of **that man** set in even more. It tossed Rette so deep into her memories that she could have almost sworn she could hear the dying screams, feel the blade sinking deep into her gut, all over again. It had her sinking her nails into her scalp, her teeth grinding together.

No!

No, she couldn't let the memory sweep her away. She had gone all these years, bottling those up tight and shoving them down deep. Now wasn't the time to uncork that bottle of pain and torment, to emotionally unravel. Especially not in front of Midnight who would have found some sick, twisted pleasure in it. Rette set her jaw against the scream about to break free, swallowing it back down. She refused to give in to his sick games, refused to be broken again. She had done that before and all it had gotten her was pain and misery.

Never again.

She would deal with Midnight, would take out a bit of her anger and frustration while she was at it. She would not lose to a ghost of the past.

She had been looking for a chance to test her new Unison spell.

He wasn't hearing screams yet, but Midnight vowed to yank them from her if he had to. She was going to be a challenge and that gave him a sick sense of pleasure. Her cries would be the sweetest when he finally pulled them from her. Just then, his vortex lit up with a red-purple light and then, as if something inside had exploded, the vortex unraveled, dispersing with an outward gust. Standing there in the center of what had once been the vortex, was not Rette.

Not as they had ever seen her.

Much like Mira when she used her Satan Soul, Rette's appearance had change, clothes and all. Her clothes had been changed for a red-purple, strapless body suit. The legs of which were shorts so short they barely covered the curve of her butt. The neck line plunged straight down to her belly button, baring the inside curve of her breasts. The top of the neck line was held close by a single buckle, a single, red-purple crystal hanging from the buckle, right between her breast. The back of it was open, a large oval cut out to bare the curve of her spine. The ribbon choker with it's charm still sat around her neck, red-purple crystal earrings hung from her ears, and decorative, black ribbons twisted up her arms to tie into big bows at her biceps.

Scales climbed up the sides of her face from her neck, where they curled down to skim along her collar bones. More scales crawled down her arms and over her thighs. They led down over her calves to her ankles, where they turned into clawed, three toed feet. The scales on her wrists faded into claws hands. Red-purple crystals covered her skin, slashing over her cheeks like claw marks, sleeking her hair back from her face, making it spike away from the back of her head, and forming a crown about her head from which sprouted curled horns so sharp looking, they could put iron spikes to shame. The crystals covered her feet and hands, adding sharpness to already sharp claws, curled in over her stomach like clawed fingers, and forming spikes along her shoulders.

A long, whip-like tail had sprouted from the base of her spin, crystals forming spikes along it. Black, bat-like wings sprouted from the bottom of her shoulder blades, stretching out behind her before folding into her back. It looked like some of her veins had turned back on various, almost random parts of her body adding a sinister look to her, and her incisors and the first few teeth behind them, had sharped into fangs. Her lips had been painted the same red-purple as the crystals all over her body and her eyes were even more vivid in their color thanks to the deep black circles that had formed around her eyes.

"Rette...?" Erza said lowly, shocked.

Rette glanced back at her and turned back around.

"I had Mira teach me Take Over magic. I then combined the Satan Soul I learned with my Crystallization magic to come up with this. It's called Satan Crystallite." Rette said, her voice obtaining a doubled quality.

Everything about her had gone from pleasantly, if not annoyingly, indifferent, to creepily sinister. Even the air about her seemed to have changed.

"This...is the power of Nexus magic?" Jellal voiced more to himself.

Rette shifted in her form, testing out how it felt, flexing claws, her tail flicking slowly, back and forth. Jellal stared at Rette's new form, Midnight taken aback for a moment. Even Erza was shocked. Rette fixed her eyes on Midnight then. Before he could react, Rette shot forward with speed she hadn't previously possessed. But it didn't matter to him. No magic could touch hi-

Midnight cut off in mid thought as Rette's fist hit him square in the jaw, hitting with enough force to knock him back. He landed hard on his back, sliding a feet yards. He was shocked that she had landed a hit. He sat up, staring at Rette wide eyed as she straightened herself, knuckles cracking as she flexed her fingers.

"That's one weakness of Reflector magic. You might be able to reflect magic thrown at you, but it does nothing to a physical attack, to the human body. Since Satan Crystallite transforms my form, the magic becomes a part of my physical being. Meaning...you can't distort or twist it." Rette said.

Jellal was shocked, but Erza just smiled. She knew Rette would know. Rette made it a point to learn as much as she could about various types of magic. It was no shock to Erza that Rette knew about this magic too.

"Meaning...I can hit and claw you to my hearts content. Since you find it funny that you remind me of a very unpleasant person in my past, I'll be more than happy to do just that." Rette said, flexing her claws to accent her point.

He could go ahead and try to refract her clothing, but there was so little of it left that he wouldn't be able to do any real damage without leaving her completely naked. Rette wouldn't let him get that far. Looking up at her, in that demonic form, her face cold and expressionless, her eyes hard as diamonds, the ill intent towards Midnight rolling off her in dark waves...there was no mistaking how dark her feelings had turned.

Midnight jumped to the side to avoid her next attack, her claws slicing through stone. Rette turned on him, but before her eyes...he vanished. It was another aspect of his Reflector magic. With his magic, he was able to refract the light around him, becoming invisible to the naked eye. Invisible or not, Rette did have the nose of a Dragon Slayer. She might not be able to track him by magical sensing thanks to the magic discharged into the air by Nirvana, but he had a scent strong enough for her to follow.

Rette whipped around, shooting forward and slashing out with her claws at the same time. The crystal reinforced claws sliced through the building directly in front of her. From the smoke, Midnight emerged, sliding across the ground but managing to remain on his feet. Bits of stone crumbled around Rette as she yanked her hand free of the building side and straightened her back, her wings shifting.

Midnight shot her a glare as she straightened herself, claws flexing and fingers popping. Erza stared in surprise at Rette. She had obviously been logging the man hours since her defeat at Laxus' hands. She hadn't been kidding when she had said that she wanted to get stronger. But it wasn't just that. Something, something deep in Rette, had seemed to snap a little when she had been confronted with Midnight. Something fundamental in her mental state. Looking in Rette's eyes, Erza couldn't find a single hint of the clever, sharp mind that was always evident in her eyes, no matter her expression.

Right now, her eyes were just...empty.

Cold and empty.

It was like Rette couldn't find the heart, the will power to muster up a single emotion at the moment. She was just running on sheer need to destroy. Then Rette's earlier words to Midnight resurfaced in Erza's mind. _"You...everything about you, right down to that sick puppy smirk on your face...its all just like_ _ **him**_ _. It makes me sick to my stomach."_

Rette...was she...remembering something from her past? Whatever it was, Rette was reacting badly to it. She was trying to bottle it up and wasn't succeeding in doing anything but fueling a destruction deep in herself.

Midnight, himself, was feeling a mix of annoyance and thrilling pleasure. She was a challenge, but at the same time, she was an annoyance. She attacked with no hesitation, like a starving predator hunting it's prey. Her expression was empty, right down to her eyes, as if she remained unfazed by anything.

A statue that felt nothing but coldness.

For someone who found pleasure and amusement at another's suffering, at the chaos around him, he could spy another person filled with darkness, like himself.

This girl may use light magic, but her soul and heart was tainted with the dark.

Somehow though, even so close to Nirvana, she was managing to keep herself together. Like something was driving her, deep inside. A purpose that she couldn't deny, no matter how she felt or what was happening around her.

"Did I forget to mention that I'm a Dragon Slayer?" Rette asked.

From the shocked look on Erza's face, Jellal gathered that not even Erza knew that bit of information. If Rette could muster up the will to care, she might have been a little frustrated that not even Erza had noticed.

"It's not a magic I like to use, but it comes with some perks. One of which is an enhanced sense of smell. Remain invisible if you want. No matter where you run, you cannot hide from me." Rette added.

Yet another challenge. It put a grin on Midnight's face. One of her hand twitching at the sight of it, her claws unconsciously flexing. That grin...that God forsaken grin. Rette's urge to destroy, grew. Next to Erza, Thyme's paws twisted into her dress. She could sense the twisting torrent of thoughts and feelings in Rette. Knew that everything Midnight did that reminded her of that one hated person in her past, sent Rette spiraling deeper into a bottomless pit of pitch black, cold destruction. At this rate, Rette would snap completely.

Only one thing, two simple words repeating over and over in her head, kept her together, kept her fighting to remain calm and together. Bouncing around in her head, repeating again and again, like it was the only two words that she knew.

 _Fairy Tail...Fairy Tail...Fairy Tail...Fairy Tail..._

Only her guild, her new found home, was keeping her together when the memories threatened to drown her alive.

Midnight and Rette clashed, again and again. One would attack, the other would defend, and they would switch off. Rette, when hit, would lock her jaw, refusing to let a single sound leave her lips, knowing he would only find enjoyment in her cries of pain. Another punch across Midnight's face and Rette started wondering if she had knocked him silly when he started laughing. He dragged the back of one hand across his mouth, wiping away some blood from where she had busted his lip.

"You're really getting on my nerves." he told Rette.

And that was something to laugh about!?

Rette didn't get it. Usually when she got on someone's nerves, they were mad about it. They didn't laugh like it amused them. Maybe she **had** knocked him silly with one of her hits. That or all male dark mages had a lot of loose screws in their heads.

She was willing to go with the latter.

The silent musing pulled her mind a little out of the darkness it had been falling into. Made her feel a little more like herself. Just enough for her to pull together reasonable thoughts. When her memories surfaced, when someone, like Midnight, reminded her so much of her past, she lost all reasonable thought. Her conscious spiraled down into that dark pit. She needed to pull herself out of it.

"Well, that's a shame. And here I thought I had met someone twisted enough to actually enjoy my hissing and spitting. I suppose you're no different from every other man I've fought against...annoying to your very bones." Rette said indifferently.

Unlike Laxus, who had previously gotten annoyed when she called him annoying, Midnight just shrugged it off. Rette knew then...she needed to come up with better insults.

"Well here's something that's about to really get on your nerves." Rette said.

Midnight raised an eyebrow at her. Rette pointed into the distance.

"We're almost to Cait Shelter. At this rate...you'll never finish with me before arriving." Rette pointed out.

The grin on Midnight's face vanished. Score one for Rette. He turned a glare on her and Rette spread her arms, as if silently saying, "Can you blame me for wanting to be spiteful?". Apparently...he could. Midnight twisted one hand and the ribbons on Rette's arms twisted and wrapped around her, binding her arms to her side. Rette looked down at the ribbons and then raised her head to look at Midnight. She raised one eyebrow as if saying, "You've got to be kidding me.". Midnight grinned at her.

Okay...two could the spiteful game.

Maybe Rette should show him what it was like to be cold.

"Want to know the second weakness of your magic?" Rette asked idly.

Midnight's grin faded, but he raised a questioning eyebrow, silently asking what she thought was the second weakness of his magic.

"This..." Rette took a deep breath. "Ice Dragon's Roar!"

A pale blue-white, icy blast shot from Rette's mouth and since he was distorting the ribbons around her, he couldn't distort the space around him to save himself from the head on attack. It hit him hard, wringing a pained noise from him. Personally, Rette hated being cold and, thus, she had shied away from the Ice Dragon Slayer magic her adoptive father had taught her from the very beginning. She had relied more on the Crystal Dragon Slayer magic.

But she swore...that was the last Dragon Slayer magic she was going to use if she could help it. Rette turned her claws on the ribbons, shredding them to get free. The claws sliced through the ribbons like hot knives through butter. She turned her eyes to Midnight who was on his knees, ice coating parts of his skin.

"You can only refract one space at a time. Either the space around you, or around your enemy. Evident in the fact that when you twisted Erza's armor and she threw a sword at you, you dodged instead of refracting it. Next time you want to bind me, you might want to go with something a little more resilient than silk ribbons." Rette told him.

Midnight's eyes went wide. Jellal was pleasantly impressed with Rette. Erza was gald to see that that cunning light was returning to Rette's eyes. If only slightly. Midnight slammed his hands into the ground.

"Shit...I was almost there..." Midnight growled.

"Everyone has weaknesses. You just lucked out in the fact that I knew your's." Rette told him.

Midnight raised his head and a chill shot down Rette's spine when she saw the insane smirk on his face. What the hell was he planning now.

"It's a shame. I like you, would have kept you." Midnight remarked.

Excuse him...kept her? **Kept her!?** Had he really just pulled that. Rette's form started shaking with the repressed need to claw his face off.

"That being said...if you had died a bit earlier, you wouldn't have had to see this fear." Midnight added.

Fear?

What fear?

Rette hated fear.

Rette glanced around her, looking for a source when a chime started sounding in the air. It rung off twelve strikes and Rette had a feeling that meant that it was midnight.

"At midnight, my refraction gets to it's peak." Midnight declared.

Rette froze on the spot, her eyes widening as his form seemed to shift before her eyes. His form grew, the man before her turning into a monster that stood at six or seven times her size. Her eyes turned up to his face, his deep, cackling laughter ringing through her. It couldn't be possible. It couldn't!

"I don't care what will happen now!" Midnight declared.

Rette couldn't move her body. She was glue to her spot as he raised one clawed hand and hit her with an attack that blew up the buildings around them. Rette flew back onto her back, Erza, Thyme, and Jellal getting caught up in the blast as well. Three of his fingers extended piercing Rette, Erza, and Jellal. Rette's hit her right in the gut. To Rette it was like the old wound on her stomach had opened all over again, the pain, that hot, yet chilling pain, seaping into every inch of her body.

Memories flood back to her, flashing past her very eyes. The screams, the insane cackle of a laugh, the pain, the bone chilling cold...Rette felt that last thread of reasonable thought snap and her body reacted without her conscious mind to command it. She only idly felt herself surge forward, her claws slashing out.

And then the monster before her faded and was replaced with the shocked face of Midnight, blood rising from the somewhat shallow gashes she had just torn in his chest. The scent of blood hit her nose and Rette's stomach turned, managing to snap her back to herself. Her knees gave, driving her to the ground.

"Erza! Finish it!" Rette called, falling forward to brace her hands on the ground.

Erza shot forward, the illusion not working on her thanks to her fake, right eye. She cut into Midnight, putting a complete end to his illusion. The man shook and, unable to remain standing, fell back onto his back.

"Th...that can't be...I'm suppose to be...the most powerful...even stronger than my father. A mage undefeated by...anyone." he said.

"If you find people's suffering as something to laugh at, then you're still a long ways off from the top. If you don't want to lose to anyone, then you must know your own weaknesses first. And always have kindness." Erza told him.

With Midnight defeated, Erza turned to Rette. Her form was shifting back to it's normal appearance as she released her spell, her long, silver hair falling into her face as she remained on all four. Her breathing was ragged and she was shivering. One hand was wrapped around her stomach, fingers pressing into her own skin so hard that her nails were beginning to cut into her skin. Thyme stood next to Rette, concerned. She reached out to Rette, only to yank her paw back, like she was afraid to touch Rette at the moment.

"Rette?" Erza called out to her.

Rette didn't react, as if she hadn't heard Erza at all. Erza walked over to her side, calling her name again, but still Rette didn't move.

"Rette-"

Erza reached out and touched the girl's shoulder. She cut off in calling the girl when she jerked violent away from her hand, her head flying up. For a moment Erza got a clear look at the emotions playing in Rette's wide eyes. Fear, so much fear, looked back at Erza. Then, as if Rette finally noticed it was Erza, Rette dropped back onto her butt, the tension in her body draining away. She pressed her hand to one side of her face, her finger lacing through her hair.

"Rette? Are you alright?" Erza asked.

"I...I'm fine." Rette replied, schooling her face back into it's indifferent expression.

Even with that expression in place, Erza could see the distant look in her eyes. Rette was still half lost somewhere else in her head. Erza had never seen her like this and she didn't like it. Especially since Rette's fingers were still digging the nails into the scar on her stomach. If she kept that up, then she would draw blood. Erza laid a hand on Rette's back, careful of the scabbed over gash on her shoulder blades, and rubbed circles in her back. With the other hand, she pried Rette's hand away from her stomach. Rette's hand instantly latched onto Erza's, holding it tightly.

Slowly, she completely relaxed, her shoulder sagging and a long breath leaving her on a sigh. It was as if Erza's very presence calmed her. Rette dragged in a deep breath, pressing her eyes closed for a moment. When she opened them, she was completely back to normal. She released Erza's hand and pushed herself to her feet. She was unsteady on her feet but Erza didn't know if that was from the motion sickness or something else.

"I'm fine, really." Rette told Erza.

Erza didn't believe it. Rette might act fine, but there was something seriously messed up darkening the girl's heart. As someone who had lived with her own demons for eight years, letting them rip her apart from the inside, Erza could tell that there were demons inside Rette that had sank their claws deep. Erza found herself asking herself one question about Rette.

What the hell happened to her?

END

Kyandi: Maybe this will give you all a glimpse at why Rette is so distrusting of others and keeps her distance.

Rette: I'm cautious, that's all.

Kyandi: There's a difference in being cautious and not trusting a single thing about you.

Rette: Whatever.

Kyandi: Well, I'm leaving for my family trip now.

Rette: We'll see you in a week.

Kyandi: I will write down things for new chapters when I get the chance, though. So everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Be back in a week.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	21. Doubting Feelings

Kyandi: Hey everyone, I'm back.

Rette: We apologize for taking so long. Someone was procrastinating.

Kyandi: I'm sorry! I'm bad about procrastinating!

Rette: She actually has two more chapters for this story, but is taking her sweet time getting them ready.

Kyandi: I'm working on it, I swear!

Rette: Then shall we move on?

Kyandi: Yes! Everyone, please enjoy and review!

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 21 Doubting Feelings

Erza left Rette to check on Jellal. Thyme drifted around Rette, fretting over the girl even when she insisted that she was fine. Erza knelled next to Jellal as he gripped one arm. His eyes were set on Rette as she heaved a sigh and told Thyme, once again, that she was fine and didn't needed to be fretted over.

"Is she alright?" Jellal asked Erza.

"I don't know."

Jellal turned a questioning look on Erza. The red head was looking at Rette, eyeing her. She seemed to have gotten a hold of herself and was even easily bantering with Thyme as the cat waved her paws like she was silently scolding Rette.

"I've never seen her like that before. Rette...she doesn't react to much. She always has that indifferent look on her face. That was the first time I've seen such cold fear on her face." Erza told him.

Erza shook her head. Whatever was going on with Rette, it was going to have to wait. Nirvana still hadn't been stopped. Erza turned to Jellal, asking if he was alright. He replied that he was fine. Rette turned on them then and came their way. Jellal opened his mouth to thank her for her help, but was cut off when Rette suddenly cuffed him over the head. Shocked, he pressed a hand to his head, staring up at her wide eyed.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"I told you he would rip into you if you were anything less than a hundred percent, didn't I? But did you listen to me? No. You need to learn that when I say things like that, I usually know what I'm talking about. He could have killed you, you know. Treasure your life a bit more will you. You dying would have left me with a crying Erza on my hands. If you make her cry, I **will** hurt you." Rette told him.

He would have called it a stern scolding it if wasn't for the indifferent way in which she said it. Erza was surprised that Rette had hit him let alone scolded him, but then she smiled and laughed. At least she didn't have to worry about Rette holding a grudge against Jellal. Rette gave Jellal a hard glare until he apologized. With a nod in satisfaction, she heaved a sigh and dropped to sit next to him.

"Rette?" Erza asked, concerned that the girl was more hurt than she came off.

"I don't think I can lie to my stomach anymore. If this thing keeps moving, I'm going to be sick." Rette replied, pressing a hand to her stomach.

As comical it was to Erza and Jellal, given what Rette had just gone through without once letting on that she felt sick, Rette ended up getting carried by Thyme as they moved on, Erza supporting Jellal while Rette got her stomach under control.

"That spell, you called it Satan Crystallite, right?" Jellal asked suddenly, looking at Rette.

"Yeah. It's a unison of my Crystallization magic and Take Over magic." Rette told him.

"You're very adept at using it." Jellal told her.

"Actually...that was my first time really using it for an extended period of time."

Jellal and Erza turned wide eyes on Rette. Rette had laid her bets at the feet of a spell that she hadn't even been sure she could control for an extended period of time!? Just what had Rette been thinking? It had turned out for the better, but still...it could have turned out so much worse.

They continued on, stopping now and then to rest. It was during one of those stops that Wendy and Carla found them.

"Jellal!" Wendy called, happy she had finally found him.

"Erza, Rette, and Thyme are with him too!" Carla said.

"Wendy!" Erza called. "So you're alright. Thank goodness."

"Who are you?" Jellal asked Wendy, much to her disappointment.

"Jellal's memories have been damaged somewhat. It seems he doesn't remember any of us right now." Erza said.

"Did I...know you?" Jellal asked, looking at Wendy.

Wendy looked down at her feet, hurt and disappointed that he didn't remember her. Than her attention was snagged by Rette, who currently had her head between her knees.

"Are you alright?" Wendy asked her.

"Motion...sickness..." Rette replied.

"Oh! You get motion sick just like Natsu?" Wendy asked, innocently.

Rette raised her head, a bland look on her face, but it was evident to Erza and Thyme at least that she was not happy with having it pointed out that she got sick just like Natsu when on a moving vehicle. It was a bit of a ridiculous weakness to have. Then again, Rette was scared of the dark and hated being cold, so the motion sickness wasn't that bad.

"Here. I already helped Natsu with his motion sickness. I can help you with your's." Wendy offered.

She cast a spell on Rette that instantly fixed the problem and had Rette's stomach settling down. Rette heaved a relieved sigh, glad that her stomach finally stopped trying to rebel against her.

"Thanks, Wendy." Rette told her.

Wendy nodded, but Carla had a more pressing matter on her mind than Rette's similar weakness with Natsu. She rounded on Jellal, shaking a tiny fisted paw at him.

"I should hope you haven't forgotten how to stop Nirvana on top of everything!" Carla snapped at him.

"The Self-Destruct Array will be no use at this point. I don't know what else to do. I'm sorry." Jellal replied.

"No way..." Wendy said dejectedly.

"Then what is going to happen to our guild!? It's right there...right in front of us!" Carla yelled.

Rette shivered then. All eyes fixed on her just before the ground beneath them began to tremble. Rette could feel the magic building up somewhere on Nirvana. She wasn't sure actually what it was, but Rette was pretty sure that it wasn't going to be good.

"They're not...firing Nirvana!?" Erza exclaimed.

The whole city sudden took a dangerous tilt to one side as something crashed into one of the long legs, throwing Nirvana off as it fired and making it miss it's target. Erza grabbed a hold of Wendy before she could tumble away, and Rette took hold of the back of Jellal's jacket, keeping him from sliding too far away. With the other hand she kept a tight grip on a window sill, keeping her and Jellal in place. Thyme huddled against her chest, holding on tightly and Carla tumbled through the air until she was able to right herself. Rette looked around them, her eyes drawn upward.

"Erza, look." Rette called when everything settled down.

Erza looked at Rette and she pointed upward. Flying over their heads, was a shodily pieced together Christina.

"The magic bomber airship...Christina!" Erza exclaimed.

Hibiki's voice suddenly filled Erza, Rette, and Wendy's heads. Even Jellal, Thyme, and Carla could hear him loud and clear.

"Can you hear me? Anyone? If you're safe, then please respond!"

"Hibiki?" Erza asked.

"Hibiki, you're alright." Rette added.

"Erza? Rette? And Wendy. You're all three safe!" Hibiki said in relief.

Ichiya's voice joined in, declaring that was about as safe as he could be. Rette had a feeling that Ichiya was the kind of man that no matter how much others knocked him down, he would keep coming back. Persistence in human form.

"What's going on here? Surely the Christina was taken down." Erza said.

"Lyon created a make-shift replacement for the broken wings with his magic and we got it airborne through the combined power of Cherie's Doll magic and Ren's Air magic. The attack just now was thanks to Eve's Snow magic." Hibiki explained.

"All of you..." Carla said lowly.

"Thank you, everyone!" Wendy told them, her eyes full of tears.

"Well, that's the deal. I'm afraid we're pretty much all spent. We can't do any more attacking like this." Hibiki said.

In the sky, the airship started falling, the mages on board having a tough time keeping it in the air any longer. Rette and her friends tensed in concern, Wendy's hands flying to her mouth in worry.

"Don't worry about us! Just listen to this, all of you! It took a while, but I finally managed to find the information we need in my Archive! The way to stop Nirvana!" Hibiki declared.

Everyone froze in tense shock. So there was a way. Whatever it intelled, they would have to do it, to stop Nirvana and save those threatened by it.

"Really!?" Erza asked.

"As you've seen, Nirvana has six leg-like structures, right? Well, those legs...are actually values drawing magic up from the earth. The lacrima crystals responsible for controlling the absorption process are positioned around the top of each of the six legs. If you can destroy all six of those crystals at the same time, all of Nirvana's functions will be halted. You can't destroy them one at a time! If you do, the other crystals will just repair the damaged area!" Hibiki explained.

"All of them at once!? But how!?" Erza exclaimed.

"Go figure." Rette retorted, pulling Jellal to his feet. "There's always a catch."

"I'd like to lend a hand with the timing...but I don't think this telepathy is going to hold out much longer. I've uploaded an exact time into each of your heads. I know that you can do this! I believe in you!" Hibiki said, just as the airship crashed into the ground below.

Rette hoped everyone on the ship was alright, but she knew she couldn't go check on them at this time. She would just have to rely on them to live through it. A downward counting clock appeared in Rette's mind, then. From the looks on their faces, one appeared in the others' head as well.

"Twenty minutes?" Wendy asked.

"That's the moment before Nirvana will finish charging for a second shot." Hibiki explained.

"How utterly futile."

A new voice that Rette knew didn't belong to her comrades, joined the conversation, pushing in on their conversation. Obviously, dark mages didn't know what the phrase "private conversation" meant.

"This voice..." Erza said.

"It's that Brain man!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Is he jacking into my telepathy!?" Hibiki asked.

"My name is Zero. I am the master of the Oracion Sies. First, allow me to grant you my compliments. I never dreamed that there would be another in the world who could use Archive. The same magic as Brain. Now hear me! Mages of the light! I will hereby proceed to destroy everything!" Zero announced. "I have begun by destroying three of your comrades. The Dragon Slayer, the ice construction mage, the Celestial mage...oh, and her cat as well."

"Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy." Rette breathed.

"You're lying!" Wendy yelled.

Rette laid a hand on both Wendy's and Erza's shoulders. The two looked at her and Rette gave their shoulders a comforting squeeze. Natsu, like every member of Fairy Tail, was too stubborn to die. Lucy, Gray, and Happy wouldn't go down either. Rette had no doubt in her mind that the four were still alive.

"Now, you spoke of destroying all of the lacrima at once, yes? Well, I myself stand at this moment before one of those lacrima crystals! As long as I am here, you have no hope of destroying them all at once!" Zero said.

With that, Zero bowed out of their communication. It seemed that rudeness was also common among dark mages. Though Rette was pretty sure she wouldn't want a goodbye from Zero, anyway.

"The chances of finding Zero at your destination are one in six...and we should probably assume that only Erza stands a chance at beating him." Hibiki said.

"Wait! We don't have six mages! We don't have the six mages we need to destroy all six lacrima!" Carla exclaimed.

"I...I...can't use destructive magic...I'm sorry..." Wendy said.

Rette pat her head, her head trying to wrap around a solution. Hibiki and those who were on the Christina were out and unless Natsu, Lucy, and Gray got up, that limited their number of working mages to about half of the needed total. Rette's magic was running on the low side, but she was sure she could think of something to destroy her lacrima.

"We have three candidates here. Are there no other mages who are able to move!?" Erza asked.

"You have me, do you not?" came Ichiya's voice.

"That's four. Still not enough." Rette remarked.

"This isn't good...my magic is almost...gone completely...I can't...hold the connection." Hibiki said.

"We need two more, at least! Somebody, respond! Quickly!" Erza pleaded.

"Gray...get up already. You're a proud apprentice of Ur, aren't you? You can't lose to these scum." Lyon said through the connection.

"Lucy...I honestly can't stand you. Acting so full of yourself just because you're a little cute. You're stupid, and clumsy, and weak, and yet...Yet you always...always put your all into everything." Cherie called. "How can I hate you if you die? That would leave a terrible after taste...so respond, why don't you!?"

"Natsu...I know you can hear me. I refuse to believe for a second that you're dead. Your head is just as thick as Gajeel's and he has iron in his skull. Get up already! Your guild, your friends, and everyone else are in danger and need your help. I thought mages of Fairy Tail didn't give up!" Rette called out. "Can you hear us, or not!?"

Silence stretched for a moment and Rette wondered if maybe he couldn't hear them. Then...

"Sure we can! We can hear you."

Natsu's voice sounded clear over the connection. Relief filled all of them as Gray, Lucy, and Happy spoke up as well. Even Rette heaved a relieved sigh at hearing their voices.

"Th...this connection won't last...much longer...I've transmitted a map into all of your heads. Each...of the lacrima...is marked with a number...before the connection breaks...each of you decide on a number." Hibiki told them.

"Number one!" Natsu said instantly, claiming the first one.

Rette had a good idea on why. Even with Nirvana's magic running interference with her ability to sense other magic, she could still sense enough to know...Zero was at the number one lacrima. Natsu, understandably, wanted revenge and Rette had no doubt in her mind that he would get it. The guy was a hard headed, stubborn one when it came to defending what he deemed his. It was one of the qualities about him that Rette really admired. Gray instantly claimed number two, Lucy taking three.

"I shall handle number four! The perfume tells me that it is the closest to my location!" Ichiya piped in.

"No, that would be the map in your head." Rette retorted.

"Was there really a need to be so blunt?" Ichiya asked.

"Obviously you don't know me. There's **always** a need to be blunt." Rette replied indifferently.

Erza smiled when Ichiya groaned. Even in a crisis like this, Rette found the time to squeeze in a couple of sarcastic retorts. It went a ways to relaxing all of them so they weren't about to snap.

"I'll handle number five." Erza declared.

"Erza!? You're alright now!?" Natsu asked.

"Yes. Thanks to a certain someone." Erza replied.

"Then I'll-"

Jellal was cut off when Rette popped a hand over his mouth. He looked down at her in questioning but Rette just pressed a finger to her lips, silently telling him to be quiet for the moment. Erza nodded in agreement with Rette's judgment.

"You'll take number six." Erza told Jellal.

"There's someone else there? Who was that just now!?" Natsu demanded.

Instead of answering him, Erza lowered her voice and told Jellal that since Natsu didn't know about everything and still thought of Jellal as an enemy, that Jellal should be quiet until the connection was cut. Natsu tried to demand an answer, but the connection finally did drop, leaving him without an answer. Rette listened for a few moments before she removed her hand from Jellal's mouth.

"I think the connection dropped. You're good to speak now." Rette said.

"I heavily suspect Zero is at lacrima number one." Erza remarked.

"Oh, I know he is."

Wendy, Erza, Jellal, Carla, and Thyme looked at Rette. All but Thyme and Erza, gave her questioning looks. Thyme rarely questioned Rette when she was sure of something and Erza was beginning to figure out that when Rette sounded so sure, it was usually because she was.

"I have a higher sense for sensing magic around me. Even though Nirvana's magic is creating interference, I can still sense enough to know that that is exactly where Zero is." Rette said.

"That's where Natsu went!" Wendy exclaimed.

"He has an extremely good nose. I don't doubt he chose number one precisely because that was Zero's location." Erza told Wendy.

"I don't doubt it either, really. Knowing Natsu...that is something he would do." Rette said, running a hand through her hair.

"Then we should go and back him up! If we all fight together-"

"Don't underestimate Natsu. We can trust him to handle this." Ezra said, cutting Wendy off.

Beside Rette, Jellal suddenly went tense, Natsu's name falling off his lips in a low voice. Rette glanced at him as he stared wide eyed at the ground. Something was wrong. Rette could tell by looking at him. Was he...remembering something?

"Now, let's head for our own designated stations! Number five for me. Jellal, you're number six. Rette, you stick with Wendy." Erza ordered.

"Yeah...sure..."

Erza turned to Rette when the girl's reply sounded distant and distracted. She found Rette staring at Jellal. Though her expression remained in it's usual indifferent state, her eyes were a mix of concern and suspicion. Erza's eyes turned to Jellal as the man turned to present them with his back.

"Jellal?" Erza asked.

"No...it's...nothing." Jellal told her.

Who he thought he was fooling with that reply, Rette didn't know. She was sure it wasn't her or Erza. He was shaking slightly and was pressing a hand to his head. Rette had no doubt that he was remembering something. The question then became...what was he remembering and would it change his willingness to cooperate with them and atone for his crimes? Rette was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, for Erza's sake, but it didn't make her any less concerned.

Rette looked at Erza, meeting her eyes. Rette jerked her head in the direction of Erza's assigned lacrima, silently telling Erza to go ahead and she would handle Jellal. Erza nodded, trusting Rette, and turned and ran off. Rette then turned to Jellal. With Wendy, Carla, and Thyme right behind her, Rette went to Jellal's side, laying a hand on his shoulder. Jellal looked down at her, meeting her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Rette asked.

Wendy came up on his other side, looking up at his face. She was concerned too and understandably so. The man looked like he was in pain.

"You're not well, Jellal?" Wendy asked.

"No...but you can use healing magic, right? Then can you heal Natsu who's fighting with Zero?" Jellal asked.

"Don't be stupid! How many times do you think she has used her healing magic in just this one day already!? She can't use any more than this! To start with, this girl-"

"Carla, there is no need to yell." Rette told the white cat, cutting her off.

Carla flinched at those words and looked up at Rette who gave her a stern look. Just because she was looking out for Wendy's well being didn't give her a reason to yell so loudly.

"I see. Then I'll be the one to heal Natsu." Jellal said.

"What do you mean?" Rette asked, turning to look at Jellal.

"I remembered now, the unlimited power of that man named Natsu, the power of hope." Jellal told her, a smile on his face. "Can you destroy the sixth lacrima in my place, Rette?"

Rette scratched at one cheek as he looked at her. She would have accepted in a heart beat...if she had the magical power to pull it off. Right now, she barely had any left. Her Satan Crystallite spell had drained her. Rette shook her head. She had told herself she would think of something if she had to destroy a lacrima, but the truth was...she didn't think she had the power to do it.

"I fear I don't have the magic power left to do the job. I nearly used it all in that fight with Midnight." Rette told him.

Jellal could understand that. Rette had pushed herself in the fight with Midnight. She had even admitted that that had been the first time she had used Satan Crystallite for an extended period. Jellal turned his eyes to Wendy then.

"Wendy?" he asked.

"But...I..."

Wendy didn't look convinced that she could do it. She had so little confidence in herself. Rette didn't like seeing the lack of confidence in the girl. As a mage, she needed to be more stead fast in her self-confidence. Jellal crouched in front of her and gave her a smile.

"You can do it. The Dragon Slayer magic is an immense destructive magic which is used to fight with dragons. Eat the air...no...the sky...the "heaven". There's also the power of dragons inside you." Jellal told her.

Wendy stared at him and Rette was sure she still doubted herself, but Wendy nodded nonetheless. Jellal gave her a nod and stood up straight, turning his eyes to Rette. Rette met his gaze.

"Keep the four of you safe." he told her.

"But of course. I'm a Fairy Tail mage after all. We don't do anything half hearted." Rette told him.

And Jellal knew that. When it came to the mages of Fairy Tail it was always one extreme or another. They never settled in the middle. He gave Rette a nod and took off for the number one lacrima. Rette, Wendy, and the two cats watched him until he vanished. Rette then turned to Wendy and laid a hand on her head, making the girl look up at her.

"Come on, Wendy. I don't have the magic to preform a spell of my own, but I have enough to cast someone else's, so I can help a little." Rette told her.

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked as Rette lead the way.

"I have a spell called Conductor Crystal. It uses my Crystallization magic to absorb and capture another mage's spell inside a crystal. Since it's sealing magic, the crystal continues to feed the spell within my own magic power, making it grow in power the longer it's contained inside. I can, then release that spell at a later time for my own use. It only takes a small amount of power to release the seal." Rette explained. "I have several different types on me. I believe I used that spell in front of you before Brain caught us."

"Oh! I remember. You threw the crystal back at him and it threw his spell at him." Wendy said.

"Yes. I some pretty powerful ones that I've been holding onto. I should be able to help you in that manner, but you'll have to provide most of the force." Rette told her.

Wendy nodded. Following the map that Hibiki had put in their heads, the four of them made their way to the lacrima. When they reached the room, they were confronted with a huge, dark lacrima in the center of the room. Rette had never seen one of that size. Leaving Wendy down below, Rette chose one of her stronger crystals collected from Natsu. She had Thyme fly her up to the lacrima and Rette wedged the crystal as close to it as she could before letting Thyme sit her back down on the floor.

"You sure you can do this, Wendy?" Carla asked, looking at Wendy.

"It's something I have to do. The power of the dragon, inside me...is to protect my own guild! Please Grandeeney! Lend me your power!" Wendy said, as if praying to the dragon who had raised her.

Rette glanced at Wendy. Wendy seemed to really care about her dragon. Natsu did too for that matter. Rette had, at one time, thought hers cared about her, but she had began to question it after they vanished. Natsu's and Wendy's dragons had vanished too, and yet, they never once questioned if their dragon parents had loved them or not. Was it simply that Rette was being too sensitive to the matter?

No, she didn't think so.

She felt betrayed and rightfully so. They had promised that she would never be alone again and then had left her. Rette didn't take broken promises very lightly. It was another reason why she admired Natsu. He went to great pains to keep his promises, put his all into it.

Rette was so lost in her thoughts, her arms crossed and her head tilted to the side, that she had forgotten where she was. It wasn't until Wendy called her name, that she snapped out of it and turned to look at the girl.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" Rette asked.

"I just wanted to know if you're alright. You looked like you were thinking about something painful." Wendy said.

"Huh? I did?" Rette asked, raising a hand to touch her face.

"Is something wrong?" Wendy asked.

"Not particularly, no. I was just thinking...you seem to really care about your dragon." Rette remarked.

"Well, yeah. She raised me, took care of me-"

"Then left you." Rette said, cutting Wendy off. "Don't you feel a bit hurt and betrayed?"

Wendy looked down at her feet. Rette had a point, but Wendy knew that Grandeeney had cared about her. She had never doubted it. Yes, she had felt hurt, but she had never doubted that if she had had a choice, Grandeeney wouldn't have left her.

"I feel hurt, of course, but I know Grandeeney. She wouldn't have left if she had no other choice. I don't doubt that." Wendy told her.

"Huh...wish I could say the same." Rette muttered.

Wendy looked up at her, but Rette was staring off into space. The space between her eyebrows was furrowed, one corner of her mouth lightly twisted. Some unpleasant thought had to be running through her head at the moment.

"You're a Dragon Slayer, right?" Wendy asked.

Rette nodded idly, as if her head was still partly somewhere else. Thyme, from where she stood next to Carla, looked up at Rette, knowing just how painful thoughts of her past were for Rette.

"You doubt that your dragon cared?" Wendy asked.

Rette glanced down at Wendy before her eyes turned away again. In those two toned eyes, Wendy could see the barely masked emotions fighting to break free. Rette had already burned through enough emotional stress for a whole month's worth. She didn't feel like going through anymore, but she couldn't really just not answer Wendy.

"Wendy, you remember how I told you about my birth father, how he was a dark mage and an evil man?" Rette asked.

Wendy nodded. Carla glanced at Thyme in surprise, having not been there for that reveal. Thyme gave her a pained look, as if she shared her human partner's pain.

"Well, he ran a place called The Compound. It was an underground city, basically, kept completely away from the light of day. I was born and raised there, in the cold darkness. My birth mother died shortly after I was born and for the first five years of my life...that was my hell. I told you, my birth father was not a good man. I ran away the first chance I got. I was six when my adoptive parents, my dragons, found me. They were a mated pair. The ice dragon, Tundron, and the crystal dragon, Chrysalis. By that point, I didn't trust anyone. They understood this and took me in, promising me I would never be alone again. For five years, they raised me, teaching me magic, acting like real parents, or...at least what I assume real parents are suppose to be like. I'm not sure. And...they just left." Rette explained.

Rette reached up running a hand through her hair and tugging lightly on it as she did. Just from listening to Rette, Wendy got a good idea on what life had been like for her. Or, at least, she thought she did. Rette felt betrayed and hurt and didn't understand. It didn't help that she had already had trust issues before that.

"I felt...betrayed, angry, and hurt. I rightfully doubted everything they had ever told me and felt silly for trusting them, even slightly, when I couldn't even trust my real father, who was suppose to protect me and love me unconditionally. So, how you and Natsu can go on, never doubting your dragons' love for you...I don't understand it." Rette added, shrugging her shoulders.

Rette winced when the shrug tugged on the scabbed over injury on her shoulder blades. She was going to have to have that looked at when this whole mess was over. As it was...it was going to make sleeping on her back, a real pain in the side.

"It sounds like they really did care about you."

Rette turned to face Wendy, her eyes wide, actually showing Wendy the level of her surprise. It was almost enough to make Wendy laugh. If someone knew what to use, they could surprise Rette so easily and actually make her show it. Rette raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"What do you mean?" Rette asked.

"You said they took you in, even knowing you would probably never trust them. They taught you magic, took care of you, did the things a real parent should do. No one would put in that kind of effort with nothing in return, if they didn't care. I don't think you should doubt how they felt about you, because it's kind of obvious." Wendy told her.

Rette's brows furrowed together and she thought that over. Maybe Wendy had a point, maybe she didn't. Rette wasn't a mind reader, she didn't always pick up on subtle hints, or even obvious ones. She was about as socially graceful as a giant with two left feet. She didn't have the first inkling of a thought on what Tundron and Chrysalis had thought or felt.

But even if they had cared, they had still left.

"Whether you're right or not, it doesn't change how I felt. When they left, I vowed never to use the magic they taught me unless I didn't have a choice." Rette said.

"That sounds more like you were just being childishly spiteful." Carla said bluntly.

"Carla!" Wendy gasped.

"No, she's right."

Wendy and Carla looked at Rette as she lightly raised and dropped one shoulder in an indifferent shrug. As if she really didn't care if it seemed childish to someone else. Rette looked down at them, her eyes dark with some emotions neither girl nor cat could read.

"I'm naturally a spiteful person. Call it childish if you wish for it kind of is. Old habits die hard and it isn't easy to change." Rette said.

"But you're trying? To change, I mean." Wendy asked.

"Since joining Fairy Tail, I've found myself wanting to change things. If you spent as much time around my guild mates as I have, their spirit, everything about them...it's infectious." Rette said, almost sounding awed by that.

Wendy smiled. She had gotten that feeling from watching Natsu and the others. They worked hard together, fought hard together, and probably partied hard together. That kind of spirit worked it's way under others' skin.

"That being said, as far as my feelings towards Tundron and Chrysalis and the magic they taught me, go, I'm not inclined to change." Rette added.

"Even if it's just using the magic more?" Wendy asked.

"As I said, I'm not inclined." Rette replied.

"Do you do things just because you do or do not feel inclined?" Carla demanded.

"Pretty much, yeah."

Carla slapped one paw to her face while Thyme silently laughed. Wendy laughed lightly to herself. Rette's outlook on things, was simple, but the girl, herself, was not. She might be trying to change, but she was very picky on what she wanted to change. Maybe, if given time, she would change even that, but at the moment, she couldn't be budged on her choice.

"Three minutes to go." Rette said then. "I'll step back and let you focus."

Wendy nodded as Rette and Thyme stepped back, letting the girl focus on the lacrima. It would be simple for Rette to release the spell on her Conductor Crystal. She didnt need to focus all that much, so she stood back and watched as Wendy spread her arms and focused on drawing in as much of the "heavens" as she could. Slowly, the clock in their heads counted down. Three minutes became two, two became one. As it neared zero, Rette turned her attention to her Conductor Crystal. As soon as that clock hit zero, she would release the spell.

Right as the clock hit zero, Wendy released her Roar just as Rette released her spell. Flames burst free of the crystal, being sucked up into the whirlwind of Wendy's Roar. With the combined power, the lacrima was shattered into dust. From the way the room suddenly tilted, the whole place shaking and shuddering, Rette was sure the others, Natsu included, had managed to destroy their's as well. Tears filled Wendy's and Carla's eyes as it became apparent that they had managed to stop Nirvana and save their guild and joy filled them.

The joy was soon swept away in the wake of concern and fear when the walls and ceilings around them began to crumble and fall. Rette grabbed Wendy's hand, ushering her and the two cats out of the room before they could be crushed by falling stone. The four of them made a run for it, Carla and Thyme in the lead, Rette just behind them and Wendy just behind her. Wendy let out a little cry as she tripped and went sprawling on the ground. Rette screeched to a halt, turning to the girl, only to find pillars of stone falling towards it. It was enough that it could seriously hurt Wendy, if not kill her. Rette threw herself at Wendy, scooping her up as she curled her body around the younger girl.

Rette braced herself for painful impact, but it never came. Instead, one muscle ripped arm suddenly wrapped around Rette's waist, pulling her back out of the way and into the sheltering mass of a wide chest. Rette and Wendy looked back over their shoulders finding Jura shielding them from the falling rock.

"Jura!" Rette and Wendy called in relief.

Jura batted away the falling stone and stood up straight. He took Wendy, Carla, and Thyme in one arm and tucked Rette under the other, lifting her completely off the ground with ease. Rette felt like no more than a sack of grain, tucked under his arm like that. She hadn't felt that light and small since she had been a little girl and Tundron had use to lift her with only two claws pinched into the back of her shirt. He would then hang her by her shirt from one of the icy spikes on his back and carry her around like that. It had always amused Chrysalis, especially when Rette would kick her feet and swing her fists while she complained the whole way.

Rette shook her head, shoving the memories out of her head. Instead she focused on the floor passing under Jura's feet as he charged through the falling stone towards the exit. The whole place was coming apart and they barely managed to make it out before all Nirvana crumbled to the ground. They hit the ground rolling, Jura protecting them the whole way. When they finally came to a stop they found Gray, Lucy, and Happy just a few yards from them. Beyond them, Erza and Ichiya were making their way to them. Wendy instantly pointed out that Natsu and Jellal weren't there.

Rette wasn't really all that concerned. Natsu was harder to kill than a roach. And Jellal wasn't any easier to kill. A squeal from Lucy made them all turn towards her. The ground that Lucy and Happy had been sitting on suddenly began to rise until Hoteye burst forth from the ground, Natsu in one arm and Jellal tucked under the other.

"Love shall lift up our comrades...don't you agree?" Hoteye asked.

"Isn't he one of the Oracion Sies!?" Carla asked.

"Don't worry, because of certain events he's an ally now." Jura assured her.

Rette stepped back out of the way as Wendy called Natsu's name and ran to him, throwing her arms around him as tears spilled down her face. She thanked him for keeping his promise and saving her guild, making him smile down at her.

"Wasn't that everyone's power just now? And Wendy's power too. This time put some energy into your high five." Natsu told her, holding out a hand.

Wendy nodded, giving his hand a slap. With that done and his exhaustion finally kicking in, Natsu flopped back onto the ground. Rette really felt like joining him. She was not only physically and magical exhausted...she was emotionally exhausted. When she finally got home, she was going to flop face first onto her bed and refuse to move for a few days.

At least.

"The most important thing is that everyone is safe." Happy remarked.

"Everyone, you did a truly excellent job." Jura said proudly.

"Excellent...yeah, sure. Lets go with that." Rette remarked, dropping to sit on a boulder.

She ran a hand through her hair, wincing when she encountered tangles. She was going to need a serious bath. A nice, long, hot bath suddenly sounded really good to her.

"But who's that guy?" Gray asked suddenly, turning to look towards Jellal.

"He's Jellal." Erza replied.

"That guy is!?" Lucy asked.

Natsu made a little growling noise from where he lay on the ground, a pout on his face. Rette reached out one foot, nudging his head, silently telling him to stop pouting. She pulled her foot back when he snapped his teeth at her foot. The moment he turned his head back away from her, she repeated the action, pulling her foot back once more when he snapped his teeth at her again.

"But, he's not the Jellal that we once knew." Erza was saying.

"He lost his memories." Wendy added.

"Well...you could have mentioned this earlier." Gray told her.

Rette tuned out of the conversation, watching as Erza walked over to Jellal to join him.

"I want to thank you for all of your help first." Erza told Jellal.

"Erza. No...there's no reason to thank me." Jellal told her, looking away from her.

"What do you want to do now?" Erza asked.

Jellal stared at the ground as if he was silently pondering the answer to that question. He gave it some thought before replying that he didn't know what he was going to do.

"I'm afraid...that my memories will return." Jellal told Erza.

Rette knew how he felt. She feared remembering her past too, but she believed that as long as he didn't let those memories change his willingness to correct his wrongs, he would be just fine. Part of having a bad past was being willing to move into the future, eyes facing forward. Looking back would only trip a person up. Erza looked at Jellal and gave him a soft smile.

"I'm here for you." Erza told Jellal, shocking him. "Even if that hatred were to return, the current you won't vanish. I-"

Erza was cut off when Ichiya, who had been running off to go find somewhere to use the bathroom, ran into an invisible wall. Rette got to her feet as magic letters appeared on the ground, forming a circle around them and trapping them inside an invisible shield. Rette knew she had to be tired if she hadn't felt the magic surrounding them.

"This...this is..."

"An enchantment." Rette said, finishing Jura's sentence.

They were trapped. That had every muscle in Rette's body tensing, ready for another fight that she was sure she had little to no power for. The sound of approaching footsteps, made them all turn. Coming towards them, dressed in the uniforms of the Magic Council's Ruin Knights, was a large group of men. One man, dressed neatly, his long hair pinned to the back of his head in a top knot-like style and glasses perched on his nose, stepped forward, presenting himself as the leader before he ever said a word.

"There will be no more violence. So refrain from moving for a short while. I am the head of the newly reformed council's fourth Custody Enforcement Unit. My name is Rahal." he told them.

"A newly reformed Council!?" Gray said, looking freaked out.

"When did that happen?" Lucy asked.

"We were reborn in order to enforce laws and justice. We will not forgive any form of misconduct." Rahal said.

"Well then you seriously suck at your job."

All eyes turned to Rette as she crossed her arms. Rahal's eyes narrowed. He obviously wasn't pleased with her input. Rette, though, thought she was pretty accurate with her opinion. If keeping order and enforcing rules was suppose to be their job, then they should have been there helping with Nirvana instead of only showing up after everything was said and done.

"If your job really is keeping order and enforcing justice then exactly where the hell were you when we were handling Nirvana? My vote? You've already failed." Rette told him, turning her face from him, her chin in the air, as if she was already bored with his mere presence.

"Rette." Gray hissed at her.

Rette waved him off before looking at Rahal again, her chin staying defiantly in the air. It was as if she was silently daring him to step foot inside the enchantment.

"Besides, we've done nothing wrong. Unless you count stopping evil as wrong." Rette said, her tone flat.

"Yeah! None of us have done anything wrong!" Happy agreed.

"There is one among you. Our purpose is to arrest the Oracion Sies. The one who is code named Hoteye, please pass through." Rahal said.

Rette's eyes turned to Hoteye, who stood beside Jura. Jura tried to speak up in Hoteye's defense but Hoteye merely laid a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"It's alright, Jura. My good nature may have awoken but the sins from my past have not disappeared. In order to start over I must make things right." Hoteye told Jura.

"If that's the case, I'll search for your younger brother in your place." Jura told him, surprising Hoteye. "Tell me what you brother's name is."

"His name is Wally."

Rette blinked in surprise. Wally? Block man Wally who had been working for Jellal at the Tower of Paradise? He was Hoteye's little brother? Who would have thought?

"Wally? I know that man." Erza told Hoteye. "He's a friend. He is doing well. Last I heard, he was traveling across the continent."

With the information that his brother was alive, well, and living a good life, Hoteye broke into happy tears, thanking Erza for the news of his brother. He was lead away by the guards, but at least he had one bit of good news to carry him on.

"I feel bad for him." Lucy said.

To be truthful, Rette did too. But, while the circumstances leading up to his choices had been unfair and misfortunate, Hoteye had chosen the path he had taken. Rette was a believer in that a person decided their own path and future by the choices they made. Hoteye had made some seriously bad choices and now he was going to have to work to atone for those crimes. He would be given the chance though. That was all that mattered.

"Alright already! Now remove the spell! I'm going to start leaking!" Ichiya pleaded.

Obviously, the man had no bladder control what so ever.

"No...our goal wasn't just the Oracion Sies." Rahal said.

Surprise, surprise. Rette was seriously ready to get out of the enchantment and possibly slug Rahal one. What else could he possibly want with them?

"Infiltrating the Council...and causing it's destruction." Rahal said, Rette not liking where this was going. "Firing Atherion. There is an even greater villain among you. Jellal! Come with us! We have permission to eliminate you if you resist!"

"Wait a minute!" Natsu growled.

"This man is dangerous. He will never be allowed to walk free in this world again." Rahal said.

"My bras are more dangerous than Jellal is to us." Rette retorted.

All eyes turned to Rette, most surprised that she had actually said that. Some of the males present looked down at her chest and the barely there top she was wearing. Those from her own guild knew that Rette always wore tops that barely covered and knew...there was **no** way she **ever** wore a bra. Not that any of them said that out loud.

Rahal just ignored Rette. He had his men cuff Jellal, pulling him away from Rette and her companions.

"Jellal Fernandes. You are under arrest for the crime of federal treason." Rahal told Jellal.

"Wait, please! Jellal has lost all of his memories! He doesn't remember any of that!" Wendy pleaded.

"Under Article 13 of the penal code, that is no cause for pardon. You may relese the enchantment now." Rahal said, directing that last bit at one of his men.

Rette could have told him that that was where he had screwed up. He should have left the enchantment in place until they had carted Jellal off. But instead of doing that, the enchantment was removed, freeing Rette and her comrades.

"B-but!" Wendy protested.

"It's alright. I have no intention of resisting." Jellal told her. "I never did manage to remember you in the end. I am truly sorry, Wendy."

"She tells me you saved her, a long time ago." Carla said.

"I see...I do not know how much trouble I may have caused all of you, but I am glad to hear that I at least saved somebody, once." Jellal said.

Rette and Natsu looked Erza, who was staring at the ground. Jellal called out to her and thanked her once more before turning away. Erza was shaking, her hands curling into fist. It was killing her to watch them take Jellal away.

"Is that all you have to say?" Rahal asked Jellal.

"Yes." Jellal replied.

"It is almost certain that your sentence will be either death or life imprisonment. You will never meet any of these people again." Rahal informed Jellal.

That wasn't fair. Jellal had done some horrible things, yes, had hurt a lot of people, but he wanted to atone for those sins, wanted to right his wrongs and work hard to change himself. And they wanted to lock him away from the outside world or kill him. Rette had spent the first hand full of years of her life in a situation like that and would not wish that fate on her worst enemy.

Rette met Natsu's eyes and the two seemed to share the same thought. Rette, who stood between Natsu and the guards leading Jellal away, gave Natsu the barest of nods before she dropped into a crouch as Natsu flew forward.

"Incoming!" Rette called.

The guards turned as Natsu crashed into them, shoving one man in the face.

"He's not going anywhere!" Natsu yelled.

Rette followed Natsu, backing up his charge, a sword of blue-purple crystal forming in her hand. She batted aside one man with the blunt side of her sword and smacked the next upside the head.

"Natsu! Rette!" Gray yelled in warning.

"This is the council we're dealing with!" Lucy added.

"Move it! He's one of us! We're taking him back with us!" Natsu declared.

"Restrain this man!" someone order.

Half of the men that charged forward, ran into a wall of crystal that suddenly shot up out of the ground. Rette cleared the wall in a leap, crashing into the men on the other side, clearing the way for Natsu to go on. She shoved a booted foot in the face of one charging man, feeling his nose snap under her heel. More men came at Natsu, but Gray rammed into them from the side, taking them down.

"Nobody's going to stop Natsu now! Especially not with Rette backing him. And besides, this pisses me off! That guy helped defeat Nirvana...and they're not showing even a shred of gratitude!" Gray declared.

"I don't care how this looks. Jellal knows what he did was wrong, even if he doesn't remember it. He's willing to work hard to right his wrongs and helped us save the world from disaster. Tell me...how does that make him anything but a good man?" Rette asked, batting another man away.

One man tried to grab her from behind, only to get knock aside by Jura. Rette turned to look at him as he cracked his knuckles.

"It is injust to arrest a good man!" Jura said, nodding in agreement to Rette's opinion.

"Though it pains me to say it, if that man is taken from her...Erza will be inconsolable." Ichiya added, also joining the fight.

"You might want to come up with a better reason than that. Like, I don't know... **saving a man's life**." Rette told him.

Lucy, Wendy, Happy, Carla, and Thyme joined in on the fight, though it was more along the way of slapping, clawing, and dodging for the five of them. Rette worked through the guards, along side Natsu. She hit any man who came near her.

"Come with us! Jellal! You mustn't be taken away from Erza! You've got to stay by her side! For Erza's sake! So come with us!" Natsu yelled.

"I told you, Jellal...I would hurt you if you made her cry." Rette added.

"We're all here with you! You're one of us right!?" Natsu called.

"Arrest the lot of them! They are guilty of obstruction of officers in the line of duty, and assisting in the escape of a prisone-"

Rette cut Rahal off when she smacked him upside the back of his head with her crystal sword. The man stumbled forward, gripping the back of his head. He rounded on Rette but she was already moving on, working her way through the guards towards Jellal. She and Natsu were so close to the man, just a few yards remaining.

"Enough! Stop this!"

Everyone froze when Erza's voice rang out over the chaos. Rette came to a complete stand still, freezing like a statue. It made the men around her turn surprise looks on her since the position she was in couldn't be a comfortable one. One man had grabbed her by the hair, pulling her head back and putting strain on the gash on her shoulder blades. Enough strain that it had reopen the wound. She was standing on a second man, one booted heel on his head and had a third man in a head lock where she had been hitting him on the head with the blunt side of her sword.

"I apologize for the commotion. I will take full responsibility. You may...take Jellal away." Erza said, her teeth gritting.

All of her friends could tell it wasn't easy for her to pick them over Jellal, but Rette could understand it. The good of the whole over the good of a single. Rette relaxed completely, releasing the man she had in a head lock and stepping off the one under her feet. She let her sword shatter into tiny shards and ripped her hair free of the man who had grabbed it.

"Erza!" Natsu protested.

Rette placed a hand on his shoulder. When he looked at her, she shook her head. It was already hard enough for Erza, they had made it harder. It was best to let it go there. Jellal turned to let the men lead him away but stop when he remembered something. He said something to Erza about the color of her hair before wishing her a final farewell. Rette didn't get the comment and probably never would unless she asked Erza. After his farewell to Erza, he turned to Rette with a smile.

"I will remember what you said about forgiveness. I want to save, too, not destroy." Jellal told her.

Rette, surprised, watched as the soldiers finally loaded him into the cart and took off with him. When the soldiers were all gone, they all pretty much sulked. Erza separated from the group, needing some time alone. Rette was pretty sure she knew what for. Just when Erza had thought she had gotten back the Jellal she had known as a child, she had lost him again. Rette didn't understand it, had never been through something like that in her life, but she was sure it wasn't easy for Erza.

Rette leaned her head back against the rubble she was leaning against, her eyes rising to the sky as the sun broke free of the horizon and began it's climb into the early morning sky. The rays of the sunrise painted the sky a beautiful scarlet just like that of the color of Erza's hair. It was then that Jellal's comment about Erza's hair clicked in Rette's head. Erza's last name was Scarlet. Rette was willing to bet that Jellal had been the one that gave her that name, as tribute to her hair.

Rette didn't completely understand the bond between Erza and Jellal, but she knew this separation would hurt Erza. All Rette could do, though, was be there to offer support.

Now...how did she go about that?

END

Kyandi: Once again, sorry I put this off so long.

Rette: She's working on the other chapters.

Kyandi: Yes, I am. I'm trying to force myself to shape up.

Rette: That's what bad about taking vacations.

Kyandi: You should try it sometime.

Rette: Why? So I can become lazy and then fat?

Kyandi: That''s so mean!

Rette: Only the truth.

Kyandi: Whatever. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	22. Old Faces, New Friends

Kyandi: Greetings, my lovelies.

Rette: She took a while typing up this chapter because she couldn't stop laughing.

Kyandi: I couldn't help it! What you do is both mean and hilarious.

Rette: To be truthful...I agree.

Kyandi: I'm sure everyone else is ready to find out what we're talking about.

Rette: Yes, I'm sure.

Kyandi: So everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Kyandi:...hehe...poor Laxus.

Chapter 22 Old Faces, New Friends

"Ahh! So cute!"

"I assure you, mine is cuter."

"I don't care whose is cuter. It's just clothes." Rette said, butting in as Cherie made the comment that her new outfit was cuter than Lucy's.

After sitting around and moping for a while, they had gone in search of their other comrades, finding them and then relocating to Cait Shelter where they were cleaned, bandaged, and supplied with new clothes. Rette, from the moment she had stepped foot inside the community around the guild, had felt an old and deep magic that seemed to blanket the lands of the community. She couldn't place what possibly could be causing the giant blip on her magical radar, but she could sense it nonetheless. She soon was forced to forget about it as she and the other women were rushed into one building to pick new clothes. The tribal-like, brightly colored clothes were alright in Rette's opinion.

Her own outfit was a forest green halter top that looked more like a bikini top. It had fringe along the bottom and a single white bow right between the breast. The bottom was a skirt in the same color that tied at the left hip. It too had fringe on the hem along with white paw prints along the hem. Open toe and open heeled sandals decorated her feet and bells jingled from the ankles around her ankles. Bangles sat around her biceps, gloves spread from her hands up to mid forearm, and Cherie had tied her hair back with a bow to match her outfit in color.

Bandages decorated parts of her exposed skin and Wendy had tied a short, green scarf around her neck to finish off the outfit. It was okay. The designs were colorful, the fabric was light, but what Rette loved about the outfit the most...was that she jingled every time she took a step.

They were not getting the anklets back.

"The whole community here is apart of the guild. And fabric-working is something of a local specialty." Wendy said.

"It's certainly something I'd never be able to do." Rette remarked.

"Is this a style passed down among the Nirvit, then?" Lucy asked.

"Come to think of it...I suppose...maybe that's right?" Wendy said, more in questioning.

"Of course...you weren't aware that the entire guild was made up of the descendants of the Nirvit tribe." Cherie said.

"Yeah, you just happened to join the guild, didn't you, Wendy?" Rette asked.

Wendy nodded. It was then that Lucy and Rette noticed Erza spacing out off to the side. She had been that way since they had all gathered together and headed to Cait Shelter. Rette didn't blame her for that.

"Don't you want to try something on, Erza? You'd look great!" Lucy said, trying to put some cheer in her voice.

"Yes...I suppose..." Erza said with a weak smile.

Lucy and Rette looked at each other. They both knew Erza was horribly upset. It would be a while before she was back to herself.

"Incidentally, Wendy, how long has Cait Shelter been a member of the Union of Guilds? Though it feels a little wrong to say this...I had never actually heard the name before this mission began." Cherie said.

"Come to think of it, me either." Lucy added.

"Is that right? Wow...our guild really isn't very well-known, is it..." Wendy said sheepishly.

"I don't think that's entirely a bad thing." Rette remarked as she helped Thyme tie the ribbon at the neck of the new little, blue dress that Carla had picked out just for her.

Rette checked the bow and nodded. Thyme spread her arms, silently asking how she looked. Rette gave her a thumbs up and Thyme threw her paws in the air, bells jingling on her dress. She then jumped onto Rette's shoulder, rubbing her cheek against Rette's before settling in.

"Not that I care, but...everyone's waiting for you." Carla said.

The women finished with changing, Rette helping Erza pick out a dress to wear. While Erza got dressed, Lucy was sought out by the Celestial spirits, Scorpio, Aries, and Gemini. Since Angel, their previous mage, had been arrested, their contracts with her were void and they wanted Lucy to be their new mage. If Rette's count was right, that now put Lucy's zodiac key count at nine. Three fourths of the zodiac keys out there. Once Lucy was ready to go and Erza was changed, they joined the men outside.

Aside from the Blue Pegasus boys, who had managed to get new outfits exactly like their previous ones, the others had all changed into clothes provided by Cait Shelter, the main theme being fringe and cats. They all gathered in the square of the small community and were soon addressed by the guild master, who was an old man with a really feathery headdress.

"Fairy Tail. Blue Pegasus. Lamia Scale. And you, Wendy and Carla. Congratulations on defeating the Oracion Sies and halting Nirvana. As a representative of the local Union of Guilds, I, Rorbaul, offer you my thanks. Thank you. Thank you ever so much." the old man said.

"You are most welcome! Master Rorbaul! Ah, the conflict with the Oracion Sies was just one fierce battle after another! It was far from an easy task! Yet our bonds of comradeship ultimately led us to victory!" Ichiya declared.

"Do you just talk to hear your own voice?" Rette demanded.

"No. He just loves stealing the spotlight." Gray replied.

"Did he actually defeat anyone in the end?" Lucy asked.

"I doubt it." Rette retorted.

"I think this calls for a party!" Natsu cheered.

Rette heaved a sigh as the Blue Pegasus boys began doing a weird dance in the background, lead by Ichiya. Next to her, Gray and Lyon agreed that a party would be great, the both of them stripping off their clothes as Gray always seemed to do.

"Try keeping your clothes on for once." Rette told the two.

"Now, friends of Cait Shelter! Will you not join us?" Ichiya asked.

When there was no reply and the cheering died off, Rette turned to find the members of Cait Shelter looking down at the ground. Even Rette could tell that something was wrong.

"My friends...I must sincerely apologize to you all...for concealing the truth of the Nirvit Tribe." Rorbaul said.

"You ruined the whole mood for that?" Happy asked.

"Seriously we don't mind, right guys?" Natsu said.

Rette smacked the both of them upside the head, making the two complain as they gripped their heads. They turned dark looks on Rette but she didn't pay it any attention, her hands going to her hips as she looked at them.

"Try being a little bit more sensitive, will you. It's obvious that this is about more than that." Rette told them.

All eyes turned back to Rorbaul as the old man heaved a sigh, nodding in agreement to Rette's words. It was about more than them not sharing about their tribe.

"Everyone...I ask that you listen carefully to what I am about to reveal. First of all...we are not the descendants of the Nirvit Tribe. We **are** the Nirvit Tribe. The man responsible for constructing Nirvana four hundred years ago...was I." Rorbaul said.

Of course, everyone was surprised. Rette was too, but it suddenly made sense to her. It explained the magic she had been sensing since she had stepped foot on Cait Shelter land. Natsu, on the other hand, just looked dumbfounded.

"Four hundred years ago...in the hope of putting an end to the wars that ravaged the world, I created the magic of Reversal, Nirvana. Nirvana became our home and nation, a symbol of peace for many long years. But a great power will always find itself opposed by another. For all the darkness that it had turned to light, Nirvana had taken more and more "darkness" upon itself. It is a matter of balance. It was impossible to simply change people's natures from darkness to light. Where darkness is born, so must be light." Rorbaul said before turning his eyes to Rette. "And where light is born, so must be darkness. As a light magic user, you understand, do you not, child?"

Rette looked away from him as the others glanced at her. Rette was well aware of that balance. For every bit of light, there was darkness and for every bit of darkness, there was light. She knew it more than she wanted to admit. Erza, who was standing beside her, looked over at Rette, remembering the dark look that had been in Rette's eyes when she had battled Midnight. Rette knew more about the darkness side of the scale than she wanted to let on.

"The darkness that had been lost from the targets of Nirvana came to settle upon the Nirvit themselves." Rorbaul went on. "It was hell. We fought amongst ourselves, almost to extinction. I was the only one to survive. No...I suppose even that is no longer quite accurate. Even my own body perished many years ago now. I remain as little more than a spirit. In order to atone for the sin I committed...and in order to find one with the power I have not, who might destroy Nirvana in my stead...I have watched over this place for four hundred years."

That was a long time to hold onto one's sins. Even Rette doubted that she could hold on to the darker side of her emotions for that long. After so long, it would just become too tiring. But to right his wrongs, to atone for what he had done, Rorbaul had persisted. That was true strength if she had ever seen it.

"Now...my task is finally over." Rorbaul said.

One by one, the members of Cait Shetler, who stood behind him, faded out of existence, as if they had never truly been there. And they hadn't.

"Magna! Pepel! What is this!? Why are you..." Wendy cried looking around as her guild mates vanished.

"What's going on here!? They're all vanishing!" Hibiki said.

"No! You can't...you can't just disappear!" Wendy cried.

"I must apologize for deceiving you all this time. Wendy. All the members of the guild...were but an illusion that I created. In order to watch over Nirvana, I lived alone in this abandoned village. Seven years ago, a boy appeared before me. Taken aback by his clear and earnest gaze, I could not help but agree. Even though I had sworn to lead a solitary life...and so I created a guild of illusionary companions." Rorbaul explained.

"An entire guild, created for Wendy's sake!" Lucy gasped.

Rette couldn't deny the caring in such an action. He had created a home, a loving home, for one little girl who had been dropped on his door step. He had given her a place to belong, had given her affection, people to care for her. Even now, as they were all vanishing, leaving her alone, there was no denying that he had cared and very deeply. Rette gripped her chest, her fingers digging into her skin as her heart thudded painfully in her chest. It was exactly like when Tundron and Chrysalis had left her. Did that mean...

Had they really cared?

Rette grit her teeth, pushing the thought and feelings aside. She refused to think of this now. She had lived too long holding on to her pain. To change that now, to suddenly start questioning it all...it would turn her world upside down. She didn't need that right then.

"No! I don't want to hear this! Usk...Naoki...you can't all disappear!" Wendy cried, tears streaming down her face, her hands pressed to her ears.

"Wendy...Carla...you no longer have any need of illusory companions. You have found yourselves true companions now." Rorbaul told Wendy, pointing to Rette and her companions.

He gave Wendy a smile before his own form began to fade.

"You future awaits you...it is only just beginning." Rorbaul told her. "Everyone...thank you so much. Please, take good care of Wendy and Carla."

"Master!" Wendy yelled, running for him.

But he was gone, only his voice remaining before that faded away too. With the disappearance of the members of Cait Shelter, the guild mark on Wendy's right shoulder vanished. Wendy stared at the spot where her guild mates had stood, tears streaming down her face. Rette couldn't help herself. She stepped forward, shocking the others as she approached Wendy.

"Wendy."

Wendy looked up at Rette as she dropped to one knee beside her. Without another word, Rette opened her arms for Wendy. Wendy stared at her for a second before, with a sniffle, she dived into Rette's arms, wrapping her small arms tightly around Rette. Rette wrapped her arms around the little girl, holding her shaking form tightly, letting her cry her heart out. Erza joined her, knelling next to her to lay a hand on Wendy's shoulder.

"It is always sad to part with those whom you love...but your companions will help you bear that sadness. See? Even Rette is here to open her arms to you." Erza told her.

Wendy looked back at Erza before turning her tear filled eyes to Rette. Rette wiped the tears from one of her eyes. She knew how Wendy felt at the moment, knew the pain of losing those who had taken her in when she had no where else to go. She knew how bad that could continue to hurt and didn't want that for Wendy. Wendy deserved to be happy, to smile and laugh everyday. She didn't deserve to live as Rette had for the last seven years.

"Come with us, Wendy. Come with us to Fairy Tail." Rette insisted.

Wendy stared up into Rette's eyes as the older girl wiped the tears from her other eye. Rette acted indifferent, but she had a kind heart.

"I assure you...you will never regret it." Rette told her, her lips curling into a tiny, but soft smile.

Wendy sniffled one more time and rubbed her hands against her eyes but nodded. She would join them at Fairy Tail. The way Rette had spoken of the guild when they had talked in front of the sixth Nirvana lacrima, it seemed that, even if she didn't notice it yet, the guild had managed to even capture the broken heart of a girl who guarded her heart fiercely. With Rette and Natsu, Erza and Lucy, Gray, Happy, and Thyme...Wendy would find her home.

And they would gladly welcome her.

-0-0-0-0-

The three remaining guilds said their goodbyes to each other and separated to return home. Rette was ready to go back. She was finding that she said that to herself a lot actually. Whenever she was gone from Magnolia for long periods of time, she found she was always ready to head home at the end. When they arrived at the guild hall, they received a great welcoming, everyone cheering at seeing them home. Wendy was welcomed into the guild with open arms, everyone instantly loving the adorable little girl. Mira pulled Rette into a hug the moment she saw her. Rette accepted it, actually missing the hugs after the emotional exhaustion she had gone through.

"You look tired." Mira told her, when she released her.

"It was a...difficult job. I burned through enough emotional stress to last me for a month." Rette told her, taking a seat at the bar.

Wendy joined them as Natsu went about telling other all about their fight with Oracion Sies and everything they had been through. As if living through it wasn't enough, he had to relive it through story telling.

"Although Carla is probably the same as Happy and Thyme, what kind of magic can you use, Wendy?" Mira asked Wendy.

"Hold it! Don't put me on the same level as that male cat! Thyme! Say something about this insult!" Carla said, turning to Thyme, who sat on the bar in front of Rette.

Thyme raised her shoulders in a shrug, not really caring that she had been compared to Happy. She just didn't care about that stuff.

"As for me...I use healing magic. I am the Sky Dragon Slayer." Wendy answered.

Silence fell over the whole guild. For a long moment, they all stared at Wendy and Wendy was sure they didn't believe her, but then the guild exploded with awe and cheers.

"She's a Dragon Slayer!" one person cheered.

"That's so cool!" another added.

"With Gajeel, that gives us three Dragon Slayers now!" a third added.

"Nah-uh! That's wrong!" Natsu said, butting in.

Rette gave Natsu a warning look, but the boy ignored her as everyone stared at him. He grinned widely before gesturing to Rette.

"Rette's a Dragon Slayer too! And she had **two** dragons!" Natsu said.

Once again the whole guild fell silent as all eyes turned to Rette. Shock was painted on every single face Rette could see. Rette heaved a sigh, really wishing she had let Racer get them instead of using her Dragon Slayer magic.

"Is that true, Rette?" Makarov asked looking at the girl.

"Yeah, it is. I was taught Dragon Slayer magic by the Ice dragon, Tundron, and his mate, the Crystal dragon, Chrysalis." Rette replied.

Might as well get it over with. In the end, she got dragged outside as the others demanded she prove it. Seeing that they weren't going to leave her alone until she did, Rette show them both of her Roar spells and accidentally ended up freezing a cart at the end of the street with the freezing winds that blew off her Ice Dragon's Roar. With proof that they had four Dragon Slayers in the guild, everyone begin to cheer and Rette ended up on the receiving end of several hugs and slaps on the back. The latter of which really hurt due to the gash on her back. Then, as was a Fairy Tail custom, Makarov declared they would party and the guild erupted with cheers and demands for Mira and Rette to pass the beer.

"I hope you don't mind working. You just got back, so I'd understand if you didn't want to." Mira told Rette.

Rette shook her head, waving that off.

"I don't mind at all." she said.

The whole guild hall became full of laughter, music, and yelling as everyone drank in celebration and good cheer. Rette ended up working the night away, getting pulled into having a few drinks with Cana, and watching the others party themselves into a coma. Since she wouldn't be able to get a room in the guild's girls' dorm until the morning, Rette let Wendy and Carla stay with her for the night. Rette didn't know about Wendy, or anyone else for that matter, but the moment her head hit her pillow, she was lost to dream land.

Tomorrow would be another day of excitement.

-0-0-0-0-

The next day, Rette went back to work by snagging a job off the request board the moment she walked into the guild. She dropped Wendy off with Mira, who would get the girl all set with a room in the girls' dorm, and took a job.

"Already heading back out again, Rette?" Wakaba called from where he and Macao sat at a table, drinking.

"Yeah. That Nirvana business didn't pay and my kitchen is void of all food." Rette told them.

Macao and Wakaba chuckled. They both wished her luck on her job and she headed out the door. She was grateful she had gotten to the guild hall before Natsu and the others. They would have insisted on going with her. While Rette didn't mind, she needed all the money she could get her hands on. Her savings where starting to run low. The job she had snagged was catching a thief that was robbing tourist passing through a small town that was about a five day trip, by train, from Magnolia.

Since Rette wouldn't step foot on a train if she didn't have to, she and Thyme flew.

Despite stopping to take breaks and get food to keep their energy up, Rette was able to get about half the way there in the first day. Apparently she flew faster than a train could travel. Seeing how trains had stops along the way, she didn't doubt it. When the sun started setting, Rette stopped in a out-of-the-way inn for the night. She doubted she would run into anyone she knew there.

Boy was she wrong.

Since the town she had come to was so small and out of the way, there was only one inn for miles. Rette had an inhabitant of the town point her in the right direction and headed for the inn. Just when the sign of the inn came into view, someone rounded a corner in front of her, and slammed right into her. Rette was knocked off balance and would have landed on her but, if a hand hadn't grabbed her arm keeping her from falling. Rette was grateful since she was still sore from the whole fighting on Nirvana and really didn't feel like landing on her butt.

She heaved a relieved sigh and turned to thank the person, finding herself staring up into the eyes of Laxus. Rette blinked a few times, surprised to see the man and from the look on his face, he was surprised to see her too.

"Laxus? What are you doing here?" Rette asked.

"I was about to ask you that." he muttered, pulling on her arm to right her.

As soon as she had her feet under her, he released her arm and stepped back. Thyme flashed her claws at him, but Rette pressed two finger on top of her paw, pushing it down. She gave the cat a look and Thyme sat back on her shoulder, silently keeping a close eye on Laxus. After what he had done to Rette, even if he apologized, Thyme wasn't so comfortable with him around Rette.

"I have a job that would have been five days by train from Magnolia. It's faster to fly, but I'm only half way, so I decided to stop and find a place to sleep." Rette told him. "You?"

"Just passing through." was all she got in the way of an answer.

Rette lightly shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to risk reopening the wound across her shoulder blades. Since today's outfit consisted of a sleeveless vest over a strapless top, it hid her bandages from view. The last thing she needed to do was take a job, get in a fight, and her opponent attacking her injury because they could see bandages. That meant that Laxus couldn't see them either.

"So I suppose you were heading for the inn?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Rette stepped to the side and gave a grand, ridiculous looking, sweeping gesture down the street towards the inn.

"After you then." she told him.

Laxus couldn't help but let out a curt laugh. Even with a straight face, the gesture was amusing to him. He fell into step next to her and, together, they headed to the inn. Inside of the inn was small but homey, with a comfortable sitting room spreading out just past the front door and the sign-in desk at the back of the room. An old man was working the desk. He greeted them with a bright smile when they approached the desk.

"Hello. A room for two?" he asked.

Rette and Laxus looked at each other, eyes going wide. Both protested instantly. They were not a couple and that this man had instantly thought it...well, Rette could see why he had thought it. When they protested and explained that they had use to be guild mates and had just run into each other outside, the old man looked a little sad.

"Is that so? I'm sorry to say, though, that we only have one open room left." he told them.

Only one room and two of them. Three if they counted Thyme. Rette stared at the old man, slowly blinking as her brain tried to process that. Laxus shifted, looking down at Rette. It couldn't be more awkward if the two of them tried to make it so. Deciding that it wasn't worth it, Laxus turned.

"You can have it." he told Rette before turning to leave.

He was stopped when Rette's hand flew out, grabbing him by the back of his shirt. Laxus looked over his shoulder at her but she was staring at the man behind the counter, still straight faced as ever. She didn't release his shirt though.

"We'll take it." Rette told the old man.

"Say what!?" Laxus demanded.

Rette ignored him. The old man grinned at the two like he knew a secret and turned to fetch them the key to the room. Rette released Laxus and crossed her arms over her stomach.

"It's one night. We're adult enough to handle this maturely. In the morning I'll be moving on to do my job. If I can handle it then a big boy like you can." Rette told him as if it was the most natural thing in the world to share a room with a man who wasn't her boyfriend or husband, without anyone else in the room.

Then again, she did have Thyme and Thyme wasn't about to let Laxus near Rette.

The old man returned with the key which he handed off to Rette. He showed them to the room and left them to get settled. Laxus wasn't quite sure what to think of this situation. Rette didn't seem to think very much about it. To her, who was on the same team as two guys and probably shared rooms with them as well as Erza and Lucy, it was probably nothing to stay in the same room as a guy for a single night. Rette didn't say a word to him as she unlocked the door and headed inside.

The room was decent size, sporting a queen sized bed, a couch, a small kitchenette, a table with two chairs, and a connected bathroom. Thyme jumped off Rette's shoulder and landed on the table, looking around the room. Rette's eyes scanned the place once before she headed for the couch.

"You can have the bed. You're larger than me so the bed will better accommodate you and I can sleep anywhere." Rette told Laxus.

"Hold on a second. Isn't that suppose to be the guy's line?" Laxus demanded.

Rette turned to him, indifferent look in place, and quirked an eyebrow at him. She jabbed a thumb towards the couch as she spoke.

"You really want to try to squeeze your large frame on that tiny couch?" she asked.

Laxus glanced at the couch. For Rette, it would be no problem sleeping on the couch. She was shorter than him and a great deal smaller. For him...not only would his legs hang off, one wrong turn in his sleep and he would be sleeping on the hardwood floor. He saw her point, but, as the guy, he should still be the one making the offer. He opened his mouth to argue with her and she heaved a sigh.

"Do I need to bring up what happened the last time we were around each other? I still owe you a punch, remember. Keep arguing and it's not going to be above the belt." she told him.

Laxus' mouth snapped shut. He now understood why Natsu and Grey listened to her when she spoke. She was very...persuasive, when she wanted to be. So he dropped his bag on the bed and dropped to sit on the edge. His eyes drifted over to Rette as Thyme jumped from the table to the arm of the couch. Rette was going through her travel bag, pulling things out of it and setting them on the couch.

"Do you mind if I use the bath first?" she asked suddenly.

"Knock yourself out." he told her.

"I will."

Rette grabbed her things and, with Thyme right behind her, vanished into the bathroom. It was a little awkward sharing a room with Laxus, especially considering the fight they had been in before he had left. She locked the door and started a bath. When it was just right, she unbandaged her injury, with the help of Thyme and climbed into the water, sinking below the water. Thyme used the other end of the tub to swim around in. Rette watched her as she washed herself. For a cat, Thyme sure loved water. The two washed, Rette making sure to give her hair a thorough cleaning. When they got out, dried off, and got dressed, Rette opened the bathroom door to find Laxus gone. His bag was still on the bed, so Rette knew he would be back.

Rette pulled her hair over her shoulder and brushed it out before tying it. With her strapless top, it bared the healing gash on her back. Thyme was in the process of applying a healing paste to the injury when Laxus returned. The man paused in the door when he spotted the long gash across her shoulder blades. Rette and Thyme looked up at him, Rette raising her nose when she smelled the food in the bag he was carrying.

"Is that your dinner?" she asked.

Laxus ignored the question. He sat the bag on the table and approached Rette. Thyme puffed up and hissed at him but he ignored her as well. He took hold of Rette's shoulder and turned her to get a look at the gash. It stretched completely across the shoulder blades and had obviously been a hard hit because the skin around it was discolored with a bruise.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"My last job was a group effort with three other guilds. We were focusing on taking down a dark guild. One of the mages in that dark guild attacked me from behind while I was defending a new member of Fairy Tail. Whipped me right across the shoulder blades." Rette told him.

It didn't look like it felt good. Laxus held out a hand, silently ordering Thyme to give him the bandages. Thyme gave him a hard glare, as if daring him to do something weird before she handed over the bandages. Laxus took over bandaging the wound. He noticed that, despite just getting out of the bath not long before, she was already wearing her gloves and was still wearing the choker and charm around her neck.

"You get injured a lot." he muttered.

"Not really. Its more along the lines of people always coming along and trying to beat the crap out of me. Sound familiar?" Rette asked.

Okay, if she was aiming for guilt, she got it. Instead of answering, he focused on securing the bandage. When he was done, he stepped away from her. Hands jammed into his pockets, he walked over to one of the chairs at the table and dropped to sit. Rette shifted her shoulders and with a nod, deemed the bandage to be good.

"Thanks. Thyme tries, but she can only do so well with her tiny paws." Rette remarked, petting Thyme's head.

"No problem. Come eat." Laxus told her.

Rette looked up in surprise, raising an eyebrow at him. He had bought dinner for her and Thyme too? Rette didn't question it, just thanked him and joined him at the table. Thyme's eyes lit up when she found a grilled fish among the food for her. Her tail curled happily as she sank her fangs into the fish. Rette shook her head. Despite how Thyme acted, she was actually pretty easy to please if a person knew what to do. None of them talked as they ate and when the food was gone, Laxus took his turn in the bathroom.

When he came out, he found Rette already asleep on the couch, her back facing him and Thyme curled up on her hip. Neither moved as he approached. Standing at the end of the couch where her head lay, Laxus looked down at her face. Even in sleep, Rette's face was perfectly indifferent. Laxus crouched down, staring at her face. He didn't know if it was just the fact that her eyes were close, or what, but she looked younger in her sleep.

A huff noise, drew his eyes up from Rette's face. Thyme had one blue-purple eye open and was glaring at him. A low growl sounded from her throat in warning. Rette muttered in her sleep and blindly swatted her hand out as if in a shooing gesture, knocking Thyme completely off her hip. Thyme hit the floor with a low noise of complaint. Laxus grinned as Rette shifted in her sleep, settling back down and continuing to sleep.

It wasn't on purpose, but Laxus found it hilarious that Rette had actually knocked the cat off. Thyme climbed back up on the couch and shot him a glare. Instead of curling back up on Rette's hip, Thyme went to the other end of the couch and curled up on the bit of couch past Rette's feet. Amused now, Laxus went to bed, turning off all of the lights.

Maybe it would be easier than he thought, sharing a room with Rette.

-0-0-0-0-

Early the next morning, just after the sun had rose above the horizon, Laxus was awoken by his right arm going numb. The tingling setting into his fingers is what pulled him out of his sleep. He opened his eyes to stare up at the dark ceiling. Shifting lightly, he rolled over to see why his arm had gone numb and why it felt heavy, and found...

Rette using his arm as a pillow.

Laxus froze when he found the girl curled up on the bed beside him. Her back was facing him and she was using his bicep as a pillow, the curve of her backside pressed into his hip. Careful not to wake her, he eased himself up to be able to look at her face. The girl was sound asleep, her hair a mess about her head. He tried to ease his arm out from under her head, but to his horror, she groaned lightly in her sleep and rolled over, curling into his side and snaking an arm around his waist.

What the hell was he suppose to do!?

He didn't know Rette very well, but if she was like any of the other women in Fairy Tail...she would murder him upon waking. He tried to gently pry her arm from around his waist, but it only seemed to make her hold on tighter. At this rate she was going to wake up and think he was trying to pull something while she was asleep. Laxus tired, once more, to remove her arm, and glanced at her face to make sure she was still asleep.

He found her eyes open, her gaze fixed on his face.

Laxus froze, pretty sure she was going to explode at any second. For a moment, her gaze was dazed, her eyes unfocused, then they focused. Any second now she was going to blow up and hit him for a misunderstanding.

"Oh...it's you."

That was second time she had done that and just as it had the last time, it made a nerve tick in his eye.

Rette's eyes scanned their position, taking in how close they were. But, to his surprise, her expression didn't change. Not even a light stain of a blush appeared. She simply sat up, releasing him and moved to the edge of the bed, as if she woke up next to a guy every day. Rette ran a hand through her hair before looking over at the couch, where Thyme still laid curled up at one end.

"Thyme, wake up." Rette called.

The cat twitched before raising her head. She rubbed her eyes with one paw before she got a good look at where Rette was sitting. Thyme had the reaction that Laxus had been expecting from Rette. She jolted up and threw herself across the room, hissing at Laxus. Rette caught the cat by the back of her dress and kept her from attacking Laxus. Rette raised the cat so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

"You were sleeping on my hip last night. Why didn't you stop me from climbing into the bed with him?" Rette asked idly.

Thyme's paws went up in an annoyed fashion, almost as if she was silently arguing with Rette. A silent arguing that Rette completely understood.

"No, I'm not blaming you...it's his fault." Rette told the cat.

"How is is my fault!?" Laxus demanded.

Rette turned her eyes on him. She sat Thyme down and the cat corrected her dress, huffing silently at her treatment.

"You're the one that turned out all of the lights. I hate the dark." Rette told him simply before getting to her feet.

"You're scared of the dark?" Laxus asked in disbelief.

"Everyone has something they dislike with a burning passion. I'll ask you kindly to not laugh at me for mine. If you knew the first thing about how I grew up, you wouldn't say a word." Rette told him, going to her bag.

She kept her back to him as she dug through it. He knew she had a point. He didn't know the first thing about Rette. He hadn't even heard rumors, that was how tight lipped about herself, she usually was. He didn't bother arguing with her. It looked like she just might ignore whatever he said if he did. Rette pulled some clothes out of her bag and vanished into the bathroom. Thyme stayed in the room with him, watching him with unblinking eyes from where she sat on a side table near the bathroom door. It was almost like she expected him to try to peep on Rette in the bathroom.

He had his perverted moments, but he wasn't a peeping tom.

Rette came out a few minutes later dressed in a purple tube top with a long, loose and flowing, white vest over it, and short, low slung, black shorts. Her hair was freshly brushed and she was in the process of sliding a toothbrush back into a small zipper bag he hadn't noticed in her hands when she had gone into the bathroom. She put her previous outfit and the bag back into her bag and zipped it up. Laxus took his turn in the bathroom. When he came out a good fifteen minutes later, Rette was standing at the window, peering past the curtain, her brows furrowed together.

"What is it?" Laxus asked, knowing that something was wrong.

"I heard some yells a few minutes ago. When I looked out the window, people were running for cover in the nearest building. There were a bunch of footsteps in the hall after that, but I haven't heard anything since. And then, not long after, I felt some kind of magical blanket fall over the town. It's making my skin tingle." Rette told him.

Laxus walked up to her side, peering over her head and out the window. He didn't see a living soul outside. Even in a small town like that one, there should have been at least a couple of ladies walking down the road, men running their shops, and children out playing. But there was no one in sight. Laxus felt the same unease as Rette did.

"I'll go talk to the inn manager. See what's going on. Stay here." Laxus told her, heading for the door.

Before he could reach the door, Rette stepped in his way. Somehow, even with the indifferent expression on her face, Rette managed to look stern as well. She positioned herself right between him and the door, refusing to let him past her.

"Excuse you. Stay here? When did you become my father? No. I'm going with you." Rette told him.

He had almost forgotten how stubborn she could be. Of course she would want to go with him. Rette, like every female in Fairy Tail, wouldn't be treated like a defenseless damsel in distress. She would rather be in the thick of everything.

"Whatever. Come on, then." he told her, stepping around her to yank open the door.

Rette followed him down the hall. They didn't find anyone in the halls and didn't see anyone in the commons area either. A door behind the desk lead to an office. Laxus opened the door and checked the room but no one was there. Rette peered outside while he searched, watching the street. Just when Laxus was about to suggest checking other rooms, the manager appeared from another hallway.

"You two should be hiding." he whispered fiercely.

"Why? What's going on?" Rette asked, coming up to Laxus's side.

"There's a rogue gang in town. They've taken over and they have a mage who has sealed off the town. No one can get out and they refuse to leave and let us go until they get everything of value here." the old man told them.

A rouge gang with a mage in their midst. Rette and Laxus looked at each other. Depending on what type of shield they had put up around the town, Laxus and Rette could take it down. The two nodded and, without a word, turned to leave the inn. The old man tried to stop them but Rette just shook her head at him.

"Don't worry. We're mages too. Just stay here until we deal with this." Rette told him.

Together, Rette and Laxus left. Rette had Thyme fly up and check just high up the shield stretched. She came back to report that the shield was acting like a dome over the town. Laxus and Rette hurried to the edge of town where they found an invisible barrier keeping the townspeople in and everyone else, out. Rette reached out to touch the barrier and yanked her hand back when it instantly burned her. Laxus glanced at her, making sure she was okay. Aside from some red marks on a few of her finger tips, she seemed to be fine.

"Stand back." Laxus told her.

Seeing the sparks of electricity starting to dance over his body, Rette backed up. She knew he was about to hit the barrier with all he had, hoping to force his way through. Laxus hit the barrier hard with an electrical attack. The lightning hit hard, converged in one spot, and seemed to vanish for a moment, like the barrier had absorbed it. Then the barrier glowed and shot the attack back at Laxus. Since it was his own magic, Laxus took the attack with ease. Once the crackles of lightning had died down, Rette stepped up to his side to look up at the barrier.

"So it absorbs and reflects magical attacks." Laxus mused.

"Great. Living Link Magic. Looks like I'm going to be late for my job. Oh well. This just means we need to track down that gang and take down their mage. That should remove the barrier." Rette remarked.

"You can track with your magic. Can you find them?" Laxus asked.

It would considerably reduce the amount of time they would have to spend looking for the group. And it would reduce the amount of time they would have to spend trapped inside the barrier too. Rette nodded to his question. The magic from the barrier wasn't strong enough to really interfere with her spells. Rette cast her Seek spell, hoping to be as subtle as possible. Laxus watched as tiny shards of crystallized light broke apart in the air and scattered to the wind. Rette focused on the magic that made up the shield and held out a hand. Soon, a crystal mirror appeared in her hand, showing her an image of the town hall, smack dab in the center of the town.

"Huh...go figure." Rette muttered.

"What?" Laxus asked.

"They're in the town hall, right in the center of town." Rette told him.

"Then lets go." Laxus said.

Rette nodded in agreement. She didn't like being trapped. The mirror broke apart, vanishing into the air as Rette canceled the spell. The two headed off, Rette sending Thyme ahead to scout.

"Oh, by the way...thanks oh so much for leaving Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow with the orders to watch me. I couldn't get them out of my house for a week." Rette said.

Laxus looked over at her. He wasn't surprised she had managed to figure out that he had told them to keep an eye out for her. He just hadn't known that the three would take his order so far. It was...kind of funny. He could picture the three bustling about Rette's house while the girl was made to sit around and watch. He couldn't imagine she had taken that too awfully well.

"How do you know it had anything to do with me?" Laxus asked, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Don't give me that crap. We both know that was all your doing. Those three wouldn't act that way if it wasn't an order from you. Now all I have to do is get a paper cut and those three are all over me." Rette retorted.

He couldn't laugh, he couldn't laugh. If he laughed, she would surely kill him. Or at least attempt to. He was going to have to congratulate those three on a job well done the next time he saw them.

"You find this funny, don't you?" Rette demanded.

"I'm not laughing." he replied.

"Not on the outside, but I know you find this whole thing amusing. I can read your expression like an open book, right now." Rette told him.

Laxus didn't bother arguing with her. He found it funny, yeah, but that was just because of the near pout-like look on her face. They were down the street from the town hall when Thyme returned, reporting that there were no outside guards. Rette relayed that to Laxus.

"They probably don't think they had anything to worry about from the townspeople." Laxus remarked.

"Obviously not. Which is stupidity in my opinion." Rette replied.

Laxus agreed. He glanced at Rette and Thyme then as the two stared at each other. Now and then, one of them would make a gesture as if they were silently talking to each other. It made him wonder.

"Do you two have your own form of sign language or something?" Laxus asked.

"Not exactly. It's a little more complex than that." Rette replied.

She didn't explain and they reached town hall before he could question her.

The building was a two story, wooden affair surrounded by an iron fence. Laxus and Rette stood at the open gate, Thyme landing on Rette's shoulder as the two mages looked up at the building before them. None of the curtains in the windows moved, suggesting that no one inside was looking out. Rette eyed the building. She wasn't picking up on any magic that suggested there were traps laid out.

"I guess we go in, huh?" Rette asked.

"If we want out of here, yeah." Laxus retorted.

"Right. Then in we go." Rette said, starting forward.

Laxus was right at her side as they pushed open the doors to the hall and walked inside. They walked into a large, front hall with a circle desk in the center of the room. A staircase on either side of the room, lead up to the rooms upstairs. They looked around, but saw no signs that the gang was on the first floor. Silently they headed up the stairs to the second floor. The second floor had a hall on each side that lead to other rooms with a pair of double doors directly in front of the staircases. Laxus and Rette could hear laughter from the other side of the doors. Laxus didn't bother with silence or caution, he kicked open the doors and lead the way inside.

The room beyond was a large hall that looked like it might be used for town events. Men stood all around the room and fell silent when Rette and Laxus walked into the room. There was trash on the floor, open beer barrels littered here and there, and it was clear by all the rosy red faces around them, that half of the men were already wasted. A large chair had been dragged to the head of the hall and a young man that might have matched Laxus in height, sat in the chair.

Rette had a feeling he was the group's leaders. Laxus apparently agreed with her for he ignored everyone else around them and focused on the man at the head of the room.

"What do we have here? The first of the townspeople bringing us whatever goods they own?" the leader asked, his words slurred.

Neither Laxus nor Rette said anything in reply. Laxus kept his eyes forward, while Rette watched their backs. She watched intently as a few men moved to block their retreat, closing the doors Rette and Laxus had just come through. The men were chuckling lowly, grins on their faces as they looked at Rette and Laxus.

"Don't look like either of you got much of anything on you. Except for her." the leader said, his eyes going to Rette. "Now her, I'll take."

Rette's eyes darted to him. She was about to open her mouth when Laxus stepped between her and the leader, blocking her from his view. Rette looked up at his back, but he simply slipped his hands into his pockets as if not bothered.

"Not happening. Lower the shield and get the hell out of here." Laxus demanded.

"Or what? Doesn't look like you two are in the position to be tellin' me what to do." the man replied.

Rette had decided to call him Sleezy because that was about what she thought about him. Sleezy and disgusting. Rette jolted when a man grabbed her by the arm. Rette turned on him and with a simple casting of a spell, sent the man flying back with a whip made of light. Rette turned to the men standing behind her, cracking the whip with menace. That mixed with lightning dancing over Laxus kept the men from approaching them.

"So your mages." Sleezy said.

"As if the emblem right on my chest wasn't a dead give away." Rette remarked.

Laxus knew she had a point. Someone would have to be blind not to notice the lavender colored, Fairy Tail emblem right between Rette's collar bones. Rette's eyes scanned the men around them as she stretched out her magical senses. The magic for the barrier was coming from...the head of the room. Rette twisted around, following the trail to the man standing at Sleezy's right.

"The man to the leader's right is our mage." Rette told Laxus lowly.

Laxus gave a small nod, his eyes never seeming to leave Sleezy. Then, as fast as...well, lightning, Laxus attacked, hitting the mage standing to Sleezy's right. The smirk on Sleezy's face faded as he turned to look at the charred man that had been his only mage. One hit was all it took to take the man down. Then again, it took a special kind of mage to handle one of Laxus' attacks. Sleezy stared at the downed man at his side but then laughed. Rette didn't like the sound of that laugh. Nor did she like the fact that the barrier had yet to shatter. It should have the moment Laxus defeated the mage that cast it.

Unless...

Rette's eyes went wide and she whipped around to warn Laxus, grabbing his arm, but it was too late. Sleezy turned his smirk on them and gestured to the man on his left, who stepped forward. With the snap of his fingers, a sickly yellow magic circle appeared under hers and Laxus' feet. The spell activated then, an explosion going off under their feet, taking out the floor. Rette got the feeling like her stomach flew up into her throat when she and Laxus were sent crashing down into the room below, hitting the floor with enough force to crash through and fall into the basement.

Smoke clouded the air as pieces of floor board fell around her, a couple of pieces bouncing off her back. One piece hit her right at the shoulders, making her wince as pain bloomed through the healing gash on her shoulder blades. Her already sore body was now protesting at it's mistreatment.

Why couldn't she have at least a few days without ending up in situations like this?

The moment she was sure she wasn't going to fall any further, Rette shoved aside the boards on her back and sat up, coughing as she breathed in dust. She waved the dust out of her face.

"Guess there were **two** mages instead of one." she muttered, looking up at the hole they had caused when they had fallen through.

"Yeah, but...could you pay attention to the position you're in?"

Rette, her attention drawn by Laxus' voice, looked down. Somewhere during the fall, Laxus must of grabbed her to shield her, because...she now sat on top of him, straddling his hips, one hand pressed to his chest. He was laying on his back, and was currently dusting plaster off of his face.

"You're sitting on me." he said, pointing out the obvious.

Completely straight faced, as if she didn't know how her actions would effect him, Rette started wiggling, making Laxus grit his teeth as his face turned slightly red.

"Oh hey...I guess I am." Rette remarked.

"Stop wiggling!" he snapped at her.

"Okay."

He knew something worse was going to happen when she agreed too easily. He was proven right when she stopped wiggling...and suddenly bounced, hard. A grunt escaped his lips and he instantly seized her by the upper arms to keep her from repeating that action. Despite his grip being tight, Rette just sat there, unfazed. Though, to be honest...she was dying of laughter on the inside.

"Could you just get off!?" he demanded.

"I would love to, but I can't if you have such a tight grip on me." Rette informed him.

Instead of taking a chance of her bouncing again, or doing something much worse that could have his body thinking on it's own, he simply picked her up and sat her aside, off of him. He was surprised that she weighted so little, but was smart enough not to say so, out loud. She would probably kill him for even remotely suggesting she was fat. Once she was clear of his person, he sat up, dusting more plaster off himself. Rette's hands on his shoulder, made him turn to the girl but she was staring intently at his back.

When he had sat up, Rette had caught sight of the state of his back. The back of his shirt had been ripped and the flesh below was bloody. If he hadn't been trying to protect her from the fall, his back might not be in the state it was in. Rette reached out to touch his back feeling an emotion she hadn't felt in a very long time; guilt.

"Your back." she said lowly.

"It's fine. We have other things to worry about." Laxus told her, turning his eyes up towards the hole above them.

Rette looked up at the hole too. They could hear laughter sounding from high over their heads. Rette looked around then, searching for Thyme, who had been on her shoulder when the second mage had stepped in. She didn't see the little cat.

"Where's Thyme?" Rette asked.

"She's probably still up there." Laxus remarked, pointing upward.

Up there...with those men...possibly being hurt...

Rette was instantly scrambling over Laxus' lap and past him to the stairs that lead up from the basement. Laxus was surprised by her suddenly action, but didn't have time to dwell on it as she hurried up the stairs and flew through the door. He had to hurry to catch up with her. He caught her just before she was about to head up the stairs.

"You can't just fly into there." Laxus told her.

Rette turned a hard stare on him, her eyes cold. Even when he had faced her during his "Battle of Fairy Tail", she hadn't had a look that cold on her face. It kind of surprised him, allowing her to effortlessly pull her arm free.

"Watch me." Rette told him, storming up the stairs.

Laxus had a feeling this was going to end bad. He just wasn't sure for who. He followed her up the stairs and reached the landing as she kicked open the double doors and flew inside. All eyes turned to Rette as the doors slammed against the wall. Rette's eyes located Thyme, who had been caught by a couple of the men and was currently having her tail and ears tugged painfully putting tears in her blue-purple eyes. Rette's eyes flashed and soon she was flying across the room, determined to put an end to the men hurting Thyme.

Laxus stood in the doorway, watching with a mixed sense of pride and shock as Rette quickly dealt with their second mage and begin to tear her way through the men. She relied more on her fist and feet than her magic, but he had a feeling that got her point across a lot more than magic would have. In the end, Laxus only had to deal with those men who became scared of Rette and tried to make a run for it. Rette dealt with all of the others, giving Sleezy an extra few punches to the face before she scooped Thyme up in her arms and checked that the cat was alright.

Laxus had a new respect for Rette, or more correctly...her temper.

Once Rette was sure Thyme was alright, they rounded up the men and carted them outside into the town hall yard. The barrier had fallen the moment the second mage was defeated and one of the towns people had summoned Ruin Knights to come deal with the men. Rette and Laxus handed the men over to them and returned to the inn where several of the townspeople thanked them for their help. All of which the two waved off.

"I'm tired now." Rette remarked as they headed back to the room they had shared the night before. "I think I'll end up staying another night."

By this point, Laxus had to agree. He was starting to feel the soreness and pain in his back. By the time they were both in the room, Rette had noticed his discomfort.

"Sit down and take off the shirt." Rette demanded, making him raise an eyebrow at her. "Thyme, could you go find a first aid kit?"

Thyme gave Rette a salute and flew out the door in search of the manager and a first aid kit. Rette turned to Laxus and pointed to the edge of the bed. Deciding it would probably be best to just do as told, he shed his shirt and sat down on the edge of the bed. Rette got a wet wash cloth and then climbed onto the bed behind him, sitting on her legs as she examined his back. She carefully cleaned the blood anyway and removed splinters of wood from his back. Thyme came back, weighted down with a first aid kit, which she dropped onto the bed beside Rette, who thanked her.

Laxus remained still, pleasantly surprised by how gentle her hands were. They were soft and warm as they moved over his back, gently cleaning the cuts on his back before applying a healing paste to the wounds.

"Arms up." Rette demanded.

Laxus raised his arms, letting her wrap bandages around him. It meant she had to move closer to him, but he wasn't complaining. He liked feeling her close and knowing that she had been concerned with his well being.

"Why do I get the feeling, even though I can't see your face, that you're enjoying this?" Rette asked suddenly.

"No I'm not." Laxus denied instantly.

"Uh-huh...and I'm a monkey's uncle."

Laxus grinned to himself, careful not to let her see it. So he hadn't been completely telling the truth...so what? Rette had spunk, she had guts, a strong will, a kind heart-once a person got past her indifference and smart mouth-and good looks. Any man would be crazy not to enjoy being looked after by her. Rette's finger nails suddenly digging deep into his shoulders had Laxus growling in complaint.

"You could at least attempt to appear as if your not lying." Rette told him.

"And you could at least attempt to cut your nails!" he retorted.

A soft, snort-like noise had him twisting around to look at Rette. Had she...just laughed!? Having finished with bandaging him, Rette turned away from him, hiding her face behind her hair. He wasn't able to see her face but he was sure she had laughed. Rette packed up the first aid kit and asked Thyme to return it. Thyme took off with the kit. Rette stared at the door for a moment, her back to Laxus.

"Hey...go out with me."

Hearing the sudden request, Rette turned to Laxus, one eyebrow raised at him. He had just asked her out. Well...not so much **asked** as **demanded**. Was he joking? The serious look on his face told her that, no, he hadn't been joking. He was honestly asking her to go out with him. Rette had no idea how to reply to that, so she went with the first thing that popped into her head.

"Did you hit your head during the fall, too?" Rette demanded.

"No! I'm being serious, damn it." Laxus retorted, frowning at her question.

"You obviously hit your head." Rette said with a firm nod to herself.

"Is it so hard to believe that I'm honestly asking you out?" Laxus demanded, slamming a fist against one knee.

"Yes."

Laxus stared at Rette. Thyme returned then, cutting off anything he could have to say in reply. Rette looked up at the cat as she landed on her shoulder. Thyme looked at Rette, as if she could read the girl's mind and instantly turned an icy glare on Laxus. The cat really didn't like him.

"I'll go get us something to eat." Rette told him before leaving the room.

Laxus grumbled to himself, scrubbing his hands fiercely over his face. He had actually asked her out and she had thought he had brain damage. He wouldn't give up. Now that she had basically denied him, he would keep asking until she accepted. After all, he was a Dreyar and if there was anything he had in common with his grandfather and father...it was that they were all determined.

Rette avoided his persistence about going out with him for the rest of the day. They went to bed, Rette sleeping on the couch once more after making sure that there was at least one light on. The next morning, they parted ways, only after Rette insisted on checking his back. She demanded he take care of himself before they parted. Laxus watched her as she headed off about her way. Though they were no longer in the same guild, Laxus had a feeling that he would see her again soon.

He watched and was surprised when she suddenly stopped and turned. One of her hands went up into the air and she gave him a wave. It surprised him even more when she turned her hand around and folded all but her index finger and thumb in, making an universal sign well known in the Fairy Tail guild to mean that she would always keep an eye out for him. Laxus couldn't help the smile on his face as he turned, throwing a hand up in a wave back to her.

They would meet again.

It would just be a matter of time.

END

Kyandi: Now everyone can see why I laughed.

Rette: You're going to have everyone sailing the Laxus and Rette shipping ship now.

Kyandi: And that's a bad thing?

Rette: Do I need to answer that.

Kyandi: Oh don't be a sour puss. I think it would be funny to see what kind shipping names for you and Laxus our readers can come up with.

Rette: Don't get them started.

Kyandi: Too late! Everyone enjoy and review, and let's see what kind of shipping names you guys can come up with!

Rette: We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	23. Earthland to Edolas

Kyandi: I'm back!

Rette: And we have two chapters for you.

Kyandi: Yeah. I've been super busy lately, but I've made time to write a lot of stuff down.

Rette: Even though she has other, more neglected stories she needs to work on.

Kyandi: I will eventually get to them.

Rette: If you say so.

Kyandi: I do! So everyone, please, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 23 Earthland to Edolas

A few days after meeting up with Laxus, Rette returned home with enough money to restock her kitchen and pad her savings. To give herself some time to rest, she went back to work in the guild hall. That was where the day found her. She was washing down tables when Lucy came in, setting her bag down and removing her jacket. Wendy was sitting at the next table over, reading while Carla enjoyed a cup of steaming tea.

"How's it going?" Lucy called to Wendy. "Have you settled in yet?"

"Yep! I'm intrigued about the idea that there's a girls' dorm. Speaking of which, Lucy, Rette, why aren't you two part of the dorm?" Wendy asked as Rette walked past.

"I only just found out about that you know. And on top of that...the dorm's rent is like one hundred thousand...even if I wanted to apply I wouldn't be able to pay it..." Lucy said, nearly reduced to tears by the fact.

"I've never had a house of my own. After so long of never having a place of my own, a home of my own, I wanted that. You know, put down some roots. So I bought a house when I moved here." Rette answered, shrugging.

Yelling from the guild's doors, had them looking up. A man ran inside, yelling that there was trouble. Rette heaved a sigh, wondering what it could be this time. Just a few seconds later, the bell of the Kardia Cathedral, started to ring, it's chiming reaching all the way to the Fairy Tail guild hall. Natsu, Gray, Elfman, and a few other members of the guild grew excited at the sound. Rette looked at Natsu, raising an eyebrow in questioning.

"Gildarts has come back!" Natsu said happily.

"Gildarts?" Wendy asked, looking at Lucy.

"I've never had the chance to meet him, but he's supposed to be the strongest of Fairy Tail." Lucy told her.

"Whoever he is fine and all...but what is with this ruckus!?" Carla demanded.

The others in the guild hall were cheering, yells of joy sounding all over the place. Rette could barely hear Carla over the noise. Wendy commented that it was like a festival, to which Carla claimed the guild was just outrageous. Rette liked the outrageous qualities of the guild. Because of it, life was never boring.

"Everyone has more than enough reasons to be making a ruckus, you know!" Mira said, walking up to them. "It's been about three years, after all, since he had last returned."

"Three years!? What has he been doing since then!?" Lucy asked.

"Of course he's been doing work. While doing S-rank jobs, he's also been given SS-rank jobs too. Furthermore, it's said that he's been given the task to undertake a Ten-Year Job, too! There isn't anyone who's been able to achieve that kind of job before, that's why it's designated a Ten-Year Job. What's even more incredible about Gildarts is...he's even taken on a One Hundred-Year Job before!" Mira said.

The mere thought of taking on a job that no one had been able to solve in ten years, let alone one hundred, did not appeal to Rette. Normal jobs were good enough for her. She didn't need to add trouble to her plate anymore.

Her teammates did that enough for her.

"A One Hundred-Year job. Do you mean that...the task has been going on for the past one hundred years...!?" Lucy asked.

Rette was busy watching everyone rearrange the guild hall, moving tables. Outside the guild hall, people were scrambling all over the place. It was like the whole town was getting ready for Gildarts' arrival. A voice sounded over magical megaphones, telling the people of the city to prepare themselves for Magnolia's Gildarts Shift.

"Whoever he is, aren't they over reacting a little." Carla asked.

"What's Magnolia's Gildarts Shift?" Lucy asked Mira.

"You'll see if you go outside." Mira told her.

Rette, interested to see what this was, went to the doors of the guild, Lucy right behind her. They watched as the whole city began to move. The city rose a good ten or more feet into the air, and separated right down the center, opening a walk way straight down the center of Magnolia to the Fairy Tail guild hall. Rette let out a low, "Huh" that barely managed to show off her amazement at the whole thing.

"The city has been...divided!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Looks like it." Rette replied.

"Gildarts uses a magic that smashes everything that he touches into pieces so, when he's not being careful, he walks through the town crashing private houses." Mira said.

"How could he be so stupid!?" Lucy demanded.

"Sounds interesting to me." Rette said.

Lucy looked at Rette, who's sharp eyes seemed to twinkle. Lucy had been around Rette long enough to know what that look meant.

"You're not going to learn that magic!" Lucy told her.

"Well...that's a let down." Rette replied.

Lucy couldn't understand why Rette would want to learn that kind of magic. It would have been more trouble than it was worth. The subject was dropped as a lone man appeared on the newly created path, draped in a dark cloak, his hair sleeked back into spikes, a five o-clock shadow darkening his chin, and an almost displeased look on his face as he heaved a sigh. For someone who was suppose to be in his forties, if he shaved, Rette would have thought him a good ten or so years younger.

So this was the great Gildarts. Appearances could be deceiving and Rette was pretty sure that was the case in this situation. Natsu instantly demanded that Gildarts fight him, the request going unnoticed for the moment.

"Welcome back." Mira greeted Gildarts.

"Miss. I'm sure that a guild called Fairy Tail was somewhere around here..." Gildarts said, looking around.

"That's right here. And I'm Mirajane." Mira said.

Suddenly it was like an about face. A big, silly grin curled the man's lips as he started looking from Mira to the guild hall. Rette got the impression then that he was a usually silly and goofy man. Right up Natsu's alley.

"You look so different! Oh and so our guild has been renewed!" he said excitedly.

"Gildarts!"

With that yell of the man's name, Natsu charged Gildarts, looking for a fight. Rette stepped out of the way, pulling Wendy back with her so the girl wouldn't get run over. Natsu, finally catching Gildarts' attention, demanded he fight with him once more.

"Maybe next time." Gildarts said.

With a simple, practiced flourish of his hand, Gildart grabbed Natsu and sent him flying straight up, sending the pink hair boy crashing into the ceiling above. Lucy jolted in shock, but Rette simply looked upward, her head tilting to one side as she leaned back to look up.

"Huh...Natsu's a new ceiling decoration." Rette remarked, making Wendy laugh.

Natsu, despite being sent flying into the ceiling, lit up like a child in a candy store. Rette shook her head. The boy was a nut case just out to find his next challenging fight. A few of the others greeted Gildarts, welcoming him back and Gildarts finally turned to greet Makarov.

"How was the mission?" Makarov asked, Gildarts laughing in reply as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Nope. I'm not good enough for that." Gildarts admitted.

Apparently no one in the guild had expected Gildarts to fail in his job. Rette, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. It had been a One Hundred-Year job he had been on. A job that hadn't been solved in one hundred years. It was bound to be a challenging job, even for the strongest of the S-class mages in Fairy Tail. Rette knew she would never take a job like that.

"I see...even you couldn't do it." Makarov remarked.

"Sorry for leaving a stain on your name." Gildarts told him.

"No...its good enough that you came back unharmed. As far as I know, you're the first person who came back from this quest." Makarov told him.

Gildarts didn't say much to that, but Rette had a feeling that he hadn't come back completely unharmed. For one, she was sure she could smell old blood and medical onitment on him, and for two, his steps were uneven, like one leg was different from the other. But she didn't say anything. Gildarts, turned his attention to Natsu, telling him to come by his house later because he had something for him. Then, without bothering with the front door, Gildarts turned and went right through the wall. Rette shook her head. It just seemed that Fairy Tail was made up of strange, eccentric people. Gildarts just seemed to be at the top of that list of people.

The next day, Rette found herself dealing with more cheer than normal among the members of the guild. She was cleaning a table when she heard Lucy and Wendy talking. One topic caught her attention.

"7/7/777?" Lucy asked, stating a date Rette was well acquainted with.

"The dragons who taught Natsu and I Dragon Slayer magic vanished on the same day." Wendy replied.

"That reminds me, Natsu said Gajeel's dragon disappeared on that day too." Lucy said.

"What could this mean?" Carla asked.

"Could it have been hiking day?" Lucy asked.

"I highly doubt that was the case." Rette remarked, as she cleaned the table next to their's.

"Oh, that's right. Rette, didn't your dragons vanish the same day too?" Wendy asked.

"Uh-huh..." Rette replied idly.

"The Fire Dragon Igneel, the iron Dragon Metalicana, the Sky Dragon Grandeneey, the Crystal Dragon Chrysalis, and the Ice Dragon Tundron...I wonder...where they all are now?" Wendy said.

Rette didn't reply to that, ignored the conversation with everything she could. She still didn't want to confront anything involving her dragons. Others would say she was in denial, but Rette was perfectly happy with the rate of change she was at. Any faster and she feared she'd be like a snowball rolling down a steep, snowy mountain; gaining speed and size until she crashed at the bottom in a heap of pain.

She had to said, no thank you.

"Carla!"

Rette looked up when Happy went running across the tables, a fish held above his head, a bow tied carefully around it. Thyme, who was sitting next to Carla, looked up from the glass of milk in her paws, her ears twitching when she saw the fish.

"This...is a fish I caught. I thought I'd give it to you, Carla." Happy said, presenting the fish to Carla.

It was obvious that he was trying anything to gain a little positive attention from Carla. Rette thought it was a little...cute. Carla, obviously, did not.

"I don't want it. I...don't like fish." Carla said, turning her face away from the gift.

"Oh...then what do you like? Next time I'll-"

"Shut up!" Carla snapped, cutting Happy off. "Just stay away from me." Carla told him, getting up and jumping off the table.

Even Rette knew that was being needlessly mean. Happy, after all, was just trying to make Carla happy. Something that the cat didn't seem to be very often. Thyme stood up, laying a comforting paw on Happy's shoulder when he hung his head dejectedly.

"She didn't have to say it like that...right, Happy?" Lucy asked.

"Carla! Don't you think you're being a little too mean!?" Wendy demanded.

Happy wasn't giving up just yet, though. He went running after her. Rette joined Wendy, Thyme, and Lucy at their table, her tray tucked under an arm.

"I'll give him points for persistence, at least. Talk about cat scratch fever." Rette said, making Thyme give her a weird look.

Rette shrugged in reply to the look. She couldn't help but make the pun. It had been a chance she simply couldn't pass up.

"Doesn't it seem like Carla's being strangely cold to Happy? She's not that way with Thyme." Lucy remarked.

"I wonder why...?" Wendy said.

"Sometimes, with things like this, it's better to just let it play out. Trying to force the subject might just make it worse." Rette remarked.

"Maybe..." Wendy said softly.

Rette laid a hand on the girl's head, making Wendy look up at her.

"If it bothers you this much, I'll help you go look for her. Looking at the clouds, it looks like it should rain soon." Rette told her.

Wendy nodded. Rette told Mira she was stepping out to help Wendy and, with Thyme riding on her shoulder, headed out to help Wendy find Carla. Before they could find her, the sky opened up, pouring rain down on their heads. It wasn't until they were soaked to the bone that they found the cat.

"We finally found you, Carla!" Wendy called, hurrying ahead of Rette.

"Wendy. You'll catch a cold if you don't use an umbrella." Carla told her. "The same for you, Rette."

"You too, Carla!" Wendy retorted, crouching down next to the cat while Rette watched from a distance. "Carla...we just entered this guild, so I think we need to try and get along better with everyone."

"That isn't necessary. As long as you're here, everything's fine to me." Carla replied.

"Ohhh, come on! That's all you ever say." Wendy complained.

Rette thought it was sweet. Carla obviously cared a great deal for Wendy. That much was obvious. It was just like Happy's and Natsu's relationship. Rette wasn't sure about her relationship with Thyme. Perhaps she was too close to the situation to say one way or the other. Wet, slopping footsteps drew Rette's attention up. Coming towards them, rain bouncing off him, was Mystogen.

"Who are you?" Carla asked when he came to a stop a few feet short of Wendy.

Rette started forward. She hadn't seen Mystogen since the whole incident with Laxus. As she approached, he said Wendy's name, like he knew her. Wendy recognized his voice. Of course she would. It was the same voice and face as Jellal. Mystogen removed the hat from his head and the bandana that hid his face.

"To think you'd come to this guild..." Mystogen remarked.

"Jellal!?" Wendy cried in surprise.

"Wh...what is the meaning of this!? You should have been captured." Carla said.

"Hello, Mystogen. It's been a while."

The three turned to look at Rette as she came to a stop beside Wendy, watering dripping from the ends of her hair and from her chin. Mystogen looked at Rette. She didn't look surprised to see that his face was the same as Jellal's.

"I believe the last time I saw you was when Laxus was attempting to take over the guild. I was somewhat conscious when you showed up. I have to say, I was surprised to see you have the same face as Jellal." Rette remarked.

"Same face?" Wendy asked.

"Mystogen and the Jellal you met during the Nirvana incident, are two different people. Can't you smell the difference in their scent?" Rette asked, looking down at Wendy. "Not to mention that their magic feels completely different to me. I knew instantly that they weren't the same person."

"But he looks just like him!" Wendy said.

"I was surprised too." Rette remarked, turning her eyes to Mystogen.

"I am, as Rette said, Mystogen of Fairy Tail. Seven years ago, I, knowing little of this world, allowed myself to be known to you as Jellal." Mystogen told Wendy.

"D...do you mean..." Wendy trailed off.

When Mystogen nodded, tears welled up in Wendy's ears. They pooled together with the rain water dripping down her face.

"You're the Jellal...from seven years ago...I've been waiting...so long to see you again." Wendy told him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have come sooner. And Rette, I am sorry I did not come to your aid faster during that incident with Laxus." Mystogen said, looking from Wendy to Rette.

Rette waved it off. It didn't really matter to her. She had lost that fight to Laxus long before he had shown up and she highly doubted him showing up sooner would have spared her any of the pain Laxus had put her through or the loss she had suffered.

"It's not an issue. I recently got a small form of pay back from him." Rette assured him.

Mystogen gave her a questioning look but from the looks of the tiny grin that curled one corner of her mouth, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what, exactly, she had done to Laxus. Instead he turned to a more pressing matter at hand.

"However...now is not the time to be rejoicing." he told Wendy. "You must leave this town at once. Rette as well."

Wendy and Rette looked at each other, wondering what he meant. Both whipped back around when Mystogen fell to one knee, as if his strength had given up.

"I failed my mission...the "Anima" has grown too big, and can no longer be suppressed by my power alone." Mystogen said.

"Anima?" Rette asked.

Where had she heard that before. She could have sworn she heard Wendy mention it once. But what was it? The next words to leave Mystogen's mouth weren't an answer to her question. It was something that sent a chill down her spine.

"Magnolia will disappear very soon."

"Wh...what do you mean? I don't understand." Wendy said.

"It's going to end. This disappearance is already a decided matter. At the very least...I'd like to spare you." Mystogen said.

"Nothing is ever a decided matter!" Rette snapped, showing one of her rare displays of emotion.

Mystogen stared at the ground, refusing to look her in the eye. Rette had the rare, sudden urge to strangle him. Wendy seemed to have picked up on Rette's seriousness.

"What about Fairy Tail!? What about everyone at the guild!?" Wendy asked.

"It means...they'll all die." Mystogen said.

Rette felt like all the blood in her body had just drained away. A chill set in, chilling her to the bone and making her heart skip a beat. It suddenly felt like she couldn't breath. Just forcing her lungs to expand and take in air, was an effort she had never had to put forth before.

"No...I won't accept that."

Mystogen looked up, shocked when Rette turned on her heels and made a dash back to the guild hall. Wendy was hot on her heels.

"Wendy! Rette!" Carla yelled.

"We have to warn everyone." Rette called back.

She would not accept that it was a decided matter. She had finally found a home in Magnolia and she would be damned if she let it disappear now. After all...she never let go of what was hers. Not without a damn good fight.

"You cannot go! At the very least, I can take you out of town with me!" Mystogen called after them.

Rette stopped for a moment, turning to look at him, Wendy at her side. To his surprise, for two girls who had known each other for so short of a time, they had similar, stubborn and determined looks on their faces. Almost as if they could have been sisters, or at least could have known each other for a long time.

"Leaving them behind, placing my life before them...that's not going to happen." Rette told him.

"Me surviving alone? Impossible." Wendy agreed.

"After all, we are members of Fairy Tail!" they said at the same time.

Without another word, the two took off, working their way back to the guild. As time passed, Rette could feel a strange magic start to grow in the air over the town. It made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Wendy suddenly tripping, made Rette turned to help her up. In the puddle of water pooled on the ground, they could see the reflection of the sky above. Both looked upward, watching as the clouds swirled, gathering in one point right over the center of town.

Rette yanked Wendy up, keeping a grip on the girl's arm as they continued on. The guild hall came into view and they sped up.

"Everyone! We're in big trouble! The sky..."

Wendy cut off, both her and Rette sliding to a halt as the very structure of the guild hall twisted and...vanished. All around them, the buildings lining the streets did the same thing. Rette held on to Wendy, as everything around them began to get sucked up into a vortex that had opened up in the sky.

"What is this!? Everyone!" Wendy called.

Rette pulled Wendy into the line of her body, shielding the younger girl the best she could. They watched, helpless and scared, as the whole town vanished, leaving them standing in a white waste land.

"The guild...disappeared...the town too...everything...What in the world happened here!?" Wendy cried.

They looked around, but everything was gone. Not a single sign left to show that Magnolia had ever existed in the first place. They called out, but no one answered. They were all just...gone. Wendy dropped to her knees, tears in her eyes.

"Why are we still here? The town and the guild, everything disappeared...why are only we-"

"Wendy, look." Rette said suddenly, pointing.

Wendy followed her gesture, noticing that part of the ground was moving, like something was trying to burst free. They watched as the ground broke open revealing...Natsu.

"Wh...what the!?" Natsu said, looking around. "Wendy, Rette...Where are we?"

"You...don't remember anything, do you?" Wendy asked.

"Well yeah, I was asleep." Natsu replied.

Well that explained that. Natsu could sleep through the world ending, it seemed. If it wasn't such a bad time, Rette might have managed a laugh.

"Here is...where the guild...was." Wendy told him.

Natsu stared at them in confusion. He obviously didn't get it.

"A hole in the sky opened up...and all of Magnolia, the town, the people, the guild, was swallowed up. Nothing is left." Rette told him.

The look on Natsu's face was one of disbelief. He didn't believe her. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Rette didn't think she would have believed it, herself.

"We're serious! We're the only ones that are left!" Wendy told him.

"Wendy, Rette...did you hit your heads somewhere? This is really bad." Natsu said.

"Natsu." Rette said in warning when he tried to check her head.

"Could it be!? Only Dragon Slayers were left behind!?" Wendy asked suddenly.

"That's right."

The three of them looked up as Carla came flying towards them, hovering in the air in front of them. She looked even more sour than she usually did.

"Carla! Thank goodness! You're alright!" Wendy cried in relief.

"I suppose. Looks like the special magic Dragon Slayers possess really helped us out. I'm glad that at least you three could survive." Carla said.

Rette pressed a hand to her face. So she was saved because of something Tundron and Chrysalis had taught her. She didn't even have to use the magic to be reminded that she had it. That thought alone both annoyed her and made her sad. She didn't want the reminder. Natsu, on the other hand, was freaking out.

"Wait, do you mean they really did disappear!?" Natsu asked.

"We told you that, Natsu." Rette remarked.

"They disappeared. To be accurate, they were swallowed up and erased by Anima." Carla said.

"What is this Anima?" Rette demanded.

"That hole in the sky just now was the gate to the world on the other side, Edolas." Carla replied.

"What are you going on about!? Where is everyone!?" Natsu demanded.

Wendy and Rette both had to grab Natsu, to keep him from going after Carla. Thyme gave Natsu a firm look, pointing a silent finger at him, silently telling him to calm down. Natsu stared at the cat in a dumbfounded way, blinking, but he didn't try going after Carla again. Almost as if he actually understood the cat's silent order.

"Do you know something about this, Carla?" Wendy asked.

"Speaking of which, why were you and Thyme saved?" Rette asked.

Happy appeared then, freaked out that the town was gone, making Rette correct her question to include Happy. Natsu was happy to see his buddy was alive and alright.

"I came from the "Edolas", the world on the other side." Carla said, to their surprise. "That male cat and Thyme too."

Rette looked at Thyme, the cat looking back at her in confusion. Thyme had...come from another world? Happy was shocked, staring wide eyed at Carla, while Thyme casted a worried look at Rette.

"Them and I are the reason this town disappeared." Carla added.

Rette took a step forward. Thyme had been with Rette since the day she had hatched from the large, strange looking egg Rette had found. She couldn't be the cause of all of this.

"Explain, Carla, please." Rette requested.

"Edolas is a world separate from this one. Right now, it's starting to lose its magic." Carla told them.

"Lose its magic?" Wendy asked.

"Unlike this world, the magic in Edolas is limited. If it keeps being used, the world itself will someday disappear. In order to save this dried-up magic, the king of Edolas developed a spell to absorb magic from the other world...in other words, this one. That spell is the hyper-dimensional space magic, Anima. The hole that just appeared in the sky. This plan, which started six years ago, involves opening Anima in various places around the world, but it didn't bear the kind of fruit they were expecting." Carla explained.

Rette, so far, was failing to see what that had to do with Carla, Happy, and Thyme. She could find no connection so far.

"Someone went around closing up Anima. However, the Anima this time was too enormous. Without any possible way of defense, the guild was swallowed right up." Carla said.

A spell that large...even if the magic was compatible with her Conductor Crystal spell, Rette doubted she could have done enough to spare Magnolia. Just to attempt it...Rette shuddered at the thought. The magical whiplash she would have gotten from trying could have been enough to end her life as she knew it. She was glad she hadn't thought of trying.

"Why did they absorb Fairy Tail?" Natsu asked.

"I believe I know the answer." Rette said, making her guild mates look at her. "Fairy Tail has several powerful mages in it. To provide Edolas with magic, they targeted our guild for all of the magic it's mages possess." Rette said.

"Exactly." Carla confirmed.

"Just how selfish can you bastards be!? Huh!? Give everyone back, dammit!" Natsu yelled at the sky, waving a fist.

Like that would really help matters. Rette doubted the people in Edolas could hear Natsu anyway. Just watching him was ridiculous. Happy looked at Carla.

"A...and that's...mine, Thyme's, and Carla's fault?" Happy asked.

"Indirectly." Carla told him.

"How is any of this even remotely Thyme's fault? Thyme has been with me since the day she hatched from her egg." Rette said, holding Thyme in her arms.

"We received a different mission from the kingdom of Edolas. And were sent to this world." Carla answered.

"That can't be! You...were born from an egg! In this world! Just like Rette said Thyme was!" Wendy said.

"And Happy too! I found him myself!" Natsu added.

"That's right. Let me just tell you, I've never once been to Edolas. Just like Wendy said, I was born and raised in this world. But the knowledge of Edolas and our mission was inserted into our bodies. We should have all three been aware of everything from the moment we were born. And yet, how do you somehow not know a thing!?" Carla said, turning the last part on Happy with a snarl.

"I..."

Happy trailed off, looking at the ground. Rette looked down at Thyme, who was huddling close to her chest, Rette's arms wrapped around her small form.

"Do you know what she's talking about, Thyme?" Rette asked.

To Carla's shock, Thyme shook her head, the bell earrings she wore in her ears, chiming together as she did. She had no more of an idea about what was going on than Happy did. Carla stared at the other female cat in shock, but turned away, presenting them with her back.

"Anyway, that's the way things are. Since we are beings from Edolas, this occurrence is our fault." Carla said.

"Didn't you just mention something about a different mission, Carla?" Wendy asked.

"I can't say what that is." Carla told them.

"Tell me, Carla. I want to know what I am." Happy said, Thyme nodding in agreement.

"I just said I can't say what it is, didn't I!? Remember it yourself!" Carla snapped.

"It doesn't matter whatever that mission is or what caused this. None of this, absolutely none of it, is Thyme's fault and I refuse to blame her. I would kindly ask you not to blame her as well." Rette told Carla.

Thyme pressed her cheek into Rette's collar bones, silently thanking her for the support. Natsu nodded, as if he agreed with Rette. He then punched one fist into the other palm.

"Alright...now that we've gotten our stories straightened out, what do you say we head out already? To that Edolas place." Natsu said.

"Things aren't straightened out! You really don't understand a thing, do you?" Carla demanded.

"What's to understand? Everyone else is in Edolas, right? Then that is where we have to go to save them." Rette told Carla.

Natsu grinned, glad that Rette knew exactly what he was going to say. He clapped her on the shoulder before looking up at the sky above.

"Well? Carla!" Wendy called.

"Probably. I think they're there, but I don't know if they can be saved. I don't even know if we'd be able to return from Edolas." Carla said.

"Well...if none of my friends are here, then there's really nothing to keep me tied to this place." Natsu said.

"Me too." Wendy agreed.

"Magnolia is my home now. If it's not here, then I want to go to where it is. That's all there is to it." Rette added.

After all...her house had gotten sucked up too.

"We can save everyone, can't we?" Happy asked.

"I'm also technically a member of Fairy Tail...it'll give me a guilty conscience to know that this happened out of my responsibility to my homeland. Well it's not like I can't take you all there. Just promise me a few things." Carla said.

"Promise you a few things?" Rette repeated, Carla nodding.

"That when we return to Edolas, I can give up my "mission". I can't risk being caught by a member of the kingdom there...so we'll all have to disguise ourselves." Carla said.

"Me too?" Natsu asked.

"Are you ok with that, Carla?" Wendy asked.

"Yes, I've already decided on it." Carla said, before turning to Happy and Thyme. "And you will promise not to inquire any further about our mission."

Happy and Thyme agreed, though Thyme looked like the promise made her a little uneasy. Rette scratched behind her ears, silently comforting her.

"Third...I don't know anything about Edolas besides what I've told you. So I can't be a navigator." Carla added.

"Understood." Natsu said, saluting her.

"Lastly, if the male cat, Thyme, and I end up doing something like betrayal to you, then you will kill us without hesitation." Carla demanded.

Natsu and Wendy froze, their eyes going wide. Even Rette looked disturbed by the idea that Thyme could turn on her. Her arms tightened around the cat for a moment, Thyme latching on to Rette's shirt tightly. She could never betray Rette. Rette had been all she had known for so long. How could she betray that?

"I...won't do something like that. And neither will Thyme." Happy said.

"Understood?" Carla demanded, ignoring Happy except to tell him that his growling stomach was really noisy.

Wendy, Natsu, and Rette looked at each other. Before any of them could argue, Carla scooped Wendy up, flying her into the sky. She called back for Happy and Thyme to grab Natsu and Rette. Thyme flew out of Rette's arms, grabbing her from behind to carry her after Carla. Happy followed suit.

"Are we gonna fly!?" Wendy asked.

"Our wings are wings in order to return to Edolas." Carla replied. "Male cat, Thyme! Release your magic!"

"Okie-dokie!" Happy called, Thyme nodding in understanding.

"We're going to enter Edolas from the traces of Anima! We'll use our wings to break through!" Carla explained.

Rette braced herself. Whenever someone said they were going "break through" anything, she always got the notion that it was going to hurt...a lot. She didn't feel anything physically, but she could tell, magically, when they broke through something. When the clouds cleared, they found themselves in a world where land mass floated freely in the air. Strange looking creatures with four wings, long bird-like bodies, and heads that looked lizard-like, flew through the sky and water flowed through the air as if it was a river set in the sky. It was a beautiful place, but...Rette could feel almost no traces of natural magic in the air. Compared to her world, here just felt so...barren. She couldn't even feel her own magic.

"It really is...so different." Rette remarked.

Just then, it was as if Carla's, Happy's, and Thyme's magic ran out and their wings vanished. All six went crashing down to the ground, falling through the roof of a small building. Rette landed on her back, Thyme bouncing a few feet from her.

"Alright...that hurt." Rette remarked idly.

"My wings suddenly..."

"I told you, didn't I? We can't use magic freely here." Carla said, cutting Happy off.

"You're right...this feels weird." Wendy said.

"What feels weird is that I can't sense any natural magic. After being able to do that for the majority of my life...it feels like I'm trapped in a void. I don't like it." Rette said, pushing herself up.

She checked on Thyme, to make sure she was alright. They then looked around them. It looked like they had landed in some kind of store house, with shelves upon shelves of boxes, material, and other things surrounding them.

"This...looks like some kind of storehouse." Happy remarked.

"Perfect. We'll stock up on disguise clothes from here." Carla said.

They all split up, looking through the material and things in the building, picking out things they could wear as disguises.

"Ohhh! There are a lot of interesting clothes here!" Natsu said, picking up one piece.

"Natsu, please don't look this way, okay?" Wendy asked.

"I really don't care where he looks. My naughty bits are covered." Rette remarked, freely yanking her sleeveless, crop top over her head.

Wendy stared at her in shock as she shimmied out of her shorts, leaving her in a tube top and panties. And here, Wendy, like everyone else, thought Rette never wore bras. Rette saw her looking at her as she reached for an article of clothing.

"It's a tube top. An undershirt if you will. I don't like bras. Too constricting." Rette told Wendy.

Wendy's eyes, for a moment, dropped down to Rette's chest and her own hands pat her flat chest. Rette was no where near being flat and it made Wendy a little envious. Rette saw this and reached out to pat her on the head.

"Don't worry. You're still young. You'll grow. I didn't hit puberty until I was fourteen, if that makes you feel better." Rette told her, giving her a wink.

Wendy smiled and the two started getting dressed. Rette found an interesting top that was sleeveless, backless, and had a hood on it. Basically it was a hooded, halter top. The front was laced up with ruby colored ribbons, while the rest of it was black. She paired that with a pair of black shorts that looked like they could have passed for shorts-like underwear, thigh-high stocking matching the laces in color, and knee-high, heeled boots. Rette shoved her hair into the hood, pulling it up over her head and laced up the front of the shirt to hide her guild mark. She added gloves that reached up to her biceps and buckled her belt back around her waist.

Thyme dug around and found a dress, that looked like it might be for a child. Carla added a sheer, face cover like the one she was wearing. Rette helped Wendy pull her hair up into pig tails while Happy found a helmet to put on his head. When Rette was done, she located a bag and stuffed more clothes into it. There was no telling how long they would be there. While she was doing it, she came across a sword.

"Are you taking that?" Wendy asked as Rette pulled the blade from it's scabbard.

"Ezra has been teaching me swordplay. If I can't use my magic, I would like some way to defend myself if trouble should arise. It'll make me feel more confident." Rette told her as she tested the weight and feel of the sword.

Satisfied, she hung it from her belt. Just then, Natsu, who had been looking out the window, gasped, making them all look at him.

"It's Fairy Tail!" he exclaimed.

"Really?" Rette asked.

"It's shape is a bit different, but this is Fairy Tail! It's gotta be!" Natsu said, rushing out of the storehouse, Happy right behind him.

The females followed, Rette wondering what he meant by difference in shape. The moment she stepped out of the storehouse, she found out. The build looked like a twisted, barren tree, the symbol of Fairy Tail stretched out on a banner. They followed Natsu as he pushed open the front doors to go inside.

"Everyone's alright!" Natsu cheered.

"Well that sure didn't take long!" Happy added.

Carla jumped them from behind and pushed the two idiots down.

"Hold on a minute! This seems suspicious!" Carla told them.

They watched from where they were, Rette tugging her hood down to cast her face into shadows. Across the room, Juvia, dressed in way less than normal, announced that she was going off to work. Rette almost lost control on her facial features when Gray walked up to Juvia, looking like a fat man with the amount of clothes he was wearing and basically begging to go with Juvia.

"Just looking at your outfit is making me hot...how many layers are you wearing? Call me again when you're wearing less." Juvia told Gray, blowing him off.

"B...but I get cold easily!" Gray complained.

Rette felt her left eye twitch at the strangeness around them. First off, Juvia never blew off Gray. She hung on his every word and action. She certainly wouldn't have turned down a chance to go on a job with him. Second off, Gray usually found Juvia's clingy ways to be annoying. He wouldn't have begged her to go on a job with her. And he never got cold! In fact, he always seemed to be stripping down to his boxers, at least once a day.

What the hell was going on?

A look around the guild hall showed that everyone was acting the opposite of their normal ways. Nab, who usually lazed around the guild hall, unable to settle on a job to do, was running around, completely about work. Jet and Droy were consider the strongest in the guild and were currently scolding Elfman, who had apparently screwed up a job. Something that was unlike the Elfman, Rette then there was Kana, who was usually the heaviest drinker Rette had ever met, who was dressed like a prim lady and stated she didn't like alcohol and Bisca and Alzack, who Rette had watched with amusement for months because they never shared their feelings with each other. The two were all over each other, sharing sugary sweet words.

Everything was...backwards.

"Wh...what is going on here?" Natsu asked.

"Has everyone gone nuts?" Happy asked.

Just then, someone crouched in front of them, taking over their field of vision.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Talk about crass.

Rette looked up, finding Lucy in front of them. Of course, her noticing them, called everyone else's attention to them. Everyone turned on them like a rabid pack of wolves. It was a quicker turn of attitude than Rette had ever seen and she certainly had never seen such a dark look on Lucy's face before. They stared intently at them, Lucy's face getting closer and closer to Natsu by the second.

"Natsu?" she asked.

Then she hugged Natsu with enough strength that Rette could have sworn she heard his ribs crack.

"It is you after all, Natsu!" Lucy said, happily.

"What's with those clothes?" Warren asked.

"And what's with the little girl, the hooded girl, and the cats?" Macao asked.

Rette looked at Wendy. They couldn't see Rette's face, so she wasn't surprised they couldn't tell it was her, but if they were her guild mates, they should have recognized Happy, Thyme, Carla, and Wendy.

"Where have you been until now? Do you know how worried I was?" Lucy asked, Natsu.

Then Lucy jumped Natsu, locking one leg around his neck as she dug her knuckles into his head. Definitely not something Rette had ever seen Lucy do.

"Is this...all a result of being in Edolas? Everything has been completely reversed." Happy said.

Rette's thoughts exactly.

"Lucy! Look at you, bullying Natsu again! Enough already!"

Rette turned, her eyes drawn to the talker, and, just like Natsu, she froze. In the months since she had joined Fairy Tail, Rette had spent a lot of time with Mira. Mira had taken on the big sister role with Rette, and had treated her just like family. So naturally, Rette had been over to her home quite a bit and she had seen pictures of Mira's little sister, Lisanna, who had died two years before Rette joined. The girl Rette was looking at...looked just like Lisanna.

"Jet and Droy, you need to stop bullying Elfy too!" Lisanna scolded.

Natsu and Happy teared up, so shocked and happy to see Lisanna. Together, the two jumped the girl, happily calling her name. Lisanna pulled back, shocked, and Lucy kicked the two in the face for their actions. Lucy then grabbed Natsu by his shirt front, yanking his face close.

"Since when did you become so animal-like, huh!?" Lucy demanded.

"But...Lisanan's alive...right there..." Natsu said, tears in his eyes.

Gray saved Natsu from Lucy, leading him to a table. Rette was so confused that she didn't move from where she was standing.

"Wh...why is Lisanna here?" Happy asked.

"Mira's younger sister...Mira told me she had died." Rette said lowly.

"So this means not necessarily everyone has been "reversed"." Carla remarked. "See for yourself."

Carla gestured to Mira as she approached the group, cheerfully calling a welcome to Natsu. Nothing about Mira had seemed to change from the Mira that Rette knew. Carla then pointed out that there was a taller, more mature looking Wendy among these people.

"These people...aren't the people we're searching for." Rette said, looking around.

"They're different people! They've been here in Edolas from the very start!" Carla said. "It's not that hard to believe. This is kind of like a parallel world. Edolas has its own culture and history, so the possibility that another Fairy Tail would exist."

"Then where are all the people we know!?" Natsu demanded.

If this was the case, then, somewhere in this mess...there was another Rette.

The thought both interested and weirded Rette out. She was interested in what a different her would be like, but she wasn't quite sure she wanted to find out. Of course, she didn't get much of a choice in that matter.

"What's going on in here?"

Rette knew that voice like the back of her hand. Of course she did...it was **her** voice. Rette turned to find herself walking into the room from another room. This Rette looked just like Rette from the silver hair that fell down her back, to the two toned eyes that stared at the room, to the scar across her stomach. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she was wearing a sleeveless turtle neck that cut off just at the ribs, a full skirt that fell to her ankles, and sandals. Gloves covered her hands, an ax hung from her belt, and...she had a huge smile on her face.

She greeted the others brightly, as if she didn't have a care in the world, her laughter light and her smile genuine. She even greeted Natsu with a big hug, making Natsu turn wide eyes to Rette. Rette stared at the Edolas version of herself, feeling like she had lost her mind.

Yeah, she wanted to leave.

Now.

Before the nightmare got any worse.

Carla didn't want to stick around any longer either, thankfully. She grabbed Happy and Thyme by the paws and started dragging them after her.

"It's just going to cause us trouble to stay here any longer. We're off." Carla said.

"Carla! Where are you going?" Wendy asked.

"To the Royal City! There should be some clue to where the absorbed guild went!" Carla replied.

Before she could make it out the doors, someone slid into the guild hall, in a frantic race.

"Fairy hunter!" he yelled.

Whatever that meant, it scared those in the guild hall. Many claimed it was dangerous outside, while others freaked out, claiming the people of the kingdom were chasing them down.

"Kingdom..." Happy repeated.

"The ones that sent us to Earthland." Carla said, referring to the world Rette, Natsu, and Wendy came from.

"We are...enemies of Fairy Tail?" Happy asked.

Thyme latched onto Rette's leg. Rette wasn't paying attention to the cat, her attention still snagged by the Edolas version of herself.

"How much longer is it going to take for that damn transport field, Levy!?" Lucy demanded.

"I'm taking care of it right now, you asshole!" Levy replied.

And that was another new one for Rette. In Earthland, Lucy and Levy were close friends. Edolas' Levy and Lucy, obvious, couldn't stand each other. Rette was snapped out of her thoughts when everything around her, the very air itself, seemed to start to shake. What was going on?

"The kingdom is after Fairy Tail!? For what?" Wendy asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Edolas Wendy replied. "Under orders of the king, all magician guilds were abolished. This is the only one that remains in all of the world. You followed Natsu here without even knowing that? In short, we're the...dark guild."

Rette whipped around to face the Edolas Wendy. Dark guild!? They were a **dark guild**!? Rette opened her mouth to say something but was knocked off her feet as the whole building shook. She ended up sprawled on the floor along side Natsu and Wendy.

"Wh-what was that thing?" Natsu asked, referring to a large creature he had seen coming after the guild just moments before they had been transported by Levy's transportation field.

"What's wrong, Natsu? Been so long you forgot? That was one of the Royal Magic War Division Captains, Erza Knightwalker. Also known as Fairy Hunter Erza." Mira said.

"Erza's...our enemy!?" Natsu and Rette said at once.

Rette ripped her hood back, fed up with all this confusion. The Erza she knew would never attack Fairy Tail. She would rather die then hurt a single hair on the head of any of Fairy Tail's members.

"The Erza I know would never harm a member of Fairy Tail." Rette said, her tone as indifferent as her expression, but her conviction in the statement obvious.

With her hood gone, her face revealed, everyone froze, shock traveling over people as they turned to look from Rette to her Edolas counterpart.

"What's going on!?" came the cries of many.

And Rette blew their cover.

At least she hadn't gotten them attacked.

Yet.

END

Kyandi: I have another chapter after this ready for all you lovelies, but it's four a.m. here and I need sleep.

Rette: So we are going to bed and will post the next chapter tomorrow.

Kyandi: Yep. And then I have other chapters for other stories I have to work on.

Rette: For now, we need sleep.

Kyandi: Right. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We will be back later.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	24. Explaining The Hard To Explain

Kyandi: And thus, we're back!

Rette: It took forever to wake her up.

Kyandi: Excuse me for being tired! I'm human too, you know!

Rette: Are you sure? I thought you were a demon. You're family calls you one.

Kyandi: I...t-that...That's beside the point!

Rette: Did I hit the nail on the head?

Kyandi: No! Just drop it. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: The demon-

Kyandi: I'm not a demon!

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 24 Explaining The Hard To Explain

So Rette, Natsu, Wendy, and their cat companions ended up explaining how they had traveled from Earthland to Edolas to rescue their guild mates who had been kidnapped. Though, truthfully, Rette didn't do a lot of explaining.

"So you're saying that...you guys came from another world by the name of "Earthland" and you're here in Edolas on a mission to save your friends?" they were asked.

"There's a Fariy Tail in your world as well?" Jet asked.

"And in that world Erza's on our side?" Droy added.

"Yes, that sums it up." Carla confirmed.

"That's a little difficult to believe, but..."

Jet cut off when Rette turned a sharp look on him. Others crowded around Rette, Wendy, and Natsu, looking at them with new eyes. EdoRette even circled Rette, excitedly looking her over. She even took Rette's face in her hands to look at her face.

"Why such a blank face?" she asked.

"I always look this way." Rette replied.

"Why!? You've got to smile, you know." EdoRette told her, shaking a finger at her.

"Uh-huh...smile...I'll try to keep that in mind." Rette said, unsure how to deal with this.

"Come on, smile!" EdoRette prompted.

"No thanks."

"I said smile!"

Rette stared at the finger in front of her face before turning her eyes back to the face that looked exactly like hers aside from the wide smile and cheer.

"I have never been more inclined to bite a finger." Rette remarked.

Her Edolas counterpart, yanked her hand back. She obviously didn't want to get bitten and Rette couldn't help but think she had known she was smart.

"So yeah...could you tell us the best way to get to the capital?" Natsu asked, much to the shock of those around them.

"Our friends have been absorbed into this world by your king. We have to go and save them, or they'll be turned into pure "magic"." Wendy added.

"Well, I'm sorry to break this to you, little me, but you'd be better off giving up. Nobody stands up to the king of Edolas and lives to tell the tale. The power this kingdom wields cannot be overstated." Edolas Wendy said.

"In this world, magic is a limited resource. It can't last forever." Elfman said.

"And in fear of that, the king has been trying to keep all the remaining magic for himself. Isn't that right, Juvia?" Gray added.

"As a result...a royal decree was sent out ordering all mage guilds to disband. To begin with, everyone tried to resist. But the royal army's magic militia crushed all the other guilds, one by one...until the only one left was us." Juvia said.

"It's not like we've escaped unharmed, either!" Max exclaimed.

"We've lost half our members already." someone added.

"Even the master was killed!" another cried.

Beside Rette, her Edolas self gripped her shirt over her heart, her eyes falling to the floor. She looked like she was about to cry. Rette stared at her in shock. She had never seen herself look so sad and she hadn't cried since she was a small child.

"It's all we can do just to keep them from catching us. So you really shouldn't get involved with them. You're better off just going back to your own world." another person added.

"I'm gonna save my friends! No matter what!" Natsu said in determination.

"They're our guild mates. We don't leave a fairy behind, no matter what. Besides, we don't have a home to back to without them and without our town." Rette added, much to their surprise.

EdoRette turned to her then, a sad look on her face.

"In your world, is Laxus strong?" she asked.

Rette looked at her in surprise. What did Laxus' strength have to do with anything? She didn't know, but she nodded anyway. He was strong. One of the strongest that had been in their guild until he was kicked out. So of course she nodded.

"And is he...alive?" EdoRette asked.

"Yes, he is. He isn't apart of our guild anymore though. His pride led him to do something stupid." Rette replied.

"I see...then you're lucky. He's dead here. Killed with Master."

Rette blinked, surprise not even beginning to describe how she felt. Her Edolas counterpart looked...heart broken when she said that. Almost as if Laxus' death had hit her hard. Many of her guild mates even laid supporting hands on her shoulders, making her smile sadly back at them. Though Rette's relationship with her Laxus wasn't the over all best, maybe the relationship between their Edolas counterparts had been better. Whatever the case, his death hurt EdoRette...bad. Rette stared at her as she met her eyes. EdoRette's eyes widened as she watched a shutter fall over her counterpart's face. Almost as if she...was shutting herself away, to avoid pain.

"And that hurt you, didn't it?" Rette asked.

"It hurt us all." EdoRette replied, gesturing to her guild mates.

"Then you know how it would feel if we abandoned our guild mates now."

Wide eyes turned to Rette, watching her as she faced down herself. Rette's eyes drifted down to the scar on her counterpart's stomach.

"I don't know how you got that scar, but I know the pain I felt when I got the scar. That pain is nothing compared to what I would feel if I lose the first home I have ever had. Fairy Tail is my home. The guild hall we built together, the people who act rowdy, drink, and fight within it's walls...that is my home. I refuse to lose it. If you understand that pain, as I do, then don't you dare mention another word to us about abandoning this fight. They started a battle when they took my guild mates. If they want a battle, I'll bring them a war."

With that said, Rette turned on her heels, heading for the door. Thyme jumped off the table she was sitting on, latching onto Rette's shoulder and climbing up to perch on it. Natsu and Wendy looked at each other and nodded. Without another word, they followed her, Carla and Happy right behind her. Before they could completely leave the building, someone spoke up, telling them the general direction and that it would take them five days, on foot, to reach the capital.

Rette didn't say anything, just nodded to show she had heard and left. She remained quiet as she walked along side Wendy. She merely watched as Natsu wondered ahead of them. Finding a creature that looked like a mix between a frog and a cat, Natsu tried to catch it and ended up chasing the hopping animal all over the place.

"What exactly are you doing?" Carla called.

"Being Natsu. That's the only explanation I can think of." Rette replied.

"Rette."

Rette looked down at Wendy when she called her name. The younger girl was peering up at her with concerned eyes.

"Don't you think that, perhaps, you were a little to hard on her? After all...she is suppose to be you." Wendy said, referring to the EdoRette.

Rette turned her eyes back to face forward, her eyes tracking Natsu as he chased the frog. It would next to impossible for Rette to describe what she was feeling or to explain the complex reasons behind those feelings.

"No. If she was me, in any way, then she wouldn't have said a single word about abandoning the others. She would understand what Fairy Tail means to me and would have, at least, told me to slug someone for her." Rette replied.

It was hard, when Rette acted like this, to deny that Rette actually cared about Fairy Tail. Though Wendy had a feeling that Rette would just shrug it off if asked about it later. She would neither deny nor confirm that she had said what she had said or that she deeply cared for the guild and its members. Wendy turned her eyes back to watching Natsu as well.

"D'you think it'll be much further to the capital?" Happy asked.

"We have only just set out!" Carla snapped at him.

"They said it would take about five days by foot." Rette reminded him.

"Well, with our Aera not functioning properly, walking is the only option we have." Carla remarked.

"Can we really not use magic any more?" Wendy asked.

"I cannot say...but I foresee hard times ahead." Carla answered.

"And I thought I was pessimistic." Rette muttered, making Carla shoot her a glare.

Ahead of them, Natsu was still chasing the frog, trying to jump the animal, only to miss and try again. Rette sometimes wondered if Natsu was a four year old trapped in the body of a much older boy.

"Happy, help me out here! I've never seen a frog like this before! We should take it back as a souvenir for Lucy!" Natsu called.

"I don't think she'd like it that much..." Happy replied.

Natsu ignored that and took another dive for the frog, only to ram into a larger, very large, version of the animal. Rette had a feeling that Natsu had been chasing a baby and he had just found the mommy. She was completely sure when the creature tried to step on Natsu. Natsu found out quickly just how weak he was without the use of his magic and they all ended up running away from the mother frog. Rette was seriously considering tripping Natsu, since it was his fault, when something hit the frog from above. It turned out to be the EdoLucy and EdoRette, and, using a strange whip and the ax that Rette had seen hanging from her counterpart's waist, the two knocked the frog out.

"It's Scary Lucy!" Happy called happily, Wendy repeating the "Scary Lucy" part.

"Enough of the "Scary" already!" Lucy snapped.

"What are you two doing here?" Carla asked.

Rette really wanted to know that as she looked at her counterpart. EdoLucy looked away from them, as if she really didn't care, while the EdoRette smiled sheepishly, scratching at one cheek. She gave her guild mate a nudge with her elbow. EdoLucy shot her a glare, but EdoRette just grinned back at her widely.

"Well...you know...it's pretty dangerous around these parts...I was just...you know...I...It's not like I was worried or anything, alright!?" EdoLucy snapped, making her guild mate giggle.

Rette never wanted to see a giggle on herself again. Creeped out didn't even begin to describe how she felt at that moment. EdoRette turned to face them, a smile on her face.

"We figured we'd lend you a hand. After all, if truth be told...we'd do the same thing as you if our guild mates, our family, was in danger." EdoRette said.

Natsu clapped EdoLucy on the shoulder, a stupid grin on his face as he did. EdoRette turned to her counter part, giving her a wide grin. Rette looked at her before turning her eyes away from her, making EdoRette pout at being ignored.

"Well, whaddaya know...you really are Lucy after all!" Natsu said cheerfully.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" EdoLucy snapped.

"And it seems you just might be me, after all." Rette said, hands going to her hips as she looked at EdoRette.

EdoRette spread her hands and shrugged. Rette stared when she offered her a hand to shake. Rette's eye rose to a face she had seen looking back at her from a mirror her whole life.

"I should have known better than to suggest you give up. I know what Fairy Tail means to me and it has to mean the same for you. I doubt our pasts are any different. Abusive father and all." EdoRette said. "So, what do you say? Bygones be bygones?"

Rette stared at her, before looking down at the hand offered to her. It was a little strange to be shaking her own hand, she would admit, but if she could trust no one else, she had always known she could trust herself. So why not?

"Yeah, sure." Rette said, taking the hand.

"Then follow us. We'll lead the way." EdoRette said.

"You can't go on a journey with no magic to defend yourselves; that's just suicidal." EdoLucy said.

"I have a sword that I know how to use." Rette replied. "Erza taught me swordplay."

At the second sentence, both Edolas girls turned wide eyed looks on Rette and her indifferent face. Both looked like they were torn between being awed and being scared. It was interesting to watch. Rette tilted her head, intrigued by seeing the mixed look on her own face.

"I don't know rather to be scared and run or awed that she actually survived such training." EdoRette said lowly to her guild mate.

"I can hear you, you know." Rette said.

"Do you always look and sound so indifferent?" EdoRette asked.

"Do you always have a stupid grin on your face and giggle like a little child?" Rette retorted.

"Touche, my lovely look-alike, touche."

-0-0-0-0-

"Magic was traded commonly until recently. But...the kingdom started to hunt down guilds. Now, magic trading is banned too. It's an offense even if you're carrying it."

EdoLucy explained this as she lead them through a town they had come to. EdoRette walked at her side, a smile on her face and humming a happy tune, but her sharp eyes on the look out for trouble.

"Huh, it's an offence just by carrying it..." Natsu repeated, arms crossed.

"What happens to the people who naturally are able to use it?" Wendy asked.

EdoLucy and EdoRette looked at each other in shock before EdoRette shrugged, a sort of sad smile on her face.

"They could just give up on it right? More importantly, what do you mean by people who naturally are able to use magic?" EdoLucy asked.

"There is no such thing." EdoRette added.

"It seems that "magic" is treated something like "things" in this world." Carla remarked. "Magical power is limited in this world, meaning that there's nobody who has magical power within their body like us. Things that have magical power is substances such as lacrima. Magical tools are made by combining it with weapons and daily necessities. I think the generic name of those things is the "magic"."

"Mages in this world are only using them as their tools?" Natsu asked.

"Then just about anyone could be a mage with little to no training. That completely takes the hard work and pride out of being a mage." Rette added.

"We're here." EdoLucy suddenly called back.

"There's a magic black market in the basement. We'll need it for this trip." EdoRette added, gesturing to a dark, shadow filled opening leading down to the basement.

"A black market..." Wendy said, a little unsure.

"It can't be helped but we need to follow the rules of this world to use magic." Natsu said.

"At least until we can figure out how to reach our own, that is." Rette agreed.

"You have fast...adaptation." Carla remarked.

"Have to, to survive." Rette replied.

The two Edolas girls led them down to look through the magical weapons. Rette looked through the shelves. The man running the market asked what magic she was looking for. Rette thought through her own magical arsenal, trying to decide what kind of spells she used the most. When she asked if he had anything similar to her Conductor Crystal spell which could absorb and throw back other magic, he came back with a ring.

It was a thick gold band with a dark purple stone sat in it. Rette raised it to her eyes, turning it around to look at it. The man explained to her that it would absorb the magic from other magic attacks and allow her to convert it into a magical slash of her own. It wasn't exactly like her spell, but it was close enough that she was sure she could handle it. Combine it with the sword she had, and Rette was sure she could do something to defend herself and her guild mates. After finding something for Natsu and Wendy too, they went to a cafe, where they told EdoLucy what her Earthland counter part was like.

"I am writing novels? On top of that I'm a daughter of a high class family...and using magical keys!" EdoLucy said loudly, laughing as she slapped the table.

"Your noisy part is exactly the same." Natsu replied.

"Don't say that I'm noisy!" EdoLucy snapped.

"And what of you? What am I like as you?" EdoRette asked, looking at Rette.

"What you see is what you get. I'm not anything special." Rette replied idly, taking a drink of her tea.

EdoRette, who had her chin propped in her hand, her elbow resting on the table, tilted her head to the side, eyeing her Earthland look-alike. She didn't seem convinced. Then again, if she was anything like Rette, if she really had a similar past, than she knew Rette was lying to some degree.

"Oh, come now. That can't be true. There has to be come kind emotion in there somewhere. I don't believe for a moment, especially after watching your devotion to Fairy Tail, that you have none." EdoRette remarked.

"Your cheerfulness is making me sick." Rette told her bluntly, looking at her with a bland expression.

EdoRette laughed in a mix of sheepishness and awkwardness. Apparently Rette didn't want to talk about emotions. EdoRette got the message loud and clear. Didn't mean she had to respect it, though.

"I have a feeling someone doesn't like talking about their feelings~!" EdoRette sang.

"You're an embarrassment to the name Rette." Rette replied.

"Come on! I'm sure, deep down inside, that you are just as cheerful and happy as me." EdoRette told her.

"Not really." Rette said blandly. "If you had a similar past, you'd get it."

"But you can't let that get you all depressed. You have to see the bright side in life." EdoRette told her.

"The bright side hurts my eyes." Rette retorted.

The others watched in interest as the two, completely opposite Rettes, went back and forth, one with a cheerful smile on her face, the other with an indifferent expression that showed no emotion

"Come on, smile! Give me a smile!" EdoRette demanded.

"Go away." Rette replied.

"Just give me one smile. Just one." EdoRette insisted, making Rette look at her.

"I will kill you." Rette threatened.

"You are aware that that would be a form of suicide, right?" EdoRette retorted.

The two stared at each other, neither budging or blinking. It seem that Rette wasn't to fond of her Edolas self. Wendy turned to EdoLucy, the magic device she had bought, in her hands.

"This thing that we bought just then...how do we use it?" Wendy asked.

"Idiot! Don't show magic in front of people! I've told you that right now the magic is banned in the whole country right?" EdoLucy snapped.

"I'm sorry." Wendy told her, putting it away.

"Even though...the magic used to be a part of daily life right?" Carla asked.

"That's right...those royal servants took one of our culture away from us. In order to monopolize it by themselves." EdoLucy said.

"They made it so none of us normal people can use it. Not that we don't find our own ways around the rules." EdoRette said.

"Then, if we defeated those royal servants, this world may get the magic back." Natsu replied with a grin.

"Wh-what a stupid thing you are talking about! There's no way that we can fight against the royal army." Lucy snapped.

"You obviously don't know us. We've dealt with bigger fish." Rette remarked.

"Yeah. Why'd you follow us then?" Natsu asked, looking at EdoLucy.

"I just wanted to show you the way to the royal city...I...I have no intention of fighting!" EdoLucy retorted.

"I see. Thank you." Natsu told her.

"Yeah, thanks. That's more than enough help." Rette added.

EdoLucy and EdoRette looked at each other. Nothing further could be said though, for there was a loud shout. They all turned to find royal guards coming their way, knocking tables out of the way, calling that they had found them and to block the exits to the town. EdoLucy and EdoRette flew to their feet. Rette sat down her cup as they were ordered not to move.

"We've been discovered already!" Carla exclaimed.

"Alright! Let me try the "magic" out that I just got." Natsu said, pulling out the device he had gotten.

To Rette, it looked like a sword, minus the blade. When he swung it, it was like a blade of fire. Wendy couldn't figure out how to make hers work. Rette got to her feet, hand on the hilt of her sword. She wouldn't rush into a fight like Natsu. Erza had taught her that rushing into a fight blindly would get her hurt. Despite all the times that Erza, herself, had done that. When the flames from Natsu's brash attack faded, they found that the guards had shields. Natsu cursed to himself and tried to attack again, but found that he had no more magic in his device.

"I told you that the magic is limited right!? Every magic has it's number of uses." EdoLucy called to him.

"It's one time only!" Natsu said in shock.

"You could have used it around one hundred times if you controlled output!" EdoLucy snapped.

"I don't know what your Natsu is like, but our Natsu's not really big on control. Or thinking for that matter." Rette told her as she stepped forward, drawing her sword.

She darted forward, confronting one of the guards as they charged. Her sword met the shield and, while holding him back with the sword, she reached forward. Since she was left handed, used her sword with her left hand, she had put the magic ring on her right hand's middle finger. The moment she touched the shield, the magic that made it up, was sucked into the stone on the ring. The man fell forward, shocked, when his shield vanished and Rette wacked him hard across his helmet covered head with the flat of her sword.

She moved on to the next when he was on the ground and managed to absorb two more shields worth of magic before Wendy finally figured out how to open her device, unleashing a whirlwind of air that scooped them all up and spun them high into the air.

"Wendy, what did you do?" Rette demanded.

"I'm sorry!" was all she got back from the girl.

"I'm going to be sick!" EdoRette called.

So was Rette, but she wasn't going to say anything out loud about it. They crashed back into the ground a little further away from where they started and instantly scrambled to hide. EdoLucy peered through a hole in the wall that hid them from view of the street, watching as guards ran by, searching for them. EdoRette was sprawled out on her back, trying to catch her breath. Apparently the girl didn't get out much if she ran out of breath that easily.

"We fooled them somehow but we can't get out of the town like this." EdoLucy said.

"How inconvenient the magic in this world is." Natsu remarked.

"Do you even know what the word "inconvenient" means? Because I believe the inconvenient thing right now, is you." Rette retorted.

Natsu growled, shooting her a glare, but Rette just gave him a look that shut him up instantly. Between the strangeness that was her Edolas counter part and all this running about and the fact that she couldn't use her magic, Rette wasn't in the best of moods at the moment.

"Am I wrong?" she demanded.

Natsu, smartly, didn't say a word. He simply turned away from her and Rette nodded at his wise choice.

"What should we do?" Happy asked.

"Isn't there any other exit?" Carla asked.

"It's not easy." EdoLucy replied.

A shout just then, had them all going on guard. Somewhere out on the street, the guards were yelling that they had found them. When they cracked open the door to their little hiding space, they peered out to find that the guards had their hands on none other than the Earthland Lucy, who was looking confused and upset.

"Why is Lucy here?" Happy asked.

Natsu charged out of their hiding spot to go help Lucy, but Lucy pulled one of her keys out, ready to summon one of her spirits to help her.

"Lucy! You can't use your magic in this world!" Wendy called.

To their surprise...she could. She summoned out Scorpio to help her and the spirit blew all of the guards away. The job done, Lucy turned, her eyes finding them. With a cry of joy, she hurried towards them, only to freak when she was met with a copy of herself.

"Freaky, I know." Rette said, her Edolas counter part stepping up beside her.

Lucy looked from her Edolas counter part to the two Rettes before her, her eyes and mouth open wide. Yelling from approaching guards drew their attention towards the guards. They would have to get explanations out of the way later. For now, they were still in trouble.

"Natsu! Take care of them!" Lucy yelled.

"We can't use our magic." Natsu replied.

"You...why can't you use it!?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know!" Natsu snapped back.

"Lucy, you're the only one that can still use their magic. You have to take care of it." Rette told her.

Lucy looked at all of them, before making a comment that perhaps she was the strongest now. Rette heaved a sigh, dropping her face into one hand, her counter part patting her on the shoulder, as if she understood her pain. Lucy summoned Aries to finish the job and they took off running once more, Lucy getting a big head from the praise Natsu gave her.

"This is...the magic of Earthland?" EdoLucy asked.

"One form of it. There's so many different types of magic in Earthland, that I've been studying it since I was six and still haven't learned but a tiny fraction of what's out there." Rette told her.

Thanks to Lucy's help, they managed to get out of the town and when they were sure they were safe, they sat down to find out how Lucy had gotten to Edolas and to explain their end of things.

"...and so at that moment when Anima absorbed the town, Horologium save me. He said that he felt like the space was twisted or something. He sheltered me in another space for a while. Then I was all alone in the middle of nowhere but at that time Mystogen came to me." Lucy told them.

"Mystogen!?" Carla exclaimed.

"And then I was told about the circumstance and got flown to this world." Lucy added.

"Who on earth is he?" Natsu demanded.

"He didn't say anything about that." Lucy replied.

"But why is Lucy the only one that can use magic?" Rette asked.

"Perhaps, I'm...a legendary hero or-"

"No way." Natsu said, cutting Lucy off.

"You ruined my feelings." Lucy cried. "To be honest, I don't know. This fight will be at a disadvantage since Natsu and Rette can't use their magic."

"You're magic is that strong?" EdoRette asked her look-alike.

"I'm the only one of my type in Earthland. I combine two magic types into a type that doesn't exist naturally. For that, I have to learn a lot of different types of magic. So it's not so much that my magic is strong. Just that I have a lot of it." Rette replied.

"You jerks're seriously going to fight against the kingdom?" EdoLucy demanded.

"Of course." Natsu replied.

"It's for our fellows." Happy agreed.

"Is this really me?" Lucy asked, looking at Rette.

"I asked the same thing." Rette replied, getting elbowed in the ribs by her counter part.

Rette turned to look at her, silently daring her to do it again. All she got back in reply was a smile. This girl was way to cheerful to be her.

"You guys can't even use magic properly and still...against the kingdom..." EdoLucy said.

"Excuse me! I can use my magic!" Lucy snapped, flying to her feet. "Under such a circumstance, let me; the Fairy Tail's strongest mage, take care of this! I'm getting fired up!"

"I feel shameful but..."

"We don't have a choice but to rely on her." Carla said, finishing Natsu's sentence.

"I feel that this is going to end more laughable than anything." Rette remarked.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

-0-0-0-0-

After that, they moved on, heading to the next town, where they managed to get a room at an inn for the night. Since the bathroom was big enough and none of them had an issue, both Lucys and both Rettes, took a bath together. To Natsu's and Wendy's surprise, EdoLucy went crashing out of the bathroom, naked.

"Look! She even has the same body as me!" she announced, Lucy rushing to wrap a towel around her.

"Don't go outside looking like that!" Lucy snapped.

"It's the same here. I'm surprised, but she has everything the same, right down to the tiniest of scars." Rette remarked, walking out of the bathroom, wrapped loosely in a towel, her counterpart following, hugging the towel around her.

Apparently it was reversed. Where with the Lucys, EdoLucy had no problem with a guy seeing her naked and Earthland Lucy did, it was reversed with the Rettes; Earthland Rette didn't care and EdoRette did.

"EdoLucy! Rette! Natsu's here!" Wendy said, scandalized.

"Like I care about that." EdoLucy said.

"Like I said...my naughty bits are covered." Rette replied.

"We care!" Lucy and EdoRette said together.

Natsu looked at the four girls before him, his face somewhat bored. He leaned forward when EdoLucy offered to show him what was under the towel. Lucy tried to stop her. Before anything could be seen, Natsu started laughing. Offended, Lucy put her hands on her hips.

"Wh-what's so funny? I get it...you just barely managed to keep in some comment about how EdoLucy has a better body than mine or something?" Lucy asked.

"Don't take a bath with yourself!" Natsu said, quivering with laughter.

Rette dropped her face into her hand once more. She heaved a sigh before putting her hands on her hips, prompting her Edolas self to tell her to cover up. Rette raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hmmm...nope. I like the breeze between my knees." Rette replied.

"Don't say that!" EdoRette snapped.

"I think I'll go outside like this." Rette said, turning to head for the door.

EdoRette grabbed her arm, yanking her to a stop, pleading with her not to do it. Rette insisted on doing it all the more. This nearly had EdoRette in tears.

"Stop embarrassing me!" EdoRette pleaded.

"Me? **You're** the embarrassment to **me**." Rette told her.

"I'm not the one threatening to walk around outside in nothing but a towel!" EdoRette replied, looking completely embarrassed, her cheeks a bright pink.

"My naughty bits are covered." Rette insisted.

"Stop saying that! It doesn't make it any better!" EdoRette said.

Rette heaved a sigh as her Edolas look-alike forced her back into the bathroom, taking their clothes with her. When the two came back out, EdoLucy had had Lucy's spirit Cancer cut her hair short so they could easily tell the two apart.

"This'll fix all the confusion." EdoLucy declared.

"You sure it's alright?" Lucy asked.

"Hm? Is there some custom about treasuring one's hair in Earthland?" EdoLucy asked.

"Well...I think all girls are like that." Cancer said.

"Not really."

All eyes turned to Rette as she dropped to sit in a chair, running a brush through her long, silver hair. She pulled her hair over her shoulder to brush it out, idly working tangles out of the long length.

"I really don't care about short or long hair." Rette said.

"Then why don't you cut your's, Rette? That way we can tell you from EdoRette." Natsu remarked.

"I won't cut my hair, but it's not because I treasure **it**. It's for a different reason." Rette replied.

"What reason?" Wendy asked.

Rette stopped brushing her hair for a moment. It almost looked like she was debating answering the question or not. Then she heaved a sigh and started running her fingers through her hair once more, her eyes on the silver strands.

"My biological father once made the comment that all I ever got from my biological mother, was her hair. I never knew her, since she died when I was just a few days old, but as long as my hair is long, as long as it looks like hers...I can feel a little like I'm close to her. It's a stupid, old sentiment, but it's one that's hard to break." Rette said, waving it off quickly, as if it didn't matter.

The others stared at her. Sometimes, Rette really could say something that sounded like she put more emotion into the few connections she had then she was willing to let on. But she then quickly waved it away, as if she had never said a thing. EdoRette looked down at her before she turned to Cancer and smiled at him.

"Can I get you to do my hair too?" she asked.

Rette looked up at her in surprise and EdoRette smiled at her.

"The one person in this world I cared about more than any other, never cared if my hair was long or short. So cutting it doesn't bother me." EdoRette assured her.

Cancer nodded and got to work on her hair. He left the front at chin length, and cut the back short. EdoRette peered into the mirror afterward and smiled.

"Actually...I think he would have loved this." she muttered lowly. "This girl doesn't mind the cut."

"Girls, huh?" EdoLucy repeated. "In this world, it's gonna become ridiculous to think of things in terms of men and women. We're all desperate just to survive, you know. Right, Rette?" EdoLucy asked.

EdoRette sighed, her expression horribly sad. She gripped her gloved, left hand tightly in her right and nodded her agreement.

"But everyone in this guild looks like they're enjoying themselves." Happy remarked.

"Of course they do. If you don't manage to make a smile somehow, your heart will break in a snap." EdoLucy said.

"Holding on tightly to the dark, smothers the light. Without the light, sooner or later...you'll break. But if you can smile, even when all you want to do is cry, if you can find a reason to laugh and love, then you can keep it together. That's all we're doing. Living life, one day at a time." EdoRette added.

"Also, there are people in this world who need us. That's why...even if we fall into darkness, we are a guild, and will continue. But...just that alone isn't enough." EdoLucy added.

Rette watched EdoLucy and EdoRette as they shared a long look. They didn't say another word, claiming it was time to get some sleep. Natsu took the love seat for his bed, Happy sleeping on the floor. Lucy shared the large, king sized bed with EdoLucy and EdoRette while Rette, Wendy, Carla, and Thyme slept on the pull-out sofa bed.

In the morning, Lucy awoke Rette and the others with a loud yell.

"I can't believe this!"

Rette pushed herself up while Wendy rubbed at her eyes. Natsu sat up too, not too happy to be woken up so early in the morning.

"You're really wound up this early." Natsu remarked.

"What's wrong?" Happy asked.

"The Edolas me ran away! EdoRette, too!" Lucy said, waving a note in Natsu's face.

Rette walked up to Lucy's side and took the note from her waving hand. She then held up a hand for Lucy to punch at, her frustration getting the best of her.

"'The royal city is a three days' walk to the east. We're going back to the guild. See ya, good luck!'" Rette read.

"I thought they were going to help us! Arrgh! What kind of nerve do they have!?" Lucy yelled, still punching Rette's raised hand.

"There's no helping it. They did say that they were never intending to fight." Wendy said.

"Well I won't forgive Edolas me, at least. As the same person, I can't!" Lucy said. "Rette, you shouldn't either."

Rette stared at the note and then remembered the look EdoRette and EdoLucy had shared the night before. She had a feeling there was more to this than just not wanting to get dragged into a fight. She knew, knowing herself, that EdoRette, at least, couldn't turn her back on a guild mate. Technically speaking, they were her guild mates. Whatever their reason was, Rette wouldn't hold it against them. After all...this wasn't their fight. They had their own guild and friends to look after.

Rette would look after her own.

END

Kyandi: I love EdoRette!

Rette: I don't.

Kyandi: Well, you can get over it.

Rette: If I didn't know any better, I would say you like her better than me.

Kyandi: Well...that's certainly not far fetched.

Rette:...

Kyandi: Rette?

Rette:...Excuse me while I go plot your death.

Kyandi: Talk about an over reaction! Everyone please enjoy and review while I quell this issue.

Rette: We'll be back...maybe.

Kyandi: We will! Bye-bye!


	25. Never

Kyandi: Hello, everyone. I have returned!

Rette: I actually almost laughed at the end of this chapter.

Kyandi: Almost? I died of laughter.

Rette: You normally do. You scare those living in your house with your middle-of-the-night, seemingly pointless laughter.

Kyandi: If I think it's funny, I'm going to laugh.

Rette: So we have all noticed. Shall we get on with this then?

Kyandi: Right. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 25 Never

"So all it takes is a book to make her happy?"

Rette, Natsu, Wendy, and the cats watched a happy Lucy as she walked down the street, her arms wrapped around a book she had found. Rette liked to read too, but she had never been that happy about a book before. And doubted that she ever would.

"Aren't you all interested in learning a little about this world?" Lucy asked.

"Nope." Natsu replied.

"Not really." Rette added.

Lucy ignored the two, holding out the book in her hands.

"This historical narrative tells so much. This world is interesting! For example, over one hundred years ago...a race called the exceed used to live here." Lucy said.

"Sounds boring." Natsu remarked.

Rette's attention was drawn to the sky when a large shadow fell over them. It was too dark to be caused by a passing cloud. When she looked up, she found an airship in the skies above the town. Rette ducked behind some barrels stacked up on the side of the road, dragging Lucy with her as royal guards came running down the street. Wendy shoved Natsu into hiding too.

"Two more days until the giant lacrima's magic extraction!" one royal guard cheered.

"Giant lacrima?" Natsu asked.

"That has to be what happened to all of Magnolia." Rette said.

"Two days until the extraction? If we try to walk there, we won't make it in time! What's going to happen to everyone!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Once the extraction begins, we'll never...be able to return them to their original forms again." Carla said.

Rette stared up at the ship, watching as royal guards guided the ship into a landing. She turned and called Natsu. Natsu joined her, following her gesture to the ship.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Rette asked.

Natsu grinned, clapping her on the shoulder. When the others gave them a questioning look, Natsu shared the idea with them too.

"How about stealing that ship?" Natsu asked.

Wendy and Carla stared at Natsu and Rette with wide eyes as Rette nodded. Rette thought it was a good idea and obviously, Natsu agreed.

"Normally it's "sneak on to that ship" isn't it?" Carla asked.

"I don't like hiding." Natsu said simply.

"Neither do I for that matter." Rette agreed.

"It's rare for you to want to ride on stuff, Natsu." Happy remarked.

"As long as we have Wendy's Troia, we don't need such a-"

"I can't use magic here." Wendy said, interrupting Natsu.

"Motion repealed." Natsu said instantly.

"I get motion sick too, Natsu, but if it would get us to the royal city in time to save the others, I'd be willing to put up with it." Rette told him.

"I agree! If we don't steal that, we won't make it!" Lucy said.

"But how?" Wendy asked.

"With my magic! Don't you know? I'm in my prime right now!" Lucy replied.

"Try deflating your head a little, Lucy, or you'll never fit it through the hatch on the ship." Rette told her.

Lucy turned a hard look on her, but Rette ignored the look. If Lucy wasn't acting so cocky just because she was the only one that had magic at the moment, then Rette wouldn't have said it. Though Rette could understand Lucy wanting to bask in the moment considering usually, she was considered to be the weakest in their team.

"I realized it when we fought in Luen. I'm pretty sure Earthland's "magic" is more advance than this world's." Lucy said.

"I would bet so. We naturally have magic in Earthland. They don't here." Rette agreed.

Lucy nodded and headed off to secure the ship for them. Rette had a moment of amusement when Lucy tried to summon Loke, but got Virgo instead.

"Hey, what's the meaning of this!?" Lucy asked.

"Brother's in the middle of a date right now, so he can't be summoned." Virgo replied.

"B-brother!?" Lucy asked.

"Yes...Leo ordered me to call him that." Virgo told her.

"That guy is such an idiot! Now what should I do!? I was planning on having Loke take care of everyone..." Lucy said.

"Ma'am...excuse me for being presumptuous, but if I go all out here...I could even dance." Virgo said, starting to dance.

Lucy demanded Virgo go back, since she was of no help. Rette heaved a sigh and looked at Natsu and Wendy. With a jerk of her head, the three joined the fight. Both Natsu and Wendy had recently had the magic in their items replenished and Rette had collected enough magic from other items to use the attack feature in her own item. While Rette could hold her own between the ring and her sword, Wendy and Natsu were easily beaten. Wendy, Rette could understand, but it made her ashamed to call Natsu her teammate. Without the use of her magic and being so out numbered, there was no way Rette could push through and the airship took off before they could get on it.

The guards restrained Lucy, Natsu, and Wendy, before coming after Rette. Every time one tried to touch her, Thyme, who was sitting on her shoulder, would claw their face before Rette would slam the hilt of her sword into their helmet. But they would over whelm her soon. The sound of an approaching engine made them all look up. Rette raised an arm to block her eyes from flying dirt when what looked like a wooden four-wheeled car with the Fairy Tail emblem on it, came to a stop, wiping out several guards.

"A magic four-wheeler!? It has Fairy Tail's symbol on it!" Lucy said.

The window rolled down and looking back at them from inside...was Natsu's look alike. Rette barely could tell it was him, with the thick goggles he was wearing, but the pink hair was a dead give away. As were the flames painted over the vehicle and his clothes. Rette was surprised by how cool Natsu looked behind the wheel of a vehicle. Especially since he wasn't puking.

"I heard about what happened from Lucy. Get in." he told them.

Though Rette was not looking forward to it, she and the others got in. It was a bit of a tight fit, but Rette wasn't going to complain. The thing was fast, but the moment it started moving, Rette felt like her stomach was about to try to make a trip up and out of her mouth.

"You really saved us!" Lucy said.

"Thank you so much!" Wendy added.

"You want to go to the royal city, right? This sucker's way faster than that hunk of junk. The fastest man in Fairy Tail...Natsu the Fireball, that's me." he replied, taking off the goggles to reveal his whole face.

"In Earthland, the title of fastest man in Fairy Tail, goes to Jet." Rette said, while the other's were shocked that it was Edolas Natsu.

"Natsu!? The Natsu of Edolas...of this land!?" Lucy asked.

"Lucy was right, you look exactly like her. So...that's the other me? How pathetic." EdoNatsu said, glancing back at a sick Natsu.

"Our Natsu doesn't do so well on moving vehicles." Wendy told him.

"And he's suppose to be me? In this world, I'm the transport magic specialist known as the Fireball, ya know." EdoNatsu said.

"Do me a favor and watch where you're going." Rette told him idly, waving for him to turn around and watch where he was driving.

EdoNatsu glanced at her. His eyes scanned over her before looking forward once more.

"Rette told me that you looked like her, but that you have the emotional range of a rock." he told her.

"My emotional range is just fine. I just don't see the point in being overly cheerful like her." Rette replied, sinking in her seat as her stomach did cartwheels.

"Thing is, before Rette joined us and before she met **him**...she might have agreed with you." EdoNatsu told her.

"Who's this "him" I keep hearing about?" Rette asked.

"Ya might want to ask her. She doesn't like when we talk about him behind her back." he replied.

Great, so basically she was keeping secrets from herself. How messed up was that?

"Speaking of magic, this vehicle doesn't have an SE plug." Happy remarked.

"An SE plug?" Wendy asked.

"It stands for self-energy plug. It converts the driver's magical power into fuel for the vehicle." Rette replied groaning lowly when they hit a bump and her stomach did another flip.

"I see...there isn't any need for SE plugs here because no one has any magic!" EdoNatsu said.

"In other words, it runs purely on magic?" Lucy asked.

"Their transport technology is much more advanced than ours." Carla said.

Rette grabbed onto the seat as EdoNatsu suddenly jerked the wheel, spinning them to a stop. The sudden spinning to a stop, knocked Rette to the side, basically sending her flying into Natsu. She was glad when they stilled, but she wasn't thankful for the way her stomach had dropped when he had done it. As if her stomach wasn't already rebelling against her.

"Hey, what was that for!?" Lucy demanded.

"Not exactly. Since magical energy is limited, the amount of fuel that can be converted from magic is also limited. It isn't easy to get hold of now, either. That is why this is as far as I'm taking you. Get off." EdoNatsu told them.

"You can't-"

"Any further and I won't be able to get back to the guild." EdoNatsu said, cutting off Wendy.

Rette and Natsu were already out, glad to be back on solid ground. Rette took a deep breath as her stomach settled and let out a relieved sigh.

"At least we're closer now." Rette said.

"The other me and the other Rette have the right idea." EdoNatsu said, before kicking Lucy, Wendy, and the cats out of the vehicle. "Going against the kingdom is reckless. Don't get us involved. I only came to bail you out because of Lucy and Rette...as in, the Lucy and Rette that I know, asked me to come. I don't want any trouble. I just want to continue driving around."

Rette crouched down to peer into the vehicle at him, Natsu leaning on the frame to look at him as well. EdoNatsu looked between the two, wondering what they were doing.

"You know...you sound smarter than my Natsu," Rette said, making Natsu yell "Hey!" in her ear. "but you aren't very bright either. You've already got trouble. Or haven't you noticed that the kingdom is hunting down your guild?"

EdoNatsu stared at her as she stared back at him, her face expressionless, her eyes hard, but her anger making the magenta-lavender of her eyes blaze brightly. Rette gave her Natsu a look and nodded. She moved out of the way and Natsu reached into the vehicle, grabbing his Edolas counterpart and yanking him out.

"You get off too!" Natsu told him.

"You...hey what are you trying to..."

"As the same person, just let me say one thing." Natsu told him, pulling him all the way out.

"L-let go! Stop it! Don't make me get off!" EdoNatsu protested.

Natsu dropped him on the ground and crouched in front of him.

"You...why are you so good with moving vehicles!?" Natsu asked.

"That was what you wanted to say!?" Lucy asked.

"It's Natsu. Did you really expect anything else from him?" Rette asked.

"Th-that...I-I'm sorry...I don't know either." EdoNatsu said.

Rette's head tilted to the side and she let out a low "Huh" as she looked at EdoNatsu. The others leaned in, staring at his face as he started to cry. Natsu leaned forward, looking at his look-alike closely.

"Are you really the other 'me' we were talking to?" Natsu demanded.

"Y-yeah...I get that a lot...people say my personality changes when I get on a vehicle." EdoNatsu said, cowering like a scared little girl.

"This is the real EdoNatsu!?" Happy asked.

EdoNatsu started shivering at Happy's loud voice and covered his head with his arms, drawing his legs up towards his chest. Rette's head tilted the other way. And EdoNatsu wanted to call Natsu pathetic? This was more pathetic than motion sickness. Especially when EdoNatsu begged them not to use such loud voices because it scared him.

"Maybe you could try and mirror his actions." Lucy told Natsu, grinning.

"I don't know...I think it's kind of adorable. Certainly fits about how old Natsu normally acts." Rette remarked.

"What was that!?" Natsu snapped.

Rette gave him a look, silently daring him to do anything. Natsu backed down quickly, knowing that Rette would have no mercy on him. She had a sword and he didn't have his magic to defend him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. B-but, it's impossible for me! It's only because Lucy-san asked me to that I came all the way here." EdoNatsu told them.

"It's okay...don't push yourself too hard." Wendy told him.

"He isn't much use as he is now, anyway." Carla added bluntly.

"Carla!" Wendy scolded.

"Could it be...Wendy-san? Uwah, you're so cute and small!" EdoNatsu said.

Now that he was outside of his vehicle, he was far more like a shy child and was attaching the -san honorific to everyone's name.

"I'm Happy, this is Carla, and this is Thyme." Happy said introducing himself, Carla, and Thyme.

Thyme raised a paw in greeting when EdoNatsu looked at her. Carla didn't even bother to show she had heard the introduction.

"I'm...well you probably already know, but-"

Lucy cut off when EdoNatsu jumped away from her and hid behind a boulder, scared.

"I'm sorry! I'll do anything!" he said, as if pleading for his life.

Rette got the feeling that EdoLucy wasn't very nice to EdoNatsu, leaving the poor boy with a little trauma.

"You know, you should be nicer to me." Natsu told Lucy.

"The Lucy from this world...she said I only had to bring you here...that's why..." EdoNatsu said.

They turned, stepping up to the cliff that EdoNatsu had parked on and looked below. Spreading out below them was the royal city with a large castle perched right in the center.

"This place is huge." Rette remarked.

"Jeez, you could've just told us we were here." Natsu told his counter part.

"I'm sorry!" EdoNatsu apologized.

"Awesome! I didn't think we'd get here so fast!" Natsu cheered.

Excited that they had managed to get there with a whole two days to find the lacrima their friends had been turned into, Carla lead the charge down to the city, Wendy, Happy, and Lucy following. Thyme hopped up onto Rette's shoulder and Rette and Natsu turned to follow.

"Are you really...going to fight the kingdom?" EdoNatsu asked.

Rette and Natsu turned back to look at him.

"Maybe, I dunno. We kinda just want to save our friends." Natsu said.

"We won't have much of a choice though if they won't release them. We aren't leaving without our friends." Rette added.

"T-there's no way you'll win...against the royal army." EdoNatsu said.

Natsu and Rette looked at each other and Natsu grinned widely. Rette heaved a sigh, one hand going to her hip as she shoved the other hand into her hair, combing it back from her face.

"You know, that kind of makes me want to try even more. What about you, Natsu?" Rette asked Natsu.

"Ya bet!" Natsu said cheerful.

Rette looked back at EdoNatsu.

"I don't know if it's the same here in Edolas or not, but in Earthland, Fairy Tail doesn't give up. We fight until we can't fight anymore and then we still keep going. We certainly don't leave a fairy behind. We'll do what we have to to get the others back. Just wait and see." Rette told him.

Rette and Natsu looked at each other and turned to follow after their friends, waving to EdoNatsu over their shoulders. They hurried down into the city, their eyes constantly scanning the buildings around them as they walked. Compared to the last two towns they had been in, this place was more like an amusement park. Every place Rette looked, there were things that were being run by magic. It was like all of the magic gathered by the kingdom was being focused on the royal city alone. Meaning that if a person wasn't lucky enough to live in the royal city, they had to scrap by to survive.

"It's worlds apart from Luen and Shikka. It's like an amusement park." Lucy said.

"My thoughts exactly." Rette replied.

"It's a waste of magical energy. They've taken all the magic from guilds and other countries and focused it on the royal city." Carla said. "A city of leisure and amusement was created to gain the popularity of the citizens."

"What a despicable king." Lucy agreed.

"Especially since those who can't live here, suffer and scrape to survive. It's ridiculous." Rette remarked.

A gathering crowd up ahead drew their attention.

"Looks like something's going on over there." Wendy said.

"Maybe there's a parade, or something." Lucy said.

Natsu didn't stick around to chat about it. He rushed towards the crowd to find out what was going on. Natsu lead the way as they squeezed their way in through the crowd. Lucy was right behind Natsu, Rette just behind her, a hand stretched out behind her to hold on to Wendy's hand, keeping the girl from getting lost in the crowd. Natsu suddenly stopped, making Lucy crash into him and causing a chain reaction. Rette crashed into Lucy's back, Wendy into Rette's.

"Hey, why'd you suddenly sto-"

Lucy cut off in her protest when Rette tapped her shoulder and pointed up. Rising far over their heads, guards forming a ring around it, was the very lacrima they had been searching for. The thing was huge, but judging from the marks along one side, that suggested it had been broken off...it was only a small piece of the whole thing.

An old man, standing on a platform in front of the lacrima, raised his hands to quiet the cheers of the crowd. Rette was willing to bet that this was their king. The man who had taken her home, her guild, and all of the people in Magnolia.

"Children of Edolas. Our sacred kingdom has, through the use of Anima, produced ten years worth of magical energy!" he declared.

"'Produced' he says. More like stolen from our world!" Happy said.

Rette nodded, agreeing with the small, blue cat.

"Sing together, dance together...let us share in each other's joy! The people of Edolas have a right to shared ownership of this magical energy! For we are the only people who will progress to the future, the holy race! No one shall steal our magic from us! And let me promise you that we will have more, even more magic. We shall have magic enough to make this look like trash!" the king announced.

The man was so full of crap that it made Rette want to beat him upside the head with the staff in his hand. Natsu was getting more and more angry with every word that left the old man's mouth. Then, the king raised his staff, hitting the lacrima behind him with it hard enough to crack off a chunk. The only thing that stopped Natsu from attacking at that moment, was Lucy wrapping her arms around him from behind. Rette grabbed hold of his sleeve, holding on tightly to ground herself before she tried to attack too.

"Natsu...bear with it." Lucy told him.

"I can't! That...that lacrima is-"

"Please...we all feel the same way." Lucy told him, tears in her eyes.

Natsu glanced at Rette. Despite her bowed head, her hair hiding her face, he knew it was killing her too. He could feel the shaking in her hand on his sleeve. Wendy was biting on her lip to keep back her tears and Happy, Thyme, and Carla were all gritting their teeth, their paws curled into fist as they dealt with the frustration and anger they felt. Natsu glanced at Rette again, and was able to see her face. What he saw, shocked him so much, his anger took a back burner. Rette's face was dead to emotion, as usual, her features smoothed out into their usual look of aloofness.

But her eyes.

Natsu had never seen a darker look in Rette's eyes than he did then. The sharp, dark look chilled him to the bone. Where her anger usually made her eyes blaze, this...this was murderous intent. Someone was messing with her guild, was messing with the home she had made for herself...Someone was messing with what was hers. The feeling welling up inside Rette had her shaking from the effort to hold it in. Despite her lack of magic at the moment, she wasn't going to sit back and take this.

They would get their friends back.

One way or the other.

First...they needed a plan.

-0-0-0-0-

Everyone now depressed and angry, they found themselves an inn to stay in, silence stretching between them as they all dwelled in their thoughts. Rette and Natsu perched in two of the several open windows, Happy slumped against the wall and Thyme perched in Rette's lap. Wendy and Lucy sat on the couch, the only noise in the room, the scratching of Carla's ink pen as she tried to figure out a way to help their friends.

"I can't stand waiting around anymore! We're getting into that castle!" Natsu declared suddenly, jumping out of the window sill.

"Just give me a minute." Carla told him.

"What for!?" Natsu demanded.

"We have to come up with a good plan. We can't return them to their original forms, you know." Carla told him, effectively stopping Natsu in his tracks.

"Everyone...trapped in a crystal like that...how do we get them back to normal?" Wendy asked. "Rette, you know crystals because of your magic. Can't you figure out how to turn them back?"

"It's not my spell, Wendy. And lacrima are different from the crystals I use and create. While I could possibly eat them and use them as a source of fuel for my Dragon Slayer magic, I'm not sure there's anything I can do at all about returning the others to their original forms." Rette told her.

"I think our only choice is to ask the king himself." Carla said.

"There's no way he'll tell us." Wendy replied.

"I believe we can confidently say that that man has a few screws loose in his head. I wonder if his mother dropped him on his head as an infant." Rette remarked.

"I think we should just punch it out of him!" Natsu declared.

Rette shook her head. Natsu's solution to just about everything was to smash, break, and/or maim. How the boy ever made money to eat was beyond her.

"Does the king know a why to return them to their original forms?" Lucy asked.

"Most probably." Carla replied.

"It might actually work. If we could just find a way to get close to him." Lucy said then.

"How do you mean?" Wendy asked.

"With Gemini. Gemini has the power to transform into anyone they touch, but on top of that, they can even find out what the person is thinking in that period of time. In other words, if they transform into the king, we might find a way to save everyone." Lucy explained.

"It could work, but then the issue becomes...how do we get close to the king?" Rette remarked.

"As we would expect, the sheer number of guards means it won't be easy." Wendy said.

"Especially since Lucy's the only one with access to her magic." Rette added.

Rette wasn't sure about this. If she, Natsu, and Wendy had their magic at their disposal, then it wouldn't have been that big of an issue. They could easily over power a bunch of guards with limited magic at their disposal. Not to mention that it would have been easy to fly into the castle or create a hole in the wall. But this...Rette wasn't sure.

"There is a way to get near the king." Carla said, holding up a piece of paper.

On the paper she had drawn a layout of the royal city. In the layout, she had marked the opening to a coal mine that lead into an underground passage. An underground passage that would take them straight into the castle.

"It was intended as an escape route out of the castle, but the tunnel at the outskirts of the city should be connected to the basement of the castle." Carla said.

"That's amazing! How did you know that!?" Wendy asked.

"Information. Fragments of information surface in my consciousness. Since coming to Edolas, I've been supplemented by information about the geography of the area bit by bit." Carla replied.

"I haven't at all. What about you, Thyme?" Happy asked.

Thyme shook her head, looking dejected at the idea. Rette pet her head. While it seemed that this information would work to their advantage, Rette had a bad feeling about it. It was just too...convenient.

"In any case, if we manage to infiltrate the castle from there, we'll probably figure something out." Lucy said.

"Alright! Let's turn them all back to normal!" Natsu cheered.

"We leave in the night. Let's take the time to get a little rest." Carla suggested.

Still feeling a little uncertain about the whole thing, Rette decided to get some sleep. She draped herself over one of the couches and dozed off, Thyme curled up on her stomach. The others took the time to sleep a little and eat as well. Rette awoke a little before the sun went down and they all caught a light meal before heading out. Rette hesitated at the opening of the mine, not liking the look of the gaping darkness before her. After leaving the Compound, she had never wanted to find herself underground again. And yet, here she was.

She took a deep breath, feeling even more uneasy by the passing moment, but followed the others down into the mine. Wendy and Natsu carried torches, lighting the tunnel around them. Carla lead them, her map in her paws.

"I feel weird walking while holding a torch." Natsu remarked.

"True. You'd normally be able to call flames out easily." Happy replied.

"I feel weird and uneasy walking underground, period." Rette retorted.

"That's right. Weren't you born and raised underground?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah...can we not play the remembrance game?" Rette retorted.

"It's here." Carla called, saving Rette from any further talk of her past involving the Compound.

Up ahead of them, the tunnel was blocked, boulders and boards keeping them from moving on. Lucy summoned Taurus to punch through the blockage, revealing a path that continued on the other side. Carla, Wendy, Lucy, Rette, and Thyme leaned in around the new opening, peering into the tunnel beyond.

"That's amazing, Carla!" Wendy said.

"There really is a path." Lucy said in surprise.

"Let's just hope it leads to the castle basement." Carla muttered.

Rette didn't like the sound of that. She turned to have Thyme climb up on her shoulder only to find her and Happy both, staring at the ground. Natsu noticed too.

"What's wrong, Happy?" Natsu asked.

"I wonder why I don't have "information" too? Thyme, as well. Aren't we the same kind of Edolas cat, sent to Earthland with the same mission?" Happy asked, Thyme nodding in agreement.

"Didn't you promise not to talk about it again?" Carla asked.

"Aye." Happy replied.

"I, too, am not entirely sure about a case like yours and Thyme's." Carla told him.

Rette picked up Thyme, sitting the cat on her shoulder. Thyme silently moped from where she sat while the rest of them carried on. The tunnel beyond looked like it had seen better days. The wood acting as support beams looked like it had been there for decades.

"It looks like it could collapse any moment." Natsu remarked.

"Don't say such unlucky things!" Lucy told him.

"But this really is a really old tunnel." Wendy remarked.

"It looks like it's been here longer than the king, himself." Rette retorted.

"I wonder if there are monsters and things." Happy said.

Rette doubted that, but then again, things were so different in Edolas than they were in Earthland. For all she knew, there really could be monsters just lurking in the shadows. It made Rette grip the hilt of her sword, fighting back a chill. Something catching Natsu's attention had Lucy jumping.

"Lucy! Hang on to this for a minute." Natsu told Lucy, tolding out his torch.

Lucy took it, freaked out, but Natsu just told her not to move. Rette heaved a sigh when, like the goof he was, Natsu started making shadow puppets on the wall. Rette didn't blame Lucy when she jammed the none burning end of the torch in Natsu's face, yelling at him that now was not the time to be playing. Rette agreed. They trudged on, Rette's eyes never staying on one thing for more than a few seconds. Carla would stop now and then, scratch her head, and then take the next turn. She lead them into a wide, open space.

Just the smell of the place was off. Rette didn't like it one bit. No more than she liked the pointed rocks hanging from the ceiling over their heads. She felt like one wrong move, one loud noise, would send those crashing down on top of their heads.

"We ended up in a really huge place. Wow." Wendy said, looking around.

"Looks like this place really is connected to the basement of the castle." Carla said.

"Not sure how you know all this, but you being here is a great help, Carla!" Happy added.

"I don't know either. Information just comes to me, piece after piece." Carla replied.

"Thank you, Carla." Happy told her.

"If you're going to thank me, do it after you've been of some help to everyone. It's going to be tough from this point on. We're going to have to enter the king's sleeping chambers unnoticed and escape unnoticed. If we're discovered by the soldiers, we won't be a match for them as we are now." Carla said.

"Though we'll always have my magic in critical situations." Lucy said, proudly.

"Can't say I'm expecting much though." Natsu muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean!? If you haven't noticed, our plan revolves around my Gemini!" Lucy snapped.

"I don't know about this."

Everyone turned and looked at Rette as Thyme jumped off her shoulder to walk along side Happy and Carla. Rette's eyes were darting around, never staying still and she looked like she was a little on edge.

"I have a very bad feeling about this. This place makes every instinct I have, scream at me to run." Rette said.

"Maybe that's just because of your dislike of dark, underground places." Wendy suggested.

"I hope so." Rette replied.

They continued their walking, but Rette's bad feeling only got worst. Lucy squealing in shock made Rette whip around. Some kind of liquid-like substance had wrapped around Lucy. Another shot of the stuff grabbed Wendy. Rette pulled her sword, rushing to Wendy's side, and failed to notice the stuff until another shot of it caught her, trapping her arms at her sides. Rette tightened her grip, refusing to drop her sword. She tried to struggle free, but the stuff wouldn't give. Two shots hit Natsu, one covering his mouth.

It was the most effective way Rette had ever seen for shutting Natsu up.

Royal guards came out of hiding. Several held staffs from which the goo that was wrapped around Rette and her friends, had come from.

"I hate when I'm right." Rette muttered.

"So these must be the magic-users from Earthland."

A familiar voice drew their attention to Edolas's Ezra, as the woman approached them. Rette would have no problem telling her Erza from this one. This one had a cold look in her eyes as she looked at them. It was clear that she didn't have an ounce of kindness for them.

"You look exactly like them. Natsu Dragion, Lucy Ashuray, Rette Moonlyn...are you really different people?" she asked.

Instead of answering that, Rette tried to flip her sword, to try to saw through the stuff trapping her. She cursed to herself when one guard smacked her in the back with a staff, knocking the sword from her hands. She turned on him, her expression indifferent.

"I take it your mother never taught you manners." she retorted.

The man raised the staff to hit her but EdoEzra called for the guards to bring them along. The man shot Rette a glare before lowering his staff. The men who had a hold on the staffs connected to Rette's bounds, yanked, nearly pulling Rette off her feet. Rette refused to go, basically playing tug-a-war with them. She dug her heels in, refusing to be budged no matter how much they pulled. The men cursed her, but Rette only dug her heels in more.

Carla, Happy, and Thyme tried to help them, but EdoErza stepped between them and the others. To Rette's surprise, EdoErza, and all of her guards, bowed to the three, calling them "exceed".

"Thank you for your hard work in capturing the intruders." EdoErza told them.

Happy and Thyme turned to Carla, shocked. Carla looked like she had seen a ghost, her eyes wide and her body shaking. This was what Carla had meant by "mission"!?

"Thyme..."

Thyme, scared at what this meant, turned her wide eyes to Rette, who was staring at her. Thyme's eyes were silently begging her human to understand that she didn't know any of this. Rette met her eyes, the girl noting the tears starting to well up in Thyme's eyes. Thyme's eyes widened more when Rette simply bowed her head. The guards dragged Rette off then, Thyme staring in horror as her human, her only life-long friend in the whole world, her family...was dragged away.

"Rette!"

-0-0-0-0-

Rette ended up getting locked up in a cell along side Wendy and Natsu. Lucy, though, was being held elsewhere. When Wendy questioned the captain that had locked them up-a man named Hues, who could have been handsome in Rette's opinion if it wasn't for the stupid, arrow-shaped eyebrows he had-he replied with the same indifference that Rette usually had.

"'fraid we don't have a use for her. Guess she'll probably be executed?" Hues said, sounding like he really didn't care.

Natsu hit the door, trying to break it down, to get past the bars to Hues. His anger was obvious. No one threatened one of his guild mates, one of his friends, and got away with it.

"You bastards lay one finger on Lucy and I'll turn all of you to ash." Natsu threatened.

"Oh! I'm shaking in fear! Geez, are all of Earthland's magic users so scary?" Hues mocked.

Rette walked up to Natsu, grabbing him by the back of his shirt. She yanked, pulling Natsu back from the door and sending him tumbling back onto his butt. She turned to the door then, facing Hues through the bars. He raised an eyebrow at her as her indifferent expression came into view.

"Why is Lucy the only one not of use to you? And where is Thyme, Happy, and Carla?" Rette asked.

Hues leaned forward, studying her face through the bars. Rette's eyes followed his face, but her expression didn't change. He couldn't tell if she was angry, scared, or what.

"You mean the exceed?" Hues asked.

"Don't call Happy that!" Natsu yelled from behind Rette.

Rette turned to look at him, giving him a sharp look that had his mouth instantly snapping shut.

"Shut up, Natsu." she told him.

Natsu nodded, though Rette could tell he wanted to argue with her. He was angry and she could understand that, but yelling was not going to get them anywhere. Rette turned back to look at Hues.

"If that's what you call them here, then yes, the exceed." Rette said.

"Since they've accomplished their mission, the exceed have been returned to their native land. They're probably getting their reward and stuffing their faces right about now." Hues told her.

"Accomplished their mission!?" Wendy asked.

"Carla had mentioned something about a mission. But she said she had abandoned it. And Happy and Thyme knew nothing of it." Rette said.

"Nope, they completed it perfectly." Hues said.

"What is it? The mission that Carla, Happy, and Thyme had to accomplish?" Wendy asked.

"Haven't you realized it yet?" Hues asked.

"Humor us." Rette replied.

"It's simple. They were to capture you, bring you here."

Rette stared at Hues, her face blank. Behind her, Natsu and Wendy stared in horror and disbelief. Happy, Thyme, and Carla were suppose to bring them to Edolas, were suppose to get them captured.

"What we really wanted was you. The Dragon's magical energy." Hues told them, a demonic smirk curling his lips.

Thyme.

The sweet, always supportive cat that Rette had raised from birth, was suppose to be her undoing?

Hues started laughing at the looks on Natsu's and Wendy's faces. Rette stood there, her face blank of all emotion, her eyes giving nothing away. Hues' laughter cut off, Wendy gasping in surprise when Rette suddenly surged forward, reaching between the bars to grab Hues by his collar. She yanked on him hard, sending his face colliding painfully with the bars set in the door.

Rette released him, letting him yank back, a hand to his abused face. She calmly pulled her arm back into the cell as the guards with Hues, checked to make sure he was alright. Rette's expression still hadn't changed but her eyes were blazing now.

"Why don't you go laugh at how tiny your brain is. That's bound to be far more amusing." Rette told him.

With that, she turned away from the door and walked across the cell to calmly sit herself down against the wall. No matter what Hues, or anyone else said, no matter what "proof" they came up with, Rette knew Thyme. She knew the cat's every thought and feeling. She would be damned if she thought for a single minute, that Thyme would do anything to betray her.

"Thyme would never. Never ever. The world could end and she would be on my side, going down right with me. I refuse to believe it." Rette muttered.

Wide eyes turned to her as she stared straight ahead, her eyes blazing with an emotion they could not read. She would never believe that Thyme meant her harm.

Never.

END

Kyandi: I laughed my butt off when I wrote the part with Hues getting his face slammed.

Rette: And since it was four in the morning when she wrote it, she woke up the others living in her house with her laughter.

Kyandi: Oh, wah-wah. They went right back to sleep.

Rette: I think that's beside the point.

Kyandi: Sorry, I don't care.

Rette: Yeah, I've noticed.

Kyandi: Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	26. Never Doubted

Kyandi: Hehehe!

Rette: That's giddy talk for hello. She's really happy right now.

Kyandi: How can I **not** be? Good reviews make me a very, very happy person.

Rette: In other words, she's very glad that you all like her story.

Kyandi: Glad? I'm down right grateful!

Rette: Yeah, that too.

Kyandi: So, to keep the ball rolling, here's another chapter and this one is all from Thyme's point of view.

Rette: Knew at least one chapter like that would show up.

Kyandi: Yep. So, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 26 Never Doubted

Happy came awake slowly, opening one eye to peer up at the canopy of the bed he was laying on. Pushing himself up, he looked around the fancy, cat sized room. Carla laid next to him, on his right, and Thyme laid on his left. Happy turned to the both, waking them up. Carla was slow to wake too, and sat up rubbing her eyes. Thyme jolted awake and started looking around in search of Rette, the bells in her earrings ringing as her head whipped from side to side. Not finding her, Thyme's ears went back on her head and her tail dropped.

"What happened?" Carla asked.

"We were put to sleep...and...I wonder where this place is?" Happy said, looking around.

When neither of the female cats replied, Happy looked between them. Both looked depressed, though it was for different reasons.

"That my 'information' would be a trap..." Carla said lowly.

"That's not true! We were just really unlucky! It's not your fault!" Happy told her.

"I swore...even though I swore to protect Wendy..."

Thyme looked over at Carla too. It was easy to tell that Carla was truly torn up about the whole thing. Thyme felt bad too. She felt her chest ache as she wondered what had happened to Rette. The door to the room opening, had the three cats looking up.

"Are you the ones who have completed your mission on Earthland? Mmm...a lovely perfume."

Thyme's eyes went open wide when she was confronted with a cat version of Ichiya, the human mage from Blue Pegasus that had creeped Rette out. Thyme's paws flew up, unable to believe that the human that had creeped Rette out so much, was now standing before her as a cat.

Rette would be weirded out.

"Ichiya!? More importantly, he's a cat?" Happy asked.

"What is there to be surprised about? Are we not one and the same, the exceed?" the Ichiya cat look alike asked.

Another cat came in behind him, this one taller with a paw that never stopped moving. Thyme eyes followed the paw's movement, up and down, up and down. Didn't his arm ever cramp up!?

"Nichiya. You do realize this is the first time they have been in Edolas. It is definitely their first time seeing exceed, no?" the other cat said.

"Oh! So that's how it is." Nichiya said.

The two cats introduced themselves as Nichiya, the captain of Extalia's imperial guard and Nadi, the minister of state.

"Good job on your mission." Nadi said.

"Mission?" Happy asked.

"I am afraid time is of the essence. The queen awaits. Please follow me." Nichiya said.

Thyme looked at her two guild mates, one ear going up in questioning. Happy shrugged before turning to look at Carla too.

"Carla, Thyme...leave this to me. For now we gotta look at the situation. I'll definitely protect you." Happy told them.

Though Thyme was sure he was speaking more to Carla. Thyme shook her head, the bells in her earrings ringing before she went ahead of Carla and Happy, jumping down from the bed. Happy and Carla followed her. The three stuck close to each other as they were lead from the building they had awoken in and through the streets beyond. Everywhere they looked there were more cats like them, walking around, talking, and interacting with each other. Many took notice of them, commenting on how they were heroes. Thyme didn't feel like any kind of hero.

"It's a country of cats." Happy said.

"We're not cats, we're exceed. Standing above the humans; guiding them; we are the exceed!" Nadi told him. "And this is our kingdom, Extalia."

Nadi and Nichiya lead them into a castle, Nadi explaining things to them as they walked. With each word, Thyme felt worse and worse, her ears dropping.

"You see, humans are an incredibly foolish, inferior people. We have to manage them carefully." Nadi said.

Thyme could never think of Rette as foolish. Yes, Rette was more oblivious than the average human, but she was a good person, definitely smart. She was one of the most clever people Thyme had ever met.

"On top of that, they smell terrible." Nichiya added.

"The queen governs the humans from here. It's troublesome when they start to increase in number at their own discretion. Thus the queen has determined that any additional humans...are to be killed." Nadi explained.

"W-why would you do that?" Happy asked.

"In order to normalize the magic that we are steadily losing. That is what her majesty has said. The queen not only governs the humans of this world, but those of Earthland as well." Nadi answered.

"Does she decide the 'death' of a human being?" Happy asked.

"Her majesty has the power to do that. Because she is a god." Nichiya replied.

Thyme remembered once that Rette had told her that people calling themselves a god, usually were a lot weaker than they wanted to admit to anyone else, let alone themselves. It made her wonder, now, if that was the case with the queen of Extalia.

"What was our mission?"

All of them turned to look at Carla as she spoke up. Thyme wanted to know too, but she wasn't sure she would like the answer. In fact, she was sure she would hate it.

"It's been ground into me since the time I was born. That I was chosen in accordance with the queen's human management plans to obliterate the Dragon Slayer Wendy." Carla said.

Thyme and Happy turned to her, their eyes wide in horror. Wait, if Carla's mission was to kill Wendy then did that mean...had Thyme's been to kill Rette!? Thyme felt like she couldn't breath, like she was going to pass out at any moment. Happy didn't take it any easier.

"W-what are you talking about!? Carla!" Happy snapped.

"Be quiet." Carla told him, but Happy didn't listen.

"What do you mean, obliterate Wendy!? Then...my mission...it can't be." Happy said, gripping his head.

Thyme gripped her chest, shaking from the horror of realization. Rette...the person who had found Thyme, had cared for her, had fed her and had always been there...it couldn't be. Thyme could still remember the first time she had opened her eyes and looked up at Rette, up at those two toned eyes and felt the soft and comforting touch of her hands. Rette had always been there for as long as Thyme could remember. Whenever Thyme had turned around, Rette had been right there, waiting for her to fly back.

Her purpose couldn't have been to kill Rette.

It couldn't have.

"To...Natsu...To obliterate Natsu...that was my mission!?" Happy demanded, freaking out.

"Calm yourself, male cat. You too, Thyme. We have not completed our missions, and we have never intended to do so! Despite all this, why have we been told that we have!?" Carla demanded.

Their reactions and lack of knowledge, had Nichiya and Nadi staring at them in surprise. The two looked at each other.

"Memory loss?" Nichiya asked.

"We didn't have any other option. "Superimposition" causes various side effects." Nadi replied.

"Answer me!" Carla demanded.

"In accordance with her majesty's human management plans, one hundred exceed were sent to Earthland six years ago. They were provided 'information' in order to find and destroy the Dragon Slayers after they hatched. However this situation changed. The man-made "Anima" created other possibilities. It was something created not to kill humans...but to make use of their magical energy. But it appeared that the Dragon Slayers were also absorbed and turned into special magical energy. Thus your missions were modified at the last minute. Modified to 'Capture the Dragon Slayers', that is." Nadi explained.

Carla slid to the ground, Thyme backing away as she gripped her chest. Rette was going to be used as magical energy!?

"As I thought, it looks like commands don't get transmitted well through long-distance "superimposition"." Nadi said.

"But it was alright in the end, since you led the Dragon Slayers here." Nichiya told Thyme, Happy, and Carla in an attempt to be comforting.

Thyme was far from being comforted. In fact, she felt sick.

"We leave the magicalization to the humans. They are better at that sort of thing." Nichiya added.

"T-that's not right...I came to Edolas of my own accord." Carla said.

"Nope...you were just carrying out the order." Nadi replied.

"I brought them to the tunnel...to help everyone." Carla insisted.

"Didn't you notice? We were guiding you there." Nadi replied.

"I...wanting to protect Wendy...because I care for her..."

"That was simply a kind of illusion. Your mission was changed from "obliteration" to "capture"...in other words, it was modified to "do not kill the target"." Nadi said when Carla insisted.

Thyme felt like her heart was going to give out. She had cared about Rette all these years, had watched her back and helped protect her, everything...all because of a mission given to her before she had hatched!? Had she really meant Rette harm from the very beginning and not known it? But if it was true...then why did her heart feel like breaking at the mere thought of betraying Rette? Tears flooded down Thyme's cheeks as Rette's face, so straight and indifferent, flashed before her eyes. Rette who only ever showed Thyme her true smile.

"All your actions were subject to our commands." Nichiya insisted.

"We aren't your puppets!"

Thyme raised her head, sniffling when Happy stepped between her and Carla and Nichiya and Nadi. Anger made him grit his teeth as he faced the two older cats, refusing to believe for a moment that they had been Extalia's puppets.

"We are...mages of Fairy Tail!" Happy insisted.

Thyme's eyes went wide when Happy turned grabbing her paw in one paw and Carla's in another. He tugged them down the hall, his rage fueling him.

"We're going to save them by ourselves!" Happy announced, determined. "We'll definitely save them!"

Behind them Nichiya called for guards to stop them, while Nadi yelled that they had been poisoned by the impurity of Earthland and had become rebels. Guards chased them down the hall, trying to stop them. Happy, Carla, and Thyme had to dodge attacks, continuing forward as fast as they could. They burst out of the castle and hurried down the crowded street, Happy yelling for other exceed to move out of their way. The guards continued to follow them.

Turning a corner, Happy spotted a hay covered wagon. Pulling his two guild mates behind him, he lead them to the wagon to hide. Thyme climbed in, helping Carla in after her, Happy jumping in after that. They dug under the hay, hiding until they heard the guards run past. Happy peaked out to make sure the coast was clear and noticed that in their rush to hide, they had knocked the block stopping the wheels of the cart from moving, loose. Slow at first, the cart started to move. Thyme and Carla popped their heads up out of the cart just as it tipped over the crest of a hill and went rocketing down it.

Thyme suddenly got an idea on how Rette felt on moving vehicles.

Thyme grabbed onto the side of the cart, holding on tightly, Happy copying her. Carla, though, didn't grab it in time and would have went flying off the cart if Happy hadn't grabbed her paw. Thyme took the other paw and together they pulled Carla back into the cart, Happy telling Carla to hold on tight. When they hit the bottom of the hill, the cart crashed, spilling them and the hay across the ground. Thyme groaned inwardly, wishing more than ever that she had Rette to pick her up and hold her until she felt better.

"Happy! Thyme! Look at that!"

Thyme and Happy looked up when Carla called them. Carla was pointing across the sky to a floating island that housed the biggest crystal formation Thyme had ever seen. And she had seen Rette create some large formations with her magic before.

"The lacrima is floating!" Happy exclaimed.

"This one is larger than the one we saw at the capital." Carla said.

"That's everyone from Fairy Tail! They were kept at a place like this!? So...this was a floating island?" Happy said.

The three peered over the edge of the cliff they stood on, looking down. Far below them was the royal capital of Edolas. Extalia was on a floating island, just like the lacrima was, floating far over the humans who lived below.

"The kingdom is so far below us." Carla remarked. "How should we drop down to the capital? Since we cannot use the "Aera" right now."

Thyme wasn't sure. Without her wings, how would she be able to make it down to where Rette was? The three of them continued to stare down at the ground below, each trying to think of something, anything to get them down safely.

"You guys, whatcha doing on my field?"

Happy, Carla, and Thyme whipped around when another voice sounded behind them. Behind them stood another exceed, a male with a bread and a hoe in hand. Thyme stared in surprise. She didn't know that cats could grow breads. It was an interesting concept.

"Aha...the "rebels" that the soldiers are looking for, must be you guys." he said, looking between the three.

Thyme latched onto Carla's arm while Happy took a fighting pose, ready to fight. Though, a lot it did. Happy was easily scared when the older exceed started swinging his hoe, yelling at them to get out. They turned and started running from his swinging hoe, but stopped when they saw soldiers up ahead. The farmer whose field they ended up in, yelled from behind them, making Thyme cover her ears.

"Get out of my field!" he yelled.

"Aye! I'll get out right now!" Happy assured him.

"And get in my house!"

Wait...what?

Thyme, Happy, and Carla stared at him as he demanded they come back home with him. Thyme wasn't sure, but it was better than facing the guards and getting captured. The three of them went home with the farmer, Lucky, where they were introduced to his wife, Marl, and they were able to explain everything that had happened to them.

"Oh my, that sounds troublesome." Marl said as she served them fish to eat.

"Mister, ma'am, thank you for hiding us-"

"Kahh! Eat up, eat!" Lucky yelled, banging a fist on the table.

Happy jumped, quickly agreeing with whatever Lucky told him. Carla thanked them, Thyme nodding in agreement.

"Our household doesn't conform to those of the kingdom. We were exiled a long time ago and lived out here, along with an old friend of our's, Bane." Marl told them.

"Kahh! Don't tell them what they don't need to know!" Lucky told his wife.

"Okay, okay." Marl agreed easily.

"I see...so that's why you took us in." Happy said.

"It's got nothing to do with that!" Lucky insisted. "After you eat, go take a bath!"

Thyme took it that Lucky had a very loud and naturally angry appearing personality. Everything he said to them was an order and usually spoken in a yell. And he didn't take no for an answer either. When they were all cleaned up and changed into new clothes, they went and sat out on the deck of the house, Thyme running her paws over the dress she was wearing. She missed the hand-made dresses Rette would always make her.

"So you're called Happy, Carla, and Thyme? What beautiful names."

Thyme looked up as Marl walked up to them, a smile on her naturally chubby looking face. Behind her came another male exceed, his fur a dark silver with one ear black, and his eyes a deep blue. He looked between the three, his eyes seeming to linger on Thyme for a moment longer than Happy and Carla. Marl looked between the three, before introducing the other exceed as Bane.

"You were born in Earthland, right? Who gave that name?" Marl asked.

"Natsu...my friend." Happy replied.

"Me too...yeah...a friend..." Carla said in a depressed tone.

Thyme looked down at the tiny gold cuff around one paw. It was just a bracelet made for a toddler that Rette had given her after happening to stumble across it in a market. It had Thyme's name carefully etched into the gold. When Marl and Bane looked at her, waiting for Thyme to tell them who had given her name, Thyme closed a paw over the gold band.

"Rette." Thyme said lowly, sadness in her tone.

She remembered what Rette had told her once when she had asked why she had called her Thyme. Rette had told her it was because when she had found Thyme, she had been out in the woods where she found her, looking for an herb called thyme, for her food. Instead, she had found the egg from which Thyme had hatched. Since the herb had been the reason that had drove Rette into the woods and therefore had been the reason she had found Thyme, Rette had given that name to her. Now, whenever Rette smelled or saw the herb, she would share a look with Thyme that would put a smile on the cat's face.

"Those friends are being held at the capital, so we have to go and rescue them." Happy said just then, snapping Thyme out of her thoughts.

"You're going to rescue humans?" Marl asked.

"I know that in Extalia, such actions are unheard of..." Carla said.

"That's not true. I think its a great thing to do." Marl told her. "It doesn't matter if your friends are a human or an exceed. Because, even though we look different, our feelings towards each other are the same."

"Feelings?" Carla asked.

"Yup...our feelings of friendship are all the same." Marl insisted.

Carla stared down at her lap, thinking that over. Thyme looked out at the field before them, questioning her feelings. How did she feel about Rette?

"My feelings...feel as though they are being manipulated by someone other than myself. Right now...I can't even be sure that I'm the one who's speaking these words." Carla said.

"Of course it's your words! Of course it's your feelings! Our feelings of wanting to rescue our friends, is definitely our own!" Happy insisted.

"You seem to be lost right now, but I'm sure you'll be okay. Besides, you have such a wonderful knight here beside you." Marl told Carla. "You will be able to find your own heart. No, you probably already have it. All that's left, is to recognize it and to trust that feeling of friendship."

Carla let that sink in, before smiling.

"What about you, little one? What do your feelings tell you?" Bane asked suddenly, looking at Thyme.

All eyes turned to Thyme as she looked up at Bane, surprised. Her eyes dropped back down to the band around her paw as she thought about that. What did her feelings tell her about Rette?

"Thyme doesn't talk mu-"

"Rette..."

Happy cut off when Thyme spoke, her voice low, but determined.

"Rette was the first thing I ever saw. She's always been there every time I looked up, just silently waiting, never taking, just...just being there. She has such problems trusting others, but...she never had a problem trusting me to have her back. Rette is my family, my best friend. She's nursed me when I was sick or hurt, she's held me when I was upset, she's just always been there. One constant in my life that's never changed. She's...a lot of hard work, and she doesn't show a lot of emotion, but I know she cares about me. She makes it clear in the time she spends making sure my life is as great as if can be. Rette...Rette is my family and I would do anything to protect her." Thyme said lowly.

She knew there was no denying her feelings for Rette. It wasn't something someone else had programmed into her as if she was a puppet. Thyme loved Rette like family and she was sure it was the same for Rette. Even if the girl didn't realize it. Thyme looked up in surprise when Bane laid a paw on her head, patting it.

"You're a good child. This Rette is a very lucky girl to have a friend like you." he told her.

Carla and Happy smiled when a grateful smile curled across Thyme's face.

"You're different, lady. Both of you are." Carla told Marl and Bane.

"Is that so?" Marl asked.

"Because...the exceed look at themselves as "angels" or something. They say the humans are lower class." Carla told her.

"In the past, I used to think like that too. So did Bane, here. But our children were taken by the queen." Marl said.

Happy, Carla, and Thyme stared at the two older cats with surprised looks. Bane nodded in a grim way, silently confirming Marl's claim.

"In the Dragon Slayer assassination plan, one hundred children...eggs were collected. And, without seeing our children's faces, they were sent to Earthland." Marl said sadly. "Because we opposed the plan, we were exiled. It was about that time...that I figured it out...we aren't gods or angels or anything, just parents. After that, humans and exceeds and all those things didn't matter anymore. My husband may have a bad mouth, but he has the same ideals as me and so does Bane. Even if he doesn't talk much."

Bane shrugged, as if that didn't matter much. From behind him came yelling as Lucky joined them, yelling that Marl shouldn't talk about stupid things and demanding to know when Happy, Carla, and Thyme were going to leave.

"Making such depressing faces, be happy that you are alive at least. Kahh! Stop being so pampered!" Lucky yelled at Happy. "Hurry up and get out!"

Thyme silently laughed as she got to her feet. She didn't take it personally. In fact, she knew that she needed to get going. Rette was waiting.

"We don't have to throw them out so suddenly." Marl protested.

"No...he's right. We have to go quickly and save everyone." Happy said.

Thyme and Carla nodded in agreement.

"If you're shaking in fear, you can't do anything! Young ones these days, they don't even know that!" Lucky said.

Happy, Carla, and Thyme shared a look, knowing what they had to do now. They said their farewells to the three older exceed. Thyme turned to Bane, raising a silent paw in farewell to him, a smile lighting up her face. Bane blinked in surprise, but raised a silent paw in reply. Turning their backs Happy, Carla, and Thyme hurried about their way.

"Carla, Thyme! Did you two understand what that guy was saying?" Happy asked.

"Yeah...I understand." Carla said, Thyme nodding in agreement.

"Ever since I arrived at Edolas, I was...filled with so much anxiety." Happy admitted.

"Yeah, me too. And Thyme, right?" Carla said.

Thyme nodded as they charged towards the cliff, gaining speed as they went.

"But no more! We have to go forward! We have to fly!" Carla said.

The three dived off the cliff. They were part of the only race in Edolas that naturally had magic in them, but because their hearts were unstable, they had been unable to reach it. Now that their feelings and minds were clear, Thyme felt her magic well up, reacting to her bidding and her wings sprouted from her back. Happy and Carla's wings sprouted as well and with a smile between the three, they headed out. Thyme paused for a moment, turning back to look back towards Lucky, Marl, and Bane. She raised her paw in one final wave before she darted after Happy and Carla.

On the ground below, Lucky, Marl, and Bane watched the three zip away.

"Kah! So he can fly properly!" Lucky said, watching Happy's form vanish.

"He looks exactly the same as you when you're flying." Marl added. "And Thyme looks so much like you and Krill, Bane."

"Don't be so stupid! It's not the way he flies! One look and I'd notice it!" Lucky insisted, Bane nodded.

"You're right. I wonder if one of them is his girlfriend?" Marl added, tears running down hers and Lucky's faces.

Bane shook a paw, silently telling her not to be ridiculous, though tears were streaming down his own face as he watched Thyme's form flip before diving down to vanish along side her friends'.

"It's one hundred years too early for him to bring home a girl!" Lucky insisted.

"Not my daughter." Bane said simply.

"Looks like he grew up to be a gentle boy who treasures his friends." Marl said.

"So much like Krill." Bane said, meaning Thyme.

The three looked at each other and smiled. Despite losing their children six years ago, they had managed to find their way back and from the looks of it...they had grown up wonderfully.

Thyme fell into line with Carla and Happy, the three diving down to the capital below. Finding the castle from the sky was easy and quick and Thyme was happy they had figured out how to summon their wings when they had. Just as they reached the castle, EdoErza threw their Lucy off one of the upper floors to watch her drop to the ground below.

"Lucy!" Happy called.

"Happy! Carla, Thyme!" Lucy called in relief.

"Everything's going to be okay! We're here-"

Thyme winced, Carla catching Lucy when Happy flew into a wall. Thyme shook her head as Lucy shakily thanked Carla for saving her.

"Hey! You guys have wings." Lucy said, looking between Carla and Thyme.

"Apparently it was a problem with our hearts." Carla replied.

"Wha...what on earth...the queen's orders were to eliminate the girl!" EdoEzra called from where she stood.

Thyme turned to look at EdoEzra as Carla handed Lucy off to Happy. Since Rette spent a lot of time with Erza, especially after starting to learn to use a sword, Thyme had spent a good amount of time around the red haired woman. But this woman...despite looking like Erza, she was nothing like her. Thyme could see it by looking in her eyes.

"The order is retracted." Carla replied.

"B-but even if this is a direct order from an exceed, you shouldn't have the power to override the queen's command." EdoErza protested. "Please hand the girl over to me."

"How arrogant of you, human." Carla said, making her guild mates look at her in surprise. "Who do you think I am? I am Carla, the daughter of Queen Shagotte, princess of Extalia."

Shock sounded from all of them, Thyme staring at Carla with wide eyes. It was a ploy...right? It obviously had to be a bluff. Especially since Carla wouldn't talk to a human that way. EdoErza dropped to one knee, begging Carla to overlook her discourteousness.

"Where are the Dragon Slayers?" Carla demanded.

"Th-they're in the basement of the west tower." EdoEzra replied.

"Release them immediately." Carla commanded.

"I am afraid I haven't the authority to do that." EdoErza told her.

"Just do it!" Carla demanded.

A yell of Erza's name, made them all turn. Coming Erza's way was a large, humanoid exceed with a scar over his left eye and pitch black fur as far as they could see, except around his mouth. Thyme blinked, surprised to find an exceed that was humanoid in appearance. Every exceed she had seen thus far had been roughly her size. He was large and, as far as exceeds went, wasn't bad looking in Thyme's opinion. It made her wonder if she could some day grow to be that big.

The mere thought of being as big, if not bigger, than Rette, amused her.

"Panther Lily!" Erza called, surprised to see the large exceed as well.

"What is that guy!? Do you know him?" Lucy asked.

"I've never seen such an incredible exceed." Happy replied.

Thyme's paws went up in a gesture that was meant to say, "Huge!". Her guild mates nodded in agreement with that.

"Those three are "fallen"! They're on the run from Extalia!" Lily yelled to Erza, meaning Happy, Carla, and Thyme.

The jig was up. Happy and Thyme shared a look as Carla clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"We're getting out of here!" Carla told her guild mates.

Carla shoot off, Happy, who was carrying Lucy now, following behind her. Thyme looked back down at EdoErza, Lily, and the guards with Lily. She raised a silent paw before darting off after her guild mates, making Lily stare at her with a mix of surprise and confusion.

"Wait! So you aren't a princess!?" Lucy asked Carla.

"It looks like being called the fallen means we were disgraced as traitors." Happy remarked.

Thyme glanced over her shoulder when yells were called out that they had escaped with Lucy in tow. The guards would all be on alert now and it would be even harder for them to get to Natsu, Rette, and Wendy.

"Thanks, both of you." Lucy told them as they flew over the city.

"Aren't you angry?" Carla asked.

"Huh? At what?" Lucy wondered.

"We were the reason you got caught in the first place." Carla replied.

"But you came to save me. Right? Happy? Thyme?" Lucy asked.

"I'm sorry, Lucy." Happy told her, Thyme nodding to show she was sorry too.

"I said, I'm not angry at all! It's more like I'm surprised to know that you were the queen's daughter." Lucy said, looking at Carla.

"I didn't know that either." Happy said.

Thyme shook her head. Obviously, the two didn't get what had happened.

"That was obviously a bluff." Carla replied, Thyme pressing a paw to her mouth to hold back a laugh.

Happy smiled as Thyme continued silently laughing. Carla looked over at Happy, her face as straight as Rette's usually was.

"What are you grinning about, Happy?" Carla demanded.

"Nothing...I was just thinking it's just like you to do that." Happy told her.

"Sh-shut up! More importantly, we're going to rescue Natsu, Wendy, and Rette!" Carla said.

"Aye! She said the basement of the west tower, didn't she?" Happy asked.

Thyme nodded. Determination shined from all three of their faces when Lucy looked at them. Lucy was sure something had happened to bring the three closer in the time since she had last seen them. And it was strange for Lucy to see Thyme without Rette. Surprisingly, she was rather calm. The three continued their flight when a strange sound reached their ears.

"What...this sound..." Lucy said, looking around.

They looked up and had Thyme been carrying Lucy, she would have dropped her in shock and horror. Flying their way was a large number of exceed, lead by Nichiya. Carla suggested they head for the ground, but human guards waited for them below. They were trapped between a rock and a hard place with no where to go. What were they going to do?

"Lucy, what about your celestial magic?" Carla asked.

"It looks like these handcuffs seal magic. Anyway...even if I used magic, against this many people..."

Lucy didn't have to finish that sentence for them to know it would be a lost cause. There were simply too many enemies for Lucy's spirits to quell. They're best bet was to take cover. Carla lead them, the three flying for the building, to take cover inside. A horn sounded just then. Guards started yelling something about invoking Code ETD. Something along the lines of spotlights were shined into the sky. Three of them were shined from different locations, all three locked onto the exceed guards in the sky. Thyme and her guild mates stared in horror as a magical bubble formed around the exceed, trapping them.

"Wh-what's going on!? Aren't the exceed supposed to be angels or gods to the humans?" Lucy asked.

"I wonder what they intend to do?" Happy asked.

"I don't really know, but for now the best thing to do is to take advantage of the chaos and go save Wendy, Rette, and Natsu." Carla suggested.

Thyme and Happy nodded in agreement and they took off. They would free their friends and then they would worry about everything else. Once inside the castle, they landed, letting Lucy run while they, themselves ran.

"Something big's going down. To think the humans would go to war with the exceed." Lucy remarked as they ran.

"It's got nothing to do with us. It's not as though we're on either side...let them do as they please." Carla replied.

Thyme gasped a warning when something came flying their way, caught her eye. It crashed into the floor just in front of Lucy and Happy, sending the two tumbling off their feet. Sticking up out of the floor was the spear like weapon that EdoEzra carried.

"I won't let you pass this point."

The four turned to find EdoErza blocking their way, her guards standing behind her. If she was going to insist on blocking their way, then they would never reach Natsu, Rette, and Wendy. The mere thought made Thyme curled her paws into the front of her dress.

"What the heck! Haven't you lost interest in us!?" Lucy asked.

All four of them turned their eyes to EdoEzra's weapon when it started to glow before an orb of power burst from it, sending all four of them flying. Thyme hit the ground hard, as did the others, but they were still alive.

Aching, but still alive.

"Huh...still alive after taking a hit from my magic, eh?" EdoErza asked as she grabbed her weapon.

Thyme and her friends tried to force themselves up, hurt, but alive enough to move. Thyme froze when she heard a scream she knew, echo up from further down the path. It was Wendy's voice.

"Wendy's voice...it's close..." Carla said.

"You...what're you doing to Wendy!?" Lucy asked.

"We're taking the magic we need for Code ETD." EdoEzra replied.

More of Wendy's screams echoed down the hall, drawing tears from Carla. Carla begged them to stop hurting Wendy. EdoErza leveled the tip of her weapon at Carla.

"Don't worry about it. You're going to die here, anyway." she told Carla.

"Give Wendy back!" Carla demanded.

Happy stepped between EdoErza and Carla, spreading his arms and refusing to let EdoErza near Carla. EdoErza was more than happy to kill him first, pulling her spear back. Thyme's eyes widened, fear for her guild mates welling up in her. Thankfully, a crash from behind EdoErza's guards stopped her from killing Happy. Many guards went flying.

"Hey...you guys...are they going to kill them, knowing they're from our guild?"

Thyme knew that voice, her eyes only growing wider when a second voice she knew well chimed in, the clicks of armor reaching Thyme's ears.

"We never forgive those who'd raise a hand against members of our guild."

Tears came to Lucy's eyes, Thyme's paws going to her mouth in shock. Out of the smoke came Gray and Erza. Earthland's Gray and Erza! And apparently they still had their magic completely at their disposal. Thyme lit up, happy to see them back to their original form and well. Her paws went up in joy. Maybe now, they stood a chance of saving Natsu, Rette, and Wendy. EdoErza stared in shock at her Earthland counter part.

"Where are our comrades?" Gray demanded. "Where the hell are our friends who were turned into that lacrima!?"

Gray didn't give the guards much time to answer before he blew them all away with an attack. EdoErza escaped the blow and attacked Gray, only to get stopped by Erza. Thyme knew Rette would pay good money to watch Erza clash with herself. Especially with the sheer amount of power that flowed off the two. Rette had always gotten a kick out of anything odd. Ironic since she didn't seem fond of her Edolas counter part. Another yell from Wendy, spurred Gray into movement. He approached Thyme, Lucy, Happy, and Carla.

"Are they in the basement?" Gray asked.

"Probably just ahead!" Carla told him.

"Natsu and Rette should be there too." Happy added.

"Gray! Go on ahead!" Erza called.

"Yeah!" Gray called back, going to Lucy to help her up. "Can you stand, Lucy?"

"Yeah. How...how did you get here?" Lucy asked as he used his ice to shatter the cuffs around her wrists.

"The details can wait! Let's go!" Gray said.

Thyme, more than happy to get to Rette, followed as Gray lead the way further down to the basement. As they ran, Gray explained that the lacrima that they had seen in the plaza in the capital was where he had come from and that it had just been made up of him and Erza.

"But how'd you return to normal?" Happy asked.

"Gajeel came." Gray replied.

"That's right...Gajeel's a Dragon Slayer too, so the Anima wouldn't have worked on him, just like it didn't on Natsu, Rette, and Wendy." Happy said.

"So he was left in Earthland rather than being sucked in here?" Lucy asked.

"And then Mystogen sent him here." Gray added.

"Why didn't he come here himself?" Lucy asked.

"Seem that Dragon Slayer magic serves various purposes in this world. One of which is turning those who've been turned into lacrima back to normal." Gray explained.

"Really!?" Carla asked.

"We...we know the location of the lacrima that everyone's trapped in." Happy added.

"For real!?" Gray asked. "Gajeel's tearing up the city looking for that giant larcima right now. Can you take him to the lacrima?"

"Gajeel should be able to turn the lacrima back, right?" Happy asked.

"Actually, it should be possible for Natsu, Rette, and Wendy as well...But, I don't think they know how it's done." Gray told him.

"Got it! I'll take Gajeel there!" Happy said, sprouting his wings to fly off.

"Wait! Will you be okay, Happy!?" Lucy asked, but he was gone.

"He'll be fine." Carla said confidently.

"As for us, we've got to hurry up and find Natsu, Rette, and Wendy." Gray said.

They continued on their way, running down stairs after stairs. Then, up ahead, a pair of doors appeared. Gray kicked open the doors. Beyond them, they found Natsu, Rette, and Wendy, passed out and slumped on the ground. Thyme rushed to Rette's side, laying a paw on Rette's face. Rette didn't move. Lucy tried to wake Natsu, Gray trying to wake Wendy, but none of the three budged.

"They're all unconscious." Gray said.

Carla draped herself over Wendy, crying as she apologized to her over and over. Thyme buried her face in Rette's chest, silently willing Rette to wake up.

"Let's try having them take exballs. Hey! Open your mouth, Natsu!" Gray said, slipping an arm around Natsu's shoulder to try to get him to take something.

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

"We got them from Gajeel. Did you not get them from Mystogen?" Gray asked. "It's medicine to allow us to use magic in this world."

"Come to think of it, I think he did have me swallow something." Lucy said.

Gray forced one of the pills down Natsu's throat. Natsu coughed, rolling on to his side and Gray moved on to Wendy to give her one.

"Are you alright, Natsu?" Lucy asked as he rolled over again.

Natsu drove a fist into the ground, angry beyond belief. The medicine had to have worked, for flames curled around Natsu's fist.

"If we don't stop them..." Natsu said lowly.

"Stop?" Lucy asked, just before he spouted flames and ran off, obviously way beyond furious. "Natsu!"

Thyme ignored Natsu's running off on his own as Gray finished feeding Wendy the medicine and turned to Rette. She watched Rette's face intently as Gray worked the medicine down her throat. Rette's brows furrowed before she gagged for a moment and started coughing. Thyme leaned in, lightly patting Rette's shoulder until her coughs faded. Then Rette opened her eyes to look right at her.

"Thyme." she croaked, trying to push herself up.

Thyme, tears in her eyes at seeing Rette alright, threw herself at Rette. Rette caught her with one arm, holding her tightly. Gray helped Rette sit up, an arm around her shoulders.

"Sorry..." Thyme said lowly.

"Oh, Thyme...I knew you could never betray me. Consider it forgotten." Rette told her.

Thyme looked up at Rette, her tear filled eyes wide. Despite the usual indifferent look on her face, Thyme could see the smile in her eyes. Rette hadn't, for a single moment, doubted Thyme in the least. Relief and joy filled Thyme and she buried her face in Rette's chest. Rette pat her head before looking up at Gray. There was questioning in her eyes, but she pushed it aside for something more important.

"Everyone else...we have to hurry." Rette said.

"Why? What is it?" Gray asked.

"In order to destroy Extalia, the royal army...is going to crash the giant lacrima into it." Wendy said, making her friends look at her in shock.

Rette laid a hand on Wendy's shaking shoulder and took over, her expression dark and cold.

"They're going to use our guild as a bomb."

END

Kyandi: Someone's about to get hurt big time.

Rette: I don't like it when people mess with what's mine.

Kyandi: That makes two of us. But truthfully...you're scarier than I am.

Rette: Is that suppose to be a compliment?

Kyandi: Maybe. Maybe not.

Rette: I choose to take it as a compliment.

Kyandi: Well then there you go. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return soon, even though she should work on other stories too.

Kyandi: My muse is with this one!

Rette: Uh-huh...

Kyandi: Whatever. Bye, everyone!


	27. Doroma Animu

Kyandi: Greetings, one and all!

Rette: We've returned.

Kyandi: For everyone who thought Thyme is possibly going to have a love interest in Lily...you were right!

Rette: I thought it was cute.

Kyandi: So did I! Especially after what she does in this chapter.

Rette: Remember, you can't tell them. They have to read.

Kyandi: Right! So, everyone, get to it! Enjoy and review!

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Kyandi: Hehe...I almost typed another anime's title.

Rette:...Why do I bother with you?

Chapter 27 Doroma Animu

"There's a floating island suspended mid-air above Edolas. I'm sure everyone's seen it several times already. It looks like it's Extalia's magical energy that keeps it in the air. I read that it preserves the balance of this world's magic."

Rette glanced up at Lucy as she explained this. Both Rette and Wendy were winded, their bodies weighting heavy after the ordeal they had faced. Rette hadn't known that having her magic sucked out of her would leave her physically aching. Whatever Gray had given her, though, had considerably helped. Rette could now feel her magic, as well as what magic there was around her. It was a comforting feeling after spending the last few days feeling like she was trapped in a void.

"So our friends who were turned into lacrima are also on that island, huh?" Gray asked.

"Right next to Extalia." Carla confirmed. "Currently the lacrima and Extalia are floating in the sky directly above our position in the royal city."

"The process speeds up on the floating island as Dragon Slayer magic becomes more potent." Wendy said.

"She's right. Their aim, this whole time, was to crash it into Extalia." Rette added.

"What're they trying to do?" Gray asked, looking at Wendy and Rette.

"By colliding the magic of our guild mates with that of Extalia, it will force them to split and then fuse together and then, I quote, "eternal magic will rain down upon this nation". They're going to use the magical collision to give Edolas long term magic." Rette replied.

"If that happens, the guild members..."

Rette nodded when Lucy cut off.

"They'll vanish...for good." Rette said, one hand curling into a fist.

The sound of approaching footsteps, made them all look up. Someone was coming their way and fast. Rette and the others braced themselves for a fight when...Natsu came running into view. Rette deflated at the sight of Natsu.

"There were two Erzas! What's up with that!? Some kind of monster tournament!? Is the world going to end!?" Natsu yelled, freaking out.

"Actually, that's sound entertaining. I'd pay good money to see Erza go against herself." Rette said.

Thyme smiled. She had known that Rette would say that. Natsu turned a glare on Rette and it was at that moment that he noticed Gray and pointed a finger at him.

"That's Gray right there!?" he gasped.

"You have amazing powers of deduction, Natsu. Absolutely wonderful." Rette said, giving him a single clap of the hands.

"Won't shut up and can't calm down...guess this is the real one." Gray remarked, looking at Natsu.

"This is the Earthland...the Gray we both know." Lucy assured Natsu.

"Wha!?" Natsu yelled.

"A lot of things happened and now Erza, Gajeel, and I are here." Gray told him.

"And Happy went to stop them from dropping the lacrima." Lucy added.

Gray got a bashing to his ego when even Wendy just noticed he was there. Rette pat him on the back, assuring him that she had noticed his presence at least, before commenting that he should really put a shirt on, making him look down at his shirtless state and demand to know when he had become shirtless. Lucy assured him he had been shirtless from the very beginning.

"Could it be that you guys came to help us?" Natsu asked.

"O-one thing I have to say before we do anything else...th-thank you!" Wendy added, thanking Gray for the help.

Wendy then turned to Carla, picking her up and hugging her in a relieved manner. She thanked Carla, commenting that she knew Carla would come to save her. Carla didn't say anything in return, just let Wendy hug her. Now that they were all back together, it was time to act. They set off to find the king and put an end to this.

"Alright! Preparation complete! We're going to look for the king and stop them from crashing the lacrima!" Natsu yelled as he led the charge.

Gray and Lucy were right behind him, with Rette, Wendy, Thyme, and Carla bringing up the rear. When Wendy suddenly came to a stop, Rette stopped too, turning to look at the girl. Rette raised an eyebrow but Wendy simply turned to Carla.

"Carla...let's head to Extalia." Wendy said.

"Wh-why!?" Carla asked.

"We've got to tell them about the royal army's attack and evacuate them." Wendy told her.

"Weren't we going to stop that attack!?" Carla demanded.

"Of course we are! We're definitely going to! I believe in Natsu and the others! But.."

"But we don't know what other weapons they might have." Rette said, finishing Wendy's sentence.

Wendy looked up at Rette as she stepped up to her side, laying a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. Wendy gave her a grateful smile before turning back to Carla.

"In preparation for the worst-case scenario, one thing we can do is to let them know the danger they're in!" Wendy told Carla.

"No! I don't want to go back there! I...I don't care what happens to the exceed!" Carla told her.

Thyme understood how Carla felt, but if Rette would follow Wendy to Extalia then Thyme would go with Rette. Wendy crouched in front of Carla.

"It's not about whether we're human or exceed. As living creatures...I think we can do something to help. Rette agrees with me. Right, Rette?" Wendy asked looking up at Rette.

"Life is precious, not matter who or what it is. Just because these exceeds might not do the same for us, doesn't mean we have play at their level. Two wrongs, don't make a right." Rette said with a nod.

Wendy turned back to Carla, a smile on her face.

"I'll be right here the whole time. And so will Rette and Thyme. Don't be afraid! Okay?" Wendy said.

"Alright." Carla agreed.

Wendy and Rette looked at each other and nodded. They made their outside where Carla picked Wendy up to carry her. Rette used her own magic to fly, leaving Thyme's paws free. The four made their way to Extalia, far above their heads. When they landed in the city, Carla and Thyme lead them through the streets. Rette glanced around, looking at all of the different cats around them. The exceeds muttered to one another as they walked by. Many of them surrounded them, keeping them from proceeding any further.

"I'd like an audience with the queen. Danger draws near to Extalia." Wendy announced loudly.

From further back in the crowd, Nadi called for the others to get out of the way. He approached the two humans and their exceed partners, shaking a fist at them. Then again, according to Thyme, his paw never stopped moving.

"Y-you guys are in trouble! Fallen angels and humans are prohibited from infiltrating Extalia!" Nadi told them.

Rette would love to see him do something about it. Considering he was about a fourth her size, it wouldn't have taken much for her to knock him on his rear end.

"This is no time for that. If you value your lives, listen to what we have to say." Carla told him.

"Where'd Nichiya and the rest of the people chasing you go?" Nadi demanded.

"They were turned into a lacrima by the royal army." Carla answered.

Many of the exceed around them looked at each other before an uproar of laughter sounded from them. Rette was surprised that such tiny creatures, could be so loud. And she wasn't a big fan of being laughed at.

"As if Extalia's Imperial Guard could be taken out by mere humans." one exceed said.

"I could take you out with both hands tied behind my back, so laughing might not be such a great idea." Rette retorted.

The male exceed that had spoken, backed up when he looked up at her and realized how much bigger than him, she was. The others though, only laughed louder. Nadi though, looked like he had broken out in a nervous sweat.

"It's true! The royal army is going to attack this place next!" Wendy insisted.

"Let 'em do as they please!" one exceed called.

"The queen'll just brush them off with magic!" another laughed.

"If you don't all flee, you'll be in grave danger!" Wendy tried to warn.

"Shut it, human!" an exceed yelled, throwing a rock at Wendy.

The rock hit Wendy and other exceeds joined in, yelling insults as they threw rocks. Wendy covered Carla, refusing to let them hurt her. Rette sat Thyme on her shoulder, keeping the cat out of range of the rocks. One rock hit Rette in the stomach and another came hurtling towards her face. Rette caught the rock and, with a flick of her wrist, she threw it back at the exceed that had thrown it, hitting the exceed with enough power to knock him over. Many of the exceeds around the injured one turned and looked at him before looking at Rette with wide eyes. Rette tossed a few stones in the air, catching them easily.

"Throw another rock at Wendy, Carla, and Thyme, or me for that matter, and you're likely to regret it." Rette told them.

One exceed scoffed and threw another rock at Rette. Wendy called her name in concern, but Rette caught it and, in a display of her magic, she turned the rock into a crystal and shattered it easily in her hand. Many of the exceed around her took a step back in shock. Rette flexed the fingers of the hand, the knuckles cracking loud enough for all of them to hear.

"Now...does anyone else want to throw rocks?" she asked.

None of them moved to throw another rock or say anything for that matter. Rette nodded in approval. The ground shook then. Something had to have gone wrong and Natsu and the others had been unable to stop the king. That was the only explanation Rette had. The exceed around them began to chatter and yell, claiming that their queen would teach the humans a lesson.

"It hit the lacrima." Wendy said.

"Not yet! It looks like it's stopped in the island's ravine." Carla replied.

"I'm sorry Carla...thing's shouldn't have..."

"What are you saying!? It's too early to quit now!" Carla told Wendy, cutting her off.

"She's right, Wendy. You're a Fairy Tail mage now. In Fairy Tail...we never give up." Rette told the girl.

Carla nodded in agreement and turned to try to get the exceeds to listen to her. Angry at her insistence, an exceed picked up another rock, despite Rette's warning, and threw it. Nadi jumped in the way though, blocking Carla from the rock. His interference finally succeeded in gaining the exceed's attention.

"These people informed us about the danger! But...no one listened, and look what happened!" Nadi told them.

The other exceeds insisted that they had the queen and her magic and didn't need to be scared of any danger. Rette was surprised by the amount of stupidity these creatures were displaying. Even Natsu was smarter than this.

And that was saying something.

"That's enough, Nadi."

A new voice joining the conversation, made everyone turn to see who it was. Coming their way was a white furred exceed dressed in the most expensive, and ridiculous, clothes Rette had ever seen. Nadi greeted the exceed as "highness". So this was Extalia's queen. Rette couldn't help but think that she looked a lot like Carla.

"Everyone...please raise your heads. Now calm down and listen to my words. Right now...Extalia is facing the danger of destruction. We can no longer avoid our fate. Therefore I have decided on something." Shaggot said.

Everyone watched as the queen of the exceeds shrugged off the expensive robe she was wearing and begin to remove all the jewels she was wearing.

"And that is to tell you the truth. I am a mere exceed. Not a queen, and certainly not a god. I am the same exceed as all of you. I have no power with which to fight against humans." Shaggot told them, revealing to them that she naturally only had one wing.

Shock sounded throughout the crowd. Seeing the single wing, Thyme reached for one of her shoulders and shivered. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to only have one wing.

"I am deeply sorry for hiding it from you. Wendy, Carla, Rette, and Thyme, was it? I apologize to all four of you. It's all my fault. Please do not hold grudges against everyone else here." Shaggot told them.

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked.

"No...it falls to the responsibility of us elders who made up such a thing as a "queen"." one of the elders who had appeared with Shaggot, said. "We're a very weak race. And long ago the humans did many horrible things to us. That's why, in order to protect ourselves..."

"You made up the tale about the powers of the exceed, made your entire race and the humans believe that you were gods when really...you weren't." Rette guessed.

"Yes, exactly. Rather than the power of god, however, it was really just a part of the bluff we exceeds made. For example, the "human management" that picks who we kill. That's all made up afterwards. We aren't choosing which humans to kill. We have no such powers, of course." one elder said.

"There is one power, though...and that is Shagotte's slight ability to see the future. She can see the death of humans. We made people think that these people were being killed due to the queen's decisions, too." another added.

This truth upset the exceeds crowded around them, even brought tears to some of their eyes. Rette could understand their reason for crying. They had just found out that everything they had thought true about their race, their existence, was false.

"Sophist."

"Carla!" Wendy scolded.

"Whether or not you really have power, you ordered us to kill our friends! And that is the truth!" Carla yelled.

"Shagotte never gave such an order! It was probably made up by some human abusing the queen's existence." one of the elders argued.

"No, it wasn't! Strange memories were implanted on me, my heart was controlled! You ordered me to carry out the Dragon Slayer massacre! From before I was born!" Carla replied.

"N-n-n-no she didn't! There's a long, deep story behind this!" Nadi tried to explain.

"I don't care what the story is, I will not forgive her! Nor should Thyme! Rette is everything to Thyme and you made her believe she only existed to destroy her!" Carla retorted.

Rette turned her eyes to Thyme as the cat hung her head. Rette took Thyme into her arms and held her close, stroking her head. They were together and alive and well, now. There was no reason to be sad or upset.

"Carla! Let's not talk about that right now." Wendy told Carla.

A clang of a sword being thrown on the ground at Carla's feet, kept Carla from replying to Wendy. She looked up at Shagotte, who had thrown the sword to her.

"It's exactly as you say, Carla. You are innocent, Thyme is innocent, and yet I hurt you the most. Please, judge my sin with your hand." Shagotte said, knelling down and bowing her head. "As one who loves both humans and exceed, you have that right."

Many of the exceed protested this, begging for the life of their queen, whether she was real or not. Shagotte told them all to get away, that she would go down with Extalia. Carla picked up the sword and Thyme instantly struggled to get out of Rette's arms, to stop Carla. Rette tightened her grip, keeping Thyme in place. Thyme looked up at Rette who simply shook her head. The exceed around them refused to leave, to leave Shagotte, claiming they would stay with her.

"No, you can't! This country is destined to die!" Shagotte told them.

All chatter died off when Carla drove the sword into the ground.

"Don't just give up whenever you feel like it!" Carla snapped. "This is your country, isn't it!? Can't you do anything without a god or a queen!? Even though I was lying up until now, I was living with all my might! How can you give up so easily like that!? It's okay to be weak! If we all put our strength together, we can make it! This country will not be destroyed! This is my homeland, after all! It won't disappear! I will not give up! I will stop it no matter what it takes!"

With that Carla flew off into the sky, going to help the others to stop the king from driving the lacrima into Extalia. Rette heaved a sigh before turning to Shagotte. The exceed tensed as Rette knelled before Shagotte, looking her and the elders in the eyes.

"There's one thing you have to know. Carla, Wendy, even Thyme and I, we're mages of Fairy Tail. If there is one thing in Fairy Tail that we never do...it's give up. Even those who are strong, were, at one time, weak and even the weak can do something to help. Don't give up before you try or you'll regret it the rest of your life." Rette told them before getting to her feet. "Let's go, Thyme."

Thyme flew out of Rette's arms and nodded. Rette cast her Sun Wings spell, the wings unfurling from her back. Rette gave Wendy a nod, knowing the girl would find her own way, before she and Thyme shot into the sky to join Carla.

"I-I'll go with her...because I love this country." Nadi said, starting a chain reaction.

Rette glanced back as more and more exceeds rose in the sky behind her to follow suit. One was even carrying Wendy. Rette shared a look with Thyme, the two nodding to each other before they dived after Carla. They both hit the small island on which the lacrima sat, just mere feet from Natsu.

"Rette! Thyme!" Lucy called in relief.

"We brought a little help." Rette replied.

Everyone turned, seeing the dozens upon dozens of exceeds coming to their aid. Even Shagotte, who was having trouble flying with just one wing, came with them, refusing to sit back when her people were fighting for their country. When she could no longer stay in the sky and fell, Lily saved her, tears in his eyes as he admitted that despite despising it, Extalia was his homeland. Even with the combined effort of everyone, it looked as if they would fail. Rette and Thyme put their all into it along side everyone and refused to give up, and just when they feared they would not be able to stop it, the lacrima was suddenly forced back. A pillar of light shot into the sky from the lacrima, lighting up the sky. Rette tumbled free of her spot, shielding her eyes from the light.

Thyme dove to catch her and was shocked when Bane came flying out of no where to scoop Rette up. Thyme threw her paws in the air in relief and flew up to Rette and Bane to check on Rette. Rette assured her that she was fine and Thyme turned to Bane to give him a nod of gratitude. Bane nodded back. Rette raised her head, her eyes widening slightly when she saw that the lacrima that had contained her guild...was gone.

"Wh-what happened!?" Lucy asked.

"It's returned to Earthland."

Everyone whipped around, finding Mystogen a top a giant bird. When did he get there...and why was he on a bird?

"I apologize for being so late, I was searching for the vestiges of the giant Anima in order to send it all back. And we wouldn't have made it without everyone's strength. I thank you." Mystogen told them.

"So...they're all back? Fairy Tail, Magnolia, everyone?" Rette asked.

"That's right. Using the Anima once again, the lacrima has been returned to Earthland in its original form. It's all over." Mystogen assured them.

Thyme turned a joyful, relieved look on Rette and Rette gave her a nod in return. They had done it. They had saved their guild, their home. Everyone cheered, celebrating their success. In her joy, Thyme threw her paws around the nearest person and blushed when she found it was Lily. She quickly snatched her paws back and awkwardly hurried into Rette's arms, the girl catching her and actually letting one laugh out at the embarrassment of Thyme. Lily raised an eyebrow as Thyme buried her face in Rette's chest and Shagotte laughed.

"Lily."

Lily turned to Mystogen as he removed his hat and bandana.

"This is the life you save. I'm glad to have protected your homeland." Mystogen told him.

"Yes, thank you...your highness." Lily replied.

Rette and her guild mates turned to Mystogen in surprise as Coco, a little girl that Lucy had picked up, exclaimed that the prince had returned. Mystogen...a prince!? That was new. Thyme gasped, Rette's eyes widening when Lily was suddenly attacked from behind, a magic beam cutting straight through his back and out his stomach.

"Lily!" Mystogen exclaimed.

"Not yet...It's not over yet!"

Rette turned to find EdoErza coming their way on the back of a large, flying creature that Coco called a legion. Several more flew behind her, carrying guards.

"Someone save Lily!" Shagotte called, but Rette was already diving.

She caught the giant exceed and was almost pulled down by his weight. He was far heavier than anything she had ever carried while flying...and she had carried Erza in full armor. Despite it, Rette rose steadily, holding on to Lily.

"Erza, as much as I like you...I **hate** your Edolas self." Rette called to Erza.

EdoErza shot Rette a glare, to which Rette just rolled her eyes. She could save the glares for Erza because Rette really couldn't care less. Mystogen held out an arm, keeping everyone back as he looked down at EdoEzra.

"Do you intend to point your blade at me, the prince of Edolas? Erza Knightwalker." Mystogen asked.

EdoErza grit her teeth, growling low under her breath. It looked like she was seriously debating on whether she would or not. Rette handed Lily off to a few other exceeds, freeing her hands in case someone attacked them.

"I do not think of a punk like you as my son."

Everyone began to look around as the voice of Edolas' king sounded around them. Where was it coming from?

"After having concealed your whereabouts for seven years, now you brazenly return!? I am well aware that you were traveling about in Earthland, closing up the Anima. You traitor." the king said.

"Your Anima plan has failed. There's no longer any meaning in this battle, is there?" Mystogen asked.

"Meaning? Meaning in battle, you say? This is no battle. This is retribution against those who would make themselves enemies of the king...this is unilateral extermination." the king replied.

The sound of trees being knocked over, something crushing them under it's steps, drew Rette's attention down to the ground. Her eyes widened when they landed on the creature appearing out of the trees. It looked like a dragon, made out of metal.

"If you intend to stand in my way, I will erase even you and not leave the merest trace behind." the king said, his voice coming from the mechanical dragon.

"Father!" Mystogen gasped upon seeing the metal dragon.

"I am not your father. I am the King of Edolas. Come to think of it...if I just finish you here, the person closing the Anima in Earthland will have disappeared. I can create giant lacrima and try to fuse them with the exceed as many times as I please. Fuhahahaha! Nothing is impossible before the power of the king! The power of the king is absolute!"

"'The power of the king' is making you even more wacko." Rette said, loud and clear, making everyone look at her as if she was the one that had lost her mind.

"Doroma Animu." Mystogen said, putting a name to the dragon machine. "In the language of this world, it mean "Dragon Knight". So it's got the reinforced armor of a dragon!"

"Now that you mention it, that appearance..." Happy gasped.

"What do you mean, reinforced armor!?" Carla asked.

"It's Wizard Canceller, a manned armor that negates any magic coming from the outside. His majesty is piloting Doroma Animu from inside!" Coco said.

"In short...we're in for a hell of a fight." Rette remarked.

"Now's really not a time for your pessimistic retorts, Rette!" Lucy snapped at her.

Rette shrugged her shoulders. As pessimistic as she may sound, Rette never meant any of it. They had other things to worry about as the king, Faust, ordered his guards to capture the exceed. The exceed went running, Rette taking over flying for herself so Bane wouldn't be slowed down. All around them, the guards were shooting the exceed with light cannons that turned them into mini, cat-shaped lacrima. Rette flew along side Coco's legion, where her guild mates had landed, Thyme right beside her.

"We've got to protect the exceed from the royal army! Let's pursue Knightwalker's group!" Erza said.

"What're we going to do about that huge thing?" Gray demanded, talking about the Doroma Animu.

"It's useless to just oppose it, since magic won't work on it." Coco replied.

"It can't be avoided, we have to go! The exceed are defenseless right now! We've got to protect them!" Mystogen called.

"Guards to knock around now that I have my magic back...? Count me in." Rette said, saluting them.

"I will not let a single person escape! Every last one of you will perish here!" Faust yelled.

Rette looked down at the Doroma Animu just in time to see it's jaws spread open and a beam of magic shoot out, heading right for them.

"Incoming!" Rette called in warning.

Mystogen urged his bird forward, blocking the attack with a spell cast by his staffs. Rette raised an arm to shield her eyes, as Erza called Mystogen's name in concern.

"Mystogen? Is that your name in Earthland, Jellal!?" Faust demanded of his son.

"Erza! Go now, while you have the chance!" Mystogen called.

"But-"

"Go!" Mystogen ordered, cutting Erza off.

He attacked back, but with the magic negating power of the Doroma Animu, the attack did nothing. With no consideration for the fact that it was his own son, Faust attacked back, knocking Jellal from the sky. Rette whipped around, concerned for him as he crashed into the ground below. She didn't know Mystogen well, he wasn't even from Earthland, but he was a member of Fairy Tail all the same. Seeing Faust harm a member of **her** guild, made Rette's blood boil.

And she wasn't the only one.

"Crawling on the ground suits you! You should die there on the ground, just like that!" Faust taunted, laughing like a mad man.

He turned his attention on the others a top Coco's legion, ready to send them crashing to the ground below as well. He was unable to attack when something hit the long neck of the Doroma Animu, crashing into it with enough force to almost knock it to the ground. A second attack hit it right in the chest, sending it crashing back a few steps. A third attack hit it from behind, knocking it forward just as it had been knocked backwards. And the fourth attack, hit it straight in the face.

When the smoke cleared and Faust was able to see who had attacked him, he was confronted by Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, and Rette.

"Hey, that's pretty good, Wendy." Natsu remarked, pounding a fist into the other hand.

"Not at all...the three of you inflicted more damage." Wendy replied.

"I thought you hate using your Dragon Slayer magic." Gajeel mocked, looking at Rette.

"Shut it. I also said I'd use it to protect what's **mine** and this bozo's crossed the line." Rette retorted, tugging on her gloves to make sure they were on good.

"Go. Protect the cats." Natsu called up to Erza.

"Thyme, you stay with them and help them protect the others." Rette called up to Thyme.

Thyme nodded curtly. They pulled away from the fight, leaving the four below to deal with Faust and his fake dragon.

"Will they be alright with just the four of them?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing to worry about. Their opponent is a dragon. They're the only ones who can defeat it. The mages who hunt dragons." Gray replied.

"But Rette doesn't use her Dragon Slayer magic." Lucy protested.

"She's still a Dragon Slayer. If there's one thing I've learned about Rette in the time since she's joined the guild, it's that she'll do anything to protect what she deems to be hers. No matter what happens or what she says, Fairy Tail is her home. She'll do whatever she has to, to defend it." Erza said confidently.

Down below, Rette glanced up as the legion her guild mates were on, got smaller and smaller, heading away from them. She redirected her eyes to the menace before them.

"Let's go Salamander." Gajeel said.

"Damn! We're fighting together again!" Natsu snapped, annoyed.

"What are Wendy and I to you, huh? Chopped liver?" Rette demanded. "You two just try to stay out of the way. I haven't used my Dragon Slayer magic in an actual fight in years, so I probably don't have the best control."

Natsu and Gajeel turned wide eyed, horror filled looks on Rette as she stretched her arms out, ready to get this fight over with so she didn't have to use her Dragon Slayer magic anymore. She wouldn't be using it now if any other magic worked on the Doroma Animu.

"Shall we, boys?" Rette asked.

Natsu and Gajeel shook off the horror at the idea of possibly getting hit with one of Rette's attacks, and faced the mechanical dragon in front of them, ready for a fight.

"I'll back you up!" Wendy said from behind them.

Wendy cast her Bania spell, which gave Natsu, Gajeel, and Rette an extra boost of speed. When Faust fired another shot at them, Gajeel darted off to one side, Natsu to the other. Rette raised an eyebrow before quickly casting her Conductor Crystal spell, absorbing the attack. Faust didn't sound too happy about it, actually sounded like he was having a fit, while Rette tossed the crystal into the air and caught it before adding it to one of the pouches on her belt.

Distracted by Rette, Faust didn't see Natsu's and Gajeel's attacks until they hit the dragon hard in the face.

"What's this hardness!?" Gajeel asked.

"What? Does it actually have a harder head than you two?" Rette asked.

Gajeel and Natsu shot her glares, but they couldn't really deny that they had hard heads. It didn't mean that Rette had to point it out.

"Power of the stout arms that tears heaven...Arms!" Wendy called, casting her next spell.

Natsu, Gajeel, and Rette looked down at their arms as they glowed. Wendy explained that it was a spell that would strengthen their offensive ability. Rette, eager to give it a try, was the first to try. She jumped up and linked her hands together over her head.

"Crystal Dragon Quartz Drill!"

Rette hit the metal dragon's head with enough force to slam it into the ground. No sooner had it begun to rise again, Natsu hit it from the left, rattling Faust even more. Seeing Wendy as a threat for her ability to support and strengthen them, Faust launched an attack on the girl.

"Wendy, you got this?" Rette called.

"I'm okay." Wendy assured them.

Wendy cast her Bania spell on herself, giving herself enough speed to dodge the magical missiles launched at her, but they simply changed course, tracking Wendy. Natsu and Rette stepped in, Natsu dealing with half while Rette, with claws of ice, took out the other half. More panels opened on the dragon's back, to shoot more missiles, but Gajeel attacked them, damaging the panels so they wouldn't open. Faust manipulated the dragon's tail to knock Gajeel away. Two of the missiles, though, managed to slip by and were heading right for Natsu and Rette.

Natsu charged in to deal with them, but these were different. The moment Natsu was near, they exploded. Rette raised her arms to defend her face from flying rocks. To Faust's shock, Natsu devoured the resulting flames from the explosion and Gajeel started eating bits of the dragon.

"Looks like I need to power up too." Rette remarked, digging in one of the pouches on her belt.

She pulled out four, large, pink and white crystals and popped them into her mouth, one at a time, chewing them up before swallowing them.

"Mmm...Rhodocrosite...my favorite." Rette remarked.

"Are those even any good?" Natsu asked her, making a face.

"I could ask you the same thing with fire, you know. I'll take Labradorite or Smoky Quartz, though, if I can't find Rhodocrosite." Rette replied.

Natsu didn't know what any of those crystals were and just made another disgusted face before turning to look up at the dragon before them.

"It's strong...worthy to be called a dragon." Natsu remarked.

"Although he's the king of a country, he doesn't have any guards around him. He must have a lot of faith in it." Wendy agreed.

"Still...he picked the wrong thing to go up against Dragon Slayers with." Rette said.

"Are you calling yourself a Dragon Slayer now?" Gajeel asked.

"I am now, and will always be, the Nexus Mage. You can keep the title of Dragon Slayer." Rette replied.

"You're in denial." Natsu told her.

"I don't want to hear that from you, ignoramus." Rette told him tartly.

"Ignor-what?" Natsu questioned.

"My point, exactly." Rette replied on a sigh.

Natsu grit his teeth, pretty sure she had just insulted him, but they had bigger problems than that. He turned his eyes back to the dragon, a grin curling his lips.

"I'm getting fired up." Natsu said, gearing up for another go.

The four of them stared up at the dragon, Rette's head tilting to the side as the dragon started changing color. What was that crazy king up to now? The whole thing turned completely black.

"First of all, I'll drain all of your fighting spirits! Using the power of the Black Heaven Doroma Animu!" Faust declared.

The next string of attack hit hard and hit fast. Rette threw herself at Wendy, using her body to protect Wendy from the worst of the attack. As long as Wendy was alright, she could heal them and support them. To Rette, someone like herself, who detesting using her own Dragon Slayer magic and therefore was out of practice and weaker, she was of little use. The least she could do was protect someone of greater use. The attack knocked Rette on her side, her arms wrapped around Wendy, the air knocked out of her very lungs. She managed to push herself up, still protecting Wendy.

"Fuhahaha! Black Heaven Doroma Animu is a special armor that multiplies the output of the magical power up to several times greater. There's no chance of winning for you guys!" Faust boosted, hitting them with another attack.

Rette let out a cry of pain as her body was battered with another attack. She hit her knees this time, her body curled around Wendy's. Wendy called her name in concern, but Rette took a deep breath, winced at the pain in her ribs, and did her best to work through the pain. She couldn't be knocked out of the game just yet. Natsu, on the other hand, landed on his feet, skidding across the ground a few feet.

"Everyone...is suffering from lack of magical power...and somehow you, the king, has such an enormous amount of it." Natsu remarked.

"It's natural for a king to charge a national tax from people. Doroma Animu is an ultimate mage weapon that keeps absorbing the magical power from the whole world! Thus, this is forbidden! It's my responsibility to win for activating it! For the sake of the world!" Faust replied.

"For the world, he says...don't make me laugh."

All eyes turned to Rette as she released Wendy, and pushed herself to her feet. Wendy looked up at her in surprise. Rette turned her eyes on the dragon before her, her hands curling into fist at her side.

"You know, you aren't the first man to tell me that the pain he was putting others through was for the sake of the world. I didn't believe him and I sure won't believe you. You selfishly took magic from others, kept it for yourself, not for the sake of the world. No. You kept it because you're too weak to live without it. You call yourself a king? A king is suppose to think of his people first and foremost. When they suffer, he's suppose to suffer with them! But you...you're just a disgusting old man who has lost his mind. If you ever had one to begin with." Rette said, her tone flat, but her eyes alive with fire. "The world isn't my concern. My concern is the pain you've put my guild through. No one messes with what's mine and gets away with it."

Natsu and Gajeel grinned, supporting Rette one hundred percent.

"We joined a guild to live, that's why I don't care about the world. But I'll defeat you for everyone that lives in this world." Natsu agreed, stepping up to Rette's side.

Rette ached, her body was tired, and all she wanted to do was go home and sleep in her own bed. But before she could that...she had to kick an old man's ass.

END

Kyandi: Some people really know how to rub you the wrong way, don't they?

Rette: You have no idea.

Kyandi: So...you're using your Dragon Slayer magic.

Rette: Shut it, shut it right now.

Kyandi: What? You make a great Dragon Slayer.

Rette: I said shut it.

Kyandi: Well someone's touchy.

Rette: You want to see touchy?

Kyandi: Noooooooooo...Everyone enjoy and review!

Rette: We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	28. Sisters

Kyandi: Hey everyone. I'm back.

Rette: We apologize for taking so long. Kyandi-sama has been working through a hard time at the moment. And she's been working on a surprise for all of you.

Kyandi: I will explain the surprise at the end of this chapter.

Rette: I believe they will like this surprise.

Kyandi: I sure hope so...it's taken me a lot of work to put together.

Rette: It's not as if you haven't enjoyed it.

Kyandi: Shush! You don't need to tell them that! In this chapter, you will all get a glimpse at just how much Rette cares and tries to hide it.

Rette: Must you really tell them that?

Kyandi: Yes! Pay back sucks! Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Kyandi: I'm dedicating this chapter to my grandmother, who passed away a few days ago. I miss her.

Chapter 28 Sisters

Pain.

Rette's whole body radiated pain, from the tips of her toes, to the crown of her head. Alright, so "kicking the old man's ass" was going to be harder than she thought. Faust certainly wasn't making it easy on them. Their clothes were ripped to shreds-Rette was sure it wouldn't take much more for her top to completely unravel-and they were bruised and beaten. If she could have just stayed there, laying on her back, she would have.

But she couldn't, so she got back to her feet.

"Gather more magical power! Ye sky, ye earth! Give your magical power to Doroma Animu!" Faust yell.

"I'm really getting tired of hearing his voice." Rette remarked, Natsu and Gajeel grunting in agreement.

"Salamander, Rette! Let's use our breath!" Gajeel called, before turning to Wendy. "Kid! You too."

"The four of us at once!?" Wendy asked.

"We've been holding back since we don't know what'll happen. But we've got no choice!" Gajeel replied.

"He's got a point...for once." Rette remarked.

"Understood!" Wendy agreed.

"Yeah!" Natsu chimed in.

The four all took a deep breath, reaching for their power. Rette focused. If she could mix her magic together for her Nexus Magic, then she could do the same with her Dragon Slayer magic. It was the same concept. Delicate, precise handling of magical power, blending and combining two magics into one. She carefully mixed the two, ice melding with crystal.

"Fire Dragon's/Iron Dragon's/Sky Dragon's/Crystal Ice Dragon's Roar!"

All four let the attack go at once. The different colored magic blended together, curling around each other, combining into one solid mass of concentrated magic that caused a large explosion when it hit. Rette winced. She had never attempted the mixing of her Dragon Slayer magic and had use more power than she had meant to, but at least it had worked. Rock flew everywhere, smoke bellowing up from where the attack had hit. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left. The dragon was no where in sight.

"We did it, huh?" Gajeel asked.

A glare catching her eye, made Rette's head snap back. The Doroma Animu was in the sky above them. It had jumped out of the way!

"Above us!" Rette called, making the other three look up.

"No way...our four-man simultaneous roar won't hit." Wendy said.

"One more time!" Natsu insisted.

"I will not permit it!" Faust called down, launching a wide spread attack on the ground below.

All four took great damage. Their magic was running low and Rette, as well as Natsu, was coughing up blood. Another attack like that could very well be the end of them. Getting to their feet proved to be a task in and of itself. Rette barely managed to get to her hands and knees, her arms wobbling as she fought to keep from hitting the ground with her face.

She wasn't so sure she would like her first kiss being taken by the ground.

"It appears you've run dry. Infinite mages though you may be, once you've run out of magical power, it won't return for a while. You may assume that your treatment will depend upon your behavior. Now come quietly and become the source of my world's magical power." Faust told them.

Her treatment...he meant to imprison her, lock her away. Rette felt like it was getting harder and harder to breathe. Imprisonment...locked away...possibly in the dark. Images, memories, flashed before Rette's eyes. The dark, cold underground, the punishments when she misbehaved or didn't do as told, the pain, the bone deep ache of fear, sadness, and anger.

"...to hell..."

"What was that?" Faust asked when Rette spoke, her voice low.

Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel turned their eyes on Rette as she forced herself, body screaming in pain, back to her feet. Hands pressed to her knees, she managed it, her body trembling from the effort.

"I said... **go to hell**!" Rette snapped.

Rette raised her head, teeth gnashing together, her eyes sharp with a cold anger. The look reminded Natsu of the one he had seen on Rette's face in the plaza when they had seen the lacrima that had turned out to be Gray and Erza, except this one was darker. It spoke of anger, fierce anger, and something else. If Natsu didn't know better...he would have called it insanity.

"I've been there, trapped, locked away in the dark, always in pain, always scared and angry. I've been there... **I'm not going back!** You want to lock us away and use us for your own selfish gain? Keep talking, old man, because you're only making me angry. Keep it up and you'll give me the perfect excuse to unleash the rage I've hidden. And believe me...there's a lot of it." Rette snapped.

The silence that followed her words was broken when Natsu chuckled. Gajeel and Wendy looked from Rette to Natsu.

"That's right. Don't give up. It's not over yet. Bring it on, bastard." Natsu said, staggering to his feet, standing side to side with Rette. "We're standing right here!"

"Just how obstinate a child are you two!?" Faust demanded.

One of Doroma Animu's legs rose, the foot coming down hard on their heads. Natsu caught the foot, Rette crouching down behind him as he held the foot off of them.

"You idiots! Without magical power, ain't nothin' we can do." Gajeel called.

"We'll summon it! Summon up tomorrow's share!" Natsu declared, flames flickering around him. "Rette, get ready!"

Rette's hands flexed, ice creeping up her left arm, forming claws on her finger tips, while crystal copied it on the right arm. Natsu, with a roar, heaved the foot up, knocking the dragon off balance. Rette shot out from Natsu's side, jumping for the dragon's head as she linked her hands. She brought the linked fist down hard on the dragon's head, sending it crashing into the ground.

"Don't underestimate Dragon Slayers! Got it!?" Natsu snapped.

Rette dropped to the ground, avoiding a shot when Faust fired it. Natsu...wasn't so lucky.

"Know your place, you little shit! Who the hell do you think I am!?" Faust demanded, just second before Gajeel attacked, driving his arm through the foot of the dragon and using his Iron Dragon Slayer abilities to shape his arm into an iron anchor that would keep the foot in place. Rette came from the other side, doing the same with the other foot. Ice and crystal mixed as they climbed up the leg, holding it still. Rette darted free, avoiding a claw of the dragon, but her ice and crystal held strong. No matter how much Faust tried to move the legs, he couldn't. Rette backed up to Wendy's side.

"We've locked him! He won't be able to escape to the air now! Go, Salamander!" Gajeel called. "You're the only one! Do it!"

Natsu, who was falling through the air after Faust's last attack, glanced at the ground where Rette and Wendy stood.

"Wendy! Rette! Send a Roar at me!" Natsu demanded.

The two females looked at each other. Rette turned to Wendy, offering her a hand up. Wendy took it and Rette pulled her up. The two turned as one to face the dragon.

"Got it!" they said in unison.

It took effort, scraping the bottom of the barrel for the last of the magic they could manage, but Rette and Wendy summoned the power for one last Roar each, the combined attacks picking up Natsu, whose own attack mixed with the rotation of theirs.

Rette had to admit...Natsu actually had his clever moments.

The attack hit the Doroma Animu with enough force to drive Natsu straight through it's chest. He came out the other side, dragging along Faust with him. Natsu threw the old man, hard, into the ground before hitting it himself. When faced with Natsu, Rette, Gajeel, and Wendy, all Faust could see was the dragons they represented and he cowered before them, the fear so great, it caused the old man to pass out.

"We beat the king! What was it they called this situation? Checkmate?" Natsu cheered, throwing his arms into the air.

"That's what you say before you take the king." Wendy told him.

"Since this king passed out on his own, it doesn't apply anyway." Rette added, now slumped on the ground.

"You idiot." Gajeel added.

Rette groaned when the ground started to shake. Now what?

"An earthquake?" Natsu asked, staring at the ground.

"When have we ever been lucky enough for it to just be an earthquake?" Rette asked.

"It...it couldn't be enemy reinforcements, could it!? You've gotta be kiddin' me. I...I'm really out of magic, man." Gajeel said.

"Th-that's not it...there..." Wendy gasped, looking up at the sky.

Rette let her head fall back so she could look up at the sky, her eyes going wide when she saw that the floating islands in the sky...were crashing down into the ground below.

"The floating island's are...falling." Natsu said.

Rette shivered. She could feel the magic in the world around her, what little there was, being sucked out of it. It was almost as if a vacuum was being run, the hose sucking all of the magic up. As if the Anima that had absorbed Magonlia had been rever...wait a minute. Rette's eyes widened for a moment as it hit her.

"Someone reversed the Anima!" she exclaimed, making Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy look at her. "Instead of absorbing magic from Earthland, it's drawing all of the magic out of Edolas. That has to be what's happening!"

The other three looked at each other.

"But who would do that?" Wendy asked.

"I'll give you three guesses, but something tells me, you'll only need one." Rette replied.

-0-0-0-0-

"Lucy! Gray!"

Lucy and Gray looked up when they heard Rette's voice. Rette came running towards them, looking horribly beaten up. Rette was surprised to see the Edolas Fairy Tail members. She came to a stop next to Lucy and nearly collapsed.

"Rette! What are you doing here? Did you beat the king!?" Lucy asked as Rette dropped to sit on the ground.

"Yeah. He's down. Don't ever ask me do to that again. I hurt all over and it wasn't even a real dragon. Had that been Tundron or Chrysalis coming at me full force, I would be dead now." Rette told them.

"And Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy?" Gray asked.

Rette took a deep breath in and explained everything to them, from the battle with Faust, to Rette's realization about the reverse Anima, to Nadi showing up and telling them all about Mystogen's plan to remove all magical power from Edolas and cast himself as "the villain". Then, before the panicking people of Edolas, he would have "the hero", who he cast Lily as, execute him, therefore quelling the chaos brought about by the loss of magic.

She told them how, together, Natsu, Gajeel, Rette, and Wendy came up with a plan. Since they weren't from Edolas anyway, they decided to play the part of the villains for Mystogen. In Rette's opinion, Natsu was sure to take this pretend-to-be-the-bad-guys act a little too well. They had dressed Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy up like a demon lord and his minions and the three had gone off to the royal city. While Rette had no doubt the plan would work...she could do without being called Natsu's minion and thus, had decided to find the others and explain things to them.

"You look like you really got beaten up." EdoRette said with a laugh.

"Yeah, well, it was unavoidable. That fake dragon just wouldn't go down." Rette replied.

"So...any time now, we're going to be dragged back to Earthland?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah. Part of the reversing the Anima was that all magical power in Edolas is being sucked out of Edolas and into Earthland. That means that those of us with internal magic, like us and the exceed, will be pulled out of Edolas and back into Earthland, too." Rette explained.

No sooner had she explained it, their bodies began to glow. A nod from Rette confirmed that this meant they were going home. Something she was actually happy about.

"I see...so the Anima is basically kicking us out too." Lucy said.

"So all magical power really is being removed from this world." EdoAlzack said.

"Don't make such sad faces. You think you can't have a guild without magical power?" Gray asked.

He banged a fist against his chest, right over his guild mark and held out the fist with smile on his face.

"If you have friends that right there is a guild." Gray added.

Rette was a little uncomfortable when they started floating, their bodies lifted into the sky. Lucy waved to the others below.

"Hey, Rette!"

Rette twisted around when EdoRette called her. She met her eyes, raising an eyebrow in questioning. EdoRette smiled widely at her.

"Do yourself a favor and remember this...trusting might hurt, but it's worth it if you got people worth trusting. I believe you do. And even if trusting does hurt, a smile won't. Your friends, your family...they care about you. So the least you can do is give them a smile." EdoRette told her, raising her left hand to wave to her.

Somewhere during her fight with the royal guards, she had lost her glove and now, Rette could see a plain, gold band shining from around EdoRette's left, ring finger. Rette knew a wedding band when she saw one and her eyes widened. EdoRette saw what she was looking at and gave her a sad smile. The same sad smile she had had on her face when she had spoken of her master's and Laxus' deaths.

"Remember what I told you!" EdoRette insisted.

Before Rette could ask who the hell she was married to, they were gone.

-0-0-0-0-

It was raining in Earthland when they were sent dropping out of the sky. Natsu hit the ground first and the rest of them were dropped in a pile on top of him. Rette was grateful when she ended up on the top of the pile for once. They all untangled themselves from each other and instantly went to check that Magnolia was back in one piece. They scrambled to the edge of a near by cliff and were greeted with the view of Magnolia sprawled out before them. Rette heaved a relieved sigh.

"It's too early to celebrate. First we've got to make sure everyone's alright." Erza said.

"They're fine."

Rette and her guild mates looked up, finding the sky filled with exceeds just flying her guild mates' jaws dropped, Rette just blinked.

"We reached Earthland a step ahead of you." one exceed said.

"We flew all over." another added.

"The guild and everyone in the town are just fine." a third said.

"It looks like none of them even realized they were turned into lacrima." said a fourth.

"Earthland is awesome! It's overflowing with magic!" chimed in a fifth.

"How...how'd the exceed end up in Earthland!?" Carla asked. "This is no laughing matter. These guys are dangerous! We should return them to Edolas!"

"Extalia's gone, too. Let's leave them be." Wendy insisted.

"No way." Carla said.

Well if there was one thing Carla had picked up on since joining Fairy Tail, it was the stubbornness that every member seemed to have. The exceed apologized to Carla for everything they had said and done, promising they would mend their ways.

"I don't care about any of that! You sent us to Earthland with a mission to kill off the Dragon Slayers!" Carla exclaimed.

"That's right! The queen stole our eggs! Don't you dare tell me you've forgotten!" came a yell from Lucky at the back of the crowd of exceed.

Rette looked at Thyme, who was on her usual perch on Rette's shoulder. The little cat was hanging her head, her ears plastered back against her head.

"I missed a lot while we were apart, didn't I?" Rette asked.

Thyme's paws started waving, like she was explaining something. Rette's head tilted to the side, as if she was listening. It drew the attention of many of the others, who wondered what the hell Thyme was doing.

"Huh...I see. Well that certainly explains a lot." Rette said, turning back to the conversation at hand.

"Wait, Rette...can you and Thyme communicate in your heads!?" Lucy demanded.

"Something like that. We can feel each other, sense each others feelings, if the other is alive or hurt, and can speak back and forth in our heads. But it's only between the two of us. Why do you think Thyme never talks? She's never had a need to when I was the only person around and we don't need verbal words. It's Thyme's ability, though, not mine. Kind of surprised me the first time it happened." Rette retorted.

Wide eyes turned on Rette and Thyme, both of which shrugged. So they...could talk into each other's heads? And only each others? And it even went a little further than that. It was like the two were almost completely bonded to each other. Connected emotionally as well as mentally.

"Can we get an explanation now?" Rette asked.

"We still haven't explained ourselves, clearly, have we?" one of the elder exceeds said.

"This is a tale from six years ago. We've already told you of Shagotte's ability to see the future, have we not?" another elder added.

"Yes." Rette prompted.

"One day Shagotte foresaw an image of Extalia crashing to the ground. In hindsight, it's clear that it fell naturally as a result of the depletion of magic in Edolas, but...at the time we thought it would come as a result of human actions. We realized that even if we went to war with the humans, we would never win. After convening a meeting we established a plan to allow one hundred children escape from Edolas. We kept this plan secret, even from the citizens of Extalia. But the official story was that they were being sent to destroy beasts called Dragon Slayers in a parallel universe."

"So glad to know I qualify as a beast." Rette retorted. "Natsu and Gajeel, I understand, but Wendy and I?"

Natsu and Gajeel shot her a glare, but Wendy, who stood between them and Rette, held her hands up, silently pleading with them not to do anything.

"Of course, it's not that we had any grievance with the Dragon Slayers." one elder said.

"I understand. It's just that you needed that "setup"." Wendy replied.

"And if we had spoken the truth, we were certain it would have caused a panic." another elder added.

"Borrowing the humans' Anima, we succeeded in our plan. However...just one thing occurred that we did not plan for. That was your power, Carla." Shagotte said. "You have the same power of "prediction" as we do."

Carla was surprised and stared at Shagotte with wide eyes.

"But because it activated while you were unconscious, it jumbled your memories. Among the one hundred escaped exceed...you were the only one with this power. Though, from the sounds of it, your friend, Thyme, has her own special power." Shagotte said, glancing at Thyme.

Thyme scratched at one cheek, her eyes darting away. She couldn't really call it a special power when she was only able to hear and communicate with Rette, mind-to-mind.

"It's likely you foresaw bits and pieces of the future of Edolas. And you probably mistook those impressions for your "mission"." Shagotte added.

"Then, the rest of us..." Happy started.

"There was never any such mission. It was truly misfortune upon misfortune...you created your own "imaginary mission"." Shagotte replied.

"We thought it would be better for you not to know about your own power. So we said those things to manipulate you." Nadi said, apologizing for all he had said to Happy, Thyme, and Carla.

"It was all a stupid ploy to display the majesty of the queen. I truly apologize." Nichiya added.

"The bluff I used to confront the misfortune facing both my people and the humans caused you great suffering. No...it caused great sorrow to all those families who had their eggs seized. That's why I've surrendered my sword to you. It is not all the exceed who are evil. It is only me." Shagotte insisted.

The exceed around her instantly protested that she wasn't evil. One even suggested that they go find those exceed who had been sent to Earthland six years ago. Another suggested they try hard to get along with humans, the others agreeing.

"They sure are a forward-looking bunch, aren't they?" Natsu asked.

Carla crossed her arms, staring at the exceeds around them. Thyme jumped from Rette's shoulder and went over to her, laying a paw on her shoulder. When Carla looked at her, Thyme smiled and patted her shoulder. Finally Carla heaved a sigh.

"Alright, I'll let it go." Carla agreed, Thyme's tail curling in joy with the agreement.

"Carla..." Shagotte said.

"But why do I have the same power as you?" Carla asked.

Shagotte and all of her elders skirted around that question, acting as if they didn't know. Rette had a good idea on the answer to that question, but she didn't say anything. Happy and Lucky went through a whole act of trying to figure out why Shagotte and Carla seemed so similar, not noticing that every movement they made, was the same. Bane joined Thyme, watching Happy and Lucky, and Rette found amusement in the similar way the two tilted their heads in silent wonder. Natsu and Gray picked up on Nadi's habit of his paw never stopping in it's movement and Erza ended up creeped out by Nichiya.

"We're thinking of settling down in this area for the time being." Shagotte told Carla and Wendy.

"We can come see you anytime, huh." Wendy said.

"What're you looking so happy about?" Carla demanded of Wendy.

"That's right...you can see us anytime, Carla." Shagotte said, hugging Carla.

Rette watched the exceed among her guild mates. It was obvious, to her at least, that Shagotte was Carla's mother, Lucky and Marl were Happy's parents, and Bane was Thyme's father. Before the exceed left in search of somewhere to settle down, Bane turned to Rette. He gave her a long, hard look, just as silent as Thyme always was, but Rette knew what he was trying to say. He wanted her to take good care of Thyme. Rette bowed her head in understanding, silently promising to do so. He gave her a nod and joined the others.

When the exceed where gone, Rette turned to her guild mates, and stared when she found that every single one of the human members, minus Wendy and Gajeel, had picked up on Nadi's paw movement without noticing it.

"We should head on back to the guild, too." Natsu said.

"How're we going to explain all this?" Lucy asked.

"No worries...nobody will have noticed anything this time, right?" Gray replied.

"But we can't keep quiet about what happened to Mystogen." Erza added.

"Everyone...you hands..." Wendy tried to tell them.

Rette shook her head. They could do that all they wanted, but Rette wasn't joining in. She was already sore enough without adding even more sore muscles to the list.

"Where's Lily? I don't see Panther Lily anywhere!" Gajeel said.

He was looking around, searching for the exceed he had claimed as his partner.

"If you're looking for me, I'm over here."

They all turned and Rette's head instantly tilted to the side. Lily, who had been humanoid in size, standing taller than Rette herself...was now the same size as Thyme, Happy, and Carla.

"He's teensy!" Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy said together.

"You sure got a lot cuter." Happy remarked.

Apparently Thyme agreed with Happy, for Rette could tell she was blushing, her paw hiding the lower half of her face. Rette thought it was cute, seeing Thyme with a crush.

"It looks like Earthland didn't mix well with my constitution." Lily remarked.

"You...so there's nothing to that body of yours?" Carla asked. "Not at the moment, anyway."

Lily ignored her remarks in favor of something else.

"I want to join the guild that his highness was helping out. As promised, you'd better let me in...Gajeel." Lily said.

To Rette's complete surprise, Gajeel instantly siezed Lily in a hug, tears flowing down his cheeks. She had never thought to see Gajeel that way, that was for sure. He instantly agreed, happy to finally have his own exceed partner like Natsu, Rette, and Wendy.

"That aside, I caught a suspicious-looking person." Lily said when Gajeel finally released him.

Tugging on a rope that he held in his hand, Lily pulled a girl out of the bushes. She protested the whole way.

"I...am not really...anyone suspicious." she protested.

Surprise colored all of their expressions as Lisanna came into view.

"I'm a member of Fairy Tail, too." Lisanna said.

Everyone stared at Lisanna, wondering what was going on.

"Could it be Edolas' Lisanna?" Carla asked.

"I doubt it. The Anima only removed that that had internal magic naturally." Rette remarked.

She was drowned out when Lisanna's eyes landed on Natsu. She yelled his name happily and jumped him, knocking him over and dragging Lily, who was still holding on to the rope, with them. She looked down at Natsu, with tears in her eyes.

"I finally get to see the real Natsu again." she said happily, before turning her attention to Happy. "Happy! Erza and Gray, it's been a long time! Whoa, so nostalgic."

Lisanna happily greeted them all as if it was everyday that someone went from one world to another. She turned to Lucy, Wendy, and Rette then.

"Are those guys new guild members? Could it be Lucy, Rette...and a little Wendy?" Lisanna asked.

"Wait a sec...you...you couldn't be...Earthland's Lisanna!?" Gray asked.

"Yup."

Natsu cheered, charging towards Lisanna, but Erza seized him by the back of the shirt, yanking him to a stop. Rette watched in amusement as Natsu made a choking sound.

"Wait! You're suppose to have died two years ago." Erza said.

"I...didn't die, or anything like that. Two years ago, while I was on a job with Mira and Elfman, I lost consciousness. I was probably sucked into the Anima at that point. I think there were a bunch of little Anima all over earth at the same moment. When I found Fairy Tail after I awoke in Edolas, I was surprised. Everyone's vibe was a little different, but there were people who knew me there. In addition, everyone thought I was the Lisanna from Edolas. I figured the real Edolas Lisanna was probably already dead. That's what I felt...in the guild's vibe. I couldn't tell them the truth. I pretended to be the Lisanna of Edolas. It was confusing at first, but matching everyone's pace and hiding my own magic, I got used to life in Edolas. And then after two years, six days ago Earthland Natsu and Happy showed up." Lisanna explained.

"Why couldn't you just have told the truth then!?" Natsu demanded.

"I couldn't say it..." Lisanna replied. "I was going to live out my life in Edolas. However, all the magical power in Edolas was sucked in by the Anima, including me, being originally from Earthland."

Rette stared at Lisanna. So she was the real Earthland Lisanna. Mira and Elfman would be so thrilled to have her back. Rette knew what she had to do. She held out her hand to Lisanna then. Lisanna stared at her and when she continued not to get it, Rette stepped forward, taking her bound hands into her hands. Rette untied the rope.

"I've gotten to know your siblings very well since I've joined the guild. Mira took me in like I was her little sister and she's taken care of me. That being said, I feel that I know that they would love to see you as soon as possible. I just happen to know where they are right now. Come on." Rette told her.

Rette looked up to meet Lisanna's eyes. She didn't say anything else, but Lisanna seemed to understand. She smiled brightly and threw her arms around Rette's neck in a hug. Rette was surprised and awkward and ended up patting Lisanna's back in an awkward way.

"You really are Rette. She was so considerate of everyone too." Lisanna said lowly into Rette's ear.

"Yeah well...let's not go spreading that around, shall we. I have a reputation to uphold." Rette retorted, finally getting Lisanna to release her.

Rette took Lisanna's hand and lead the way, the others following them. Rette remembered Mira mentioning that they would be visiting Lisanna's grave. It was there, in the grave yard of the Kardia Cathedral, that they found Mira and Elfman. Rette came to a stop and turned to Lisanna, tilting her head towards Mira and Elfman. Lisanna gave her a grateful smile and turned to run towards them, yelling their names. Rette watched as the two whipped around, their eyes wide. Elfman dropped his umbrella in surprise and neither could react until Lisanna was right in front of them.

Rette, soaking wet to the bone, stood and watched as Mira and Elfman hugged Lisanna. Mira looked so happy. A lot happier than Rette had ever seen her. But, of course she was. Her real little sister was back and alive. Rette was glad to see her so happy, but watching them hug, knowing they were a complete family again...Rette felt her chest tighten. Lisanna was home, Mira had her little sister back...she didn't need Rette anymore. Her job done, Rette turned and left. The thought that Mira might no longer need her, made her throat feel tight and scratchy and her eyes burned, like she might cry. It made her feel like complete crap.

But...at least they could be happy now.

Rette trudged home, deciding to skip going to the guild hall. Thyme looked at Rette's face, but didn't say anything. She doubted there was anything she could say to Rette at the moment. Rette was dripping water by the time she reached her house and let herself inside. Without any care, she striped right there in the front hall, tossing the destroyed and wet clothes in the trash before heading for her bathroom. Thyme left her alone.

Rette showered, bandaged the wounds she had received in her time in Edolas, and changed into dry clothes. The moment she was changed, she crawled under the blanket of her bed and curled up there. She didn't understand what she was feeling. She was glad that Lisanna was back, glad that Mira and Elfman had their sister back. She happy for them, really, but at the same time, Rette felt like her heart was being squeezed. She didn't understand it, but she knew one thing for sure.

She didn't like it.

-0-0-0-0-

"Looks like the guild's changed a little bit too."

Lisanna looked around the lively guild hall. Everyone was cheering, drinking, celebrating her return. Everyone was just as happy as her siblings and Natsu. Even the Thunder Legion made it a point to express how glad they were that she was home. Everyone was happy, save Juvia, who was depressed to learn that in Edolas, EdoGray had been in love with EdoJuvia and she couldn't get Gray to really pay her attention.

Lisanna was welcomed back with open arms and Lily was welcomed into the guild just as easily. Though Lily couldn't believe just how noisy the guild was, but he was more intrigued by something else.

"So you're telling me every last person here has internal magic." Lily said.

"That's right, that's how it is with Earthland mages." Erza told him.

"Come to think of it, you were Erza' colleague in Edolas, weren't you?" Carla asked, looking at Lily as he stared at Erza.

"You're together again!" Happy piped in.

"But what's important isn't the magic itself, but the hearts of those who wield it. Isn't that right, Lily?" Erza asked, looking at Lily.

"You may be a different person...but it's comforting to have even just a single familiar face around." Lily replied.

Across the room, Gajeel yelled to Natsu and Wendy, saying they should have a fight between their exceed partners to see who would win. Happy insisted he would lose, but changed his tune when Carla told him he couldn't give up before trying. Lily insisted that if Happy tried, he would get hurt. It was during this conversation of which exceed would be strongest, that Lily looked around and noticed something.

"Speaking of which...where is that other exceed? The silver one." Lily asked.

"Silver one? You mean, Thyme?" Erza asked.

"Yes. I haven't seen her or her Dragon Slayer since we went to the church." Lily remarked.

At his comment, many of the people in the guild hall started looking around. They couldn't see hide or hair of Rette or Thyme. Lisanna looked up as well. Rette had lead her to her siblings and that was the last she had seen of the girl. The door to the guild hall opened then. When everyone turned to the door, they didn't see anything. When the door closed, they looked down at the floor. Standing there was Thyme, back in one of the homemade dresses Rette sewed for her. Bells jingled from her earrings as she turned and trotted across the room.

Thyme stopped for a moment, looking around the guild hall, not seeming to notice that everyone was watching her. Spotting who she was looking for, Thyme ran across the guild hall and jumped up on a table. She slipped for a moment and scrambled before yanking herself up on the table. She stood up and dusted off her dress before trotting across the table to Mira and Lisanna. Thyme raised one paw in greeting, Mira smiling at her and greeting her back. Thyme gestured for her to lean over. Mira leaned forward, presenting Thyme with her ear.

Tail twitching, Thyme cupped her paws around Mira's ear and whispered into it. Mira's smile faded as Thyme spoke. Mira pulled back when Thyme was done and stared down at her.

"You're sure?" she asked.

Thyme nodded sadly. Concerned Wendy hurried over to the table. Rette hadn't looked too awfully hurt when they had seen her, but then again...Rette would never tell them if she was.

"Is something wrong with Rette?" Wendy asked.

Mira gave her a smile as she got to her feet.

"It's something that only I can help with. I'll be back." Mira promised.

Lisanna gave her sister a confused look, but Mira just gave her a smile before hurrying out of the guild hall, Thyme watching her go. The others watched them go. Many of them were confused but then Cana laughed.

"Seems Rette has more human emotions then she wants to admit." Cana remarked.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, curious.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cana asked.

Seemingly the only one that got it, Erza chuckled to herself, a smile on her lips. Natsu looked between the two, confused.

"What? What is it!?" Natsu demanded.

"Rette and Mira have been like sisters since Rette joined the guild with Rette basically becoming a little sister to Mira. But now...now Lisanna, Mira's real little sister, is back." Cana explained.

When no one seemed to catch on right away, Erza gave them all the answer.

"Rette feels that she's no longer needed in Mira's life. She's hurt." Erza said. "Right, Thyme?"

Thyme nodded her head. She could feel the hurt feelings Rette was going through and she knew it confused Rette, who had never been through a situation like that before. Rette had never needed to be needed so she didn't understand why it hurt her so much at the mere thought that Mira might not need her anymore. Lisanna's eyes went wide as this sunk in. Rette thought Mira wouldn't need her anymore now that she was back? Lisanna looked at Thyme who looked like she felt sad because Rette was upset.

"I never thought Rette, of all people, would jump to conclusions like that. She's usually a more level headed girl." Macao remarked.

Lisanna thought for a moment before turning to Thyme and requesting she take her to Rette. Thyme tilted her head in questioning but she turned and waved a paw for Lisanna to follow before hopping off the table and trotting back across the guild hall.

"I'll be back." Lisanna said before following Thyme.

They caught up with Mira as she was starting up the long climb of stairs that led up to Rette's house. Mira smiled when she saw Lisanna and, together, they made the climb. Thyme, a key attached to a belt around her waist, unlocked the front door and let them in. Her paws making tiny noises on the floor, Thyme hurried across the front hall and to the stairs for the second floor. The sisters followed her upstairs, Lisanna looking at all of the pictures of guild mates that lined Rette's walls. The lights upstairs were out except for the light to one room. The door was cracked. Mira pushed it open.

They knew where Rette was the moment they looked into the room. There was a large bump under the blanket on her bed that would shift now and then. Mira and Lisanna smiled as they watched a hand appear from under the blanket to reach out to the nightstand, blindly searching the top until finger tips brushed a half empty glass of water. Fingers curled around the glass and it vanished under the blanket. When it came back out, the glass was empty. The moment the glass was safely on the nightstand, the hand vanished back under the blanket.

Thyme took a run for the bed, jumping up to slam into the bump in the blanket. They heard a grunt from under the blanket before muttering reached their ears. Thyme went flying to the end of the bed when Rette sat up, throwing the blanket back.

"Was that really necessary?" Rette demanded, turning to Thyme.

Her eyes snagged on Mira and Lisanna then. She froze, surprised to see them there. She stared at them for a moment before her eyes dropped to the sheets under her.

"Mira, Lisanna...what are you two doing here? I thought you'd be at the guild hall with everyone else, celebrating. After all...you got your family back." Rette said.

She didn't sound bitter or jealous, or even indifferent as she usually did. She just sounded...sad.

"That's kind of hard to do right now." Mira said, approaching the bed.

"Why?" Rette asked.

"Because we're missing a family member."

Rette looked up at Mira as she sat down on the bed beside her, a smile on her face. Rette's brows furrowed in confusion. Lisanna joined them, dropping to sit on the edge of the bed as well. Thyme, refusing to be left out of this, climbed into Lisanna's lap.

"She means you, silly!" Lisanna told her.

"Me? You're her sister, not me." Rette said, looking at Lisanna. "And I'm glad your back. Mira and Elfman can be happy now, and so can you. I'm happy for you, honestly."

Rette's eyes widened when Mira wrapped her arms around her, pulling Rette closer. Rette never really did hugs. It was only during special cases that she would hug anyone or allow them to hug her. She didn't fight Mira this time.

"Rette, Lisanna is my sister, that's true, and no one can ever take her place." Mira told Rette and could feel the girl's shoulders sag. "But, to me, you are my sister too, and no one can ever take **your** place."

Rette's head went up and she looked up at Mira in surprise.

"Just because I'm home doesn't mean big sis isn't going to need you anymore. Sisters are for life, even if they aren't blood related." Lisanna added.

Rette looked at her as Lisanna joined the hug, the two trapping her from both sides. Thyme wiggled into the hug too, wrapping her paws around Rette's neck. Rette felt squished, but...it was a pleasant feeling, being surrounded by such obvious affection.

"And you kind of fit in." Lisanna added.

"What do you mean?" Rette asked.

"Your eyes may not be blue like Big Sis's and mine, but your hair is only a few shades off from being the same white as our's!" Lisanna replied.

Rette pulled a piece of her hair before her eyes, looking from the light silver of her hair to the stark white of the two sisters. Lisanna had a point. If Rette's hair had been just a few shades lighter, than she could have fit into the family.

"We're not blood related, Rette, but all of Fairy Tail is family. Even if someone leaves or comes back, it doesn't diminish the value of others. From the first time you looked at me, I knew you would be instantly as precious to me as Lisanna is. That's not going to change." Mira assured Rette, pressing her cheek against Rette.

"And I'm sure we'll get along just as well!" Lisanna added, pressing her cheek to Rette's other cheek.

"Does this mean I'm going to be subjected to these sandwich-like hugs for the rest of my life?" Rette demanded.

Mira and Lisanna started laughing. Rette heaved a sigh, but she couldn't help a small smile that came over her face. She might say things like that, but she really liked hugs like this. They were warm and filled with such honest emotion that Rette couldn't deny how they felt. Rette wasn't the most affectionate, but they cared about her all the same.

It went a long way to mending Rette's tattered heart.

If for that reason alone...Rette wouldn't let go.

END

Kyandi: Alright, now I bet all of you are excited to hear what this surprise is.

Rette: Jumping right into it, huh?

Kyandi: Yep. I'm excited too, to be honest. Alright, now that the Edolas arc is done, the Tenrou Island arc is next, with the seven year time skip taking place after. I've had a lot of people ask me if Rette was going to go Tenrou Island or not. While I like to be original and therefore had originally decided to make Rette not go to the island and therefore live out those seven years in Magnolia, I also have a lot of muse for what happens on Tenrou Island.

Rette: So?

Kyandi: So...I'm going to write both!

Rette: Kyandi-sama is going to continue Nexus Mage with me going to Tenrou Island and then she is going to post a new story called Nexus Mage: A Different Choice that will cover what happens with me if I had stayed in Magnolia.

Kyandi: So all you lovely readers will get to see Rette in both situations. You'll even get to see her take part in the Grand Magic Games before the Tenrou gang comes back.

Rette: She's already started writing it. And I mature a lot staying behind verses myself going.

Kyandi: That's something they can judge for themselves. So everyone, enjoy and review. Sorry if my updates come a bit slower for a while. Things are a little difficult on my end at the moment.

Rette: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye.


	29. S-Class Exam

Kyandi: Greetings, my lovely readers, I'm back.

Rette: It's been a rough few weeks.

Kyandi: Yeah, but I'm doing good and I have another chapter for you all.

Rette: Right after she posts this chapter, she will be posting the first chapter of Nexus Mage: A Different Choice.

Kyandi: Yep. So if you want to read what would have happened if Rette didn't go to Tenrou Island, go there. If not, stay here.

Rette: But the stories will different even past the seven year time skip.

Kyandi: Right. I will continue the second time line well past the time skip. One of the things that's going to differ between the two stories, besides Rette's age, is her love interest.

Rette: So everyone enjoy and review.

Kyandi: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 29 S-Class Exam

Over the next few days, Rette really got to know Lisanna, even going on a few jobs with her. Of course that meant her over protective, big brother had to tag along as well. While Rette generally liked Elfman, his comments about being a "real man" could really wane on her nerves. It got on both hers and Lisanna's nerves when Elfman thought every man they interacted with, was hitting on them. More Lisanna than Rette, though. It took the protective big brother thing up a notch.

Rette, though, thought it was kind of sweet.

It just showed how much Elfman cared about his little sister.

Things around the guild hall began to pick up. Something about this time of year, drove all the members of the guild, even those who usually lazed around, to start rushing off on one job after another. Rette wasn't so inclined to join the rush. After the whole Edolas trip, Rette was perfectly alright with kicking back and taking it slow and easy for a while. She had been in enough life threatening, major event, show downs lately to last her a life time and then some.

That being said, past the few missions with Lisanna and Elfman, Rette had decided to stick with her job in the guild hall for a while. Mira welcomed the help with open arms. When all the rushing around started, Rette had to admit...she was curious. But she didn't say anything. She figured, sooner or later, someone would tell her what the hell was going on. And she wasn't the only one out of the loop. Wendy, Carla, and Lucy didn't know what was going on either. Or Gajeel and Juvia, either.

Today was no different and found Rette helping Mira to clean glasses as Lucy went on about Cana showing up at her house and saying something about quitting the guild.

"...is what she said, Mira! And Cana wouldn't give me a reason!" Lucy said.

Rette looked up from the glass she was cleaning as Mira smiled. Mira handed Rette the glass she had finished cleaning and Rette put it away, along with the one she had just finished.

"It's alright, Cana always says that around this time." Mira replied.

Really? Rette couldn't imagine why Cana would want to quit the guild. Out of everyone in the sixteen to twenty-five range currently in the guild, Cana had been there the longest. Had Laxus still been apart of the guild, it would have been him and then Cana, but he was no longer a member. Given how long Cana had been in Fairy Tail, Rette couldn't imagine what could drive Cana to even mention leaving the guild. Then again, all Fairy Tail members had their demons. Cana was no different.

Rette looked up as Natsu and Happy ran by, yelling something about work. Lucy tried to say she would go with them if it was a job they were going on, but Natsu shot her down quickly. Gray went rushing by, just after him, having just come back from a job only to turn around and run out on another one. Even Elfman was fired up about taking jobs. To Rette's surprise, it seemed the whole every-man-for-himself rule was currently in effect because Shadow Gear, the team made up of Levy, Jet, and Droy, was currently broken up in favor of sole missions.

Rette had to help Mira with taking account of who was taking what jobs because so many people swamped the bar with job request in their hands. They even managed to knock Lucy out of her chair. Was there some kind of competition going on that Rette didn't know about?

Across the guild hall, Erza and Lily, who was currently in his larger, Battle Mode form, were having a sword spar and were moving so fast it was hard to keep up with them. People around them were diving for cover, trying to avoid being cut. Thyme, though, sat on a nearby table, silently cheering Lily on, not concerned about the possible threat at all. Since joining the guild, Lily seemingly had made his goal in life to make sure that when Thyme was around, she didn't get hurt. Rette was able to leave Thyme behind when she went on jobs and not feel anxious, thanks to Lily.

"That's enough." Erza called, calling a stop to their spar.

Lily reverted back to this original form with a poof. Thyme jumped down from her perch on the table and trotted over to him, giving him a smile meaning well done". Lily smiled back at her.

"The amount of time I can spend in my original body is pretty short." Lily remarked in reply to her smile.

Thyme waved one paw and shook her head, as if saying that it was good enough since he was still getting use to everything in Earth Land. Lily thanked her, getting another smile out of her.

"Still, that was excellent. Superb swordsmanship." Erza told Lily as Gajeel joined them, bragging about Lily's power.

"No, no, but this is certainly what I'd expect from the woman called Erza. This is...the S-class power of this guild." Lily said.

Thyme made a face at that. Lily looked at her in questioning.

"What is it, Thyme?" he asked.

Thyme looked across the guild hall to where Rette was currently marking job request down as being taken. Her expression was blank, but her eyes were focused, her lips slightly pinched together in concentration. Apparently paperwork was a bit of a chore for her.

"Ah! That's right. Rette doesn't care much for the whole S-class title." Erza remarked.

"She doesn't?" Lily asked.

"No. Rette's more...simple. If it's not required, she won't do it. Unnecessary things like becoming S-class, don't interest her unless there's something of importance to her, to be gained. She's perfectly content just being...normal." Erza told him.

Thyme nodded, a fond smile curving her lips. Rette was Rette. After how strange her up bringing had been, Rette was just happy to have a normal life, working a steady job, seeing the same faces again and again. If Rette was content than Thyme was content to leave her that way. Rette looked up then, catching them staring at her. They all turned away when she raised an eyebrow at them. Rette's lips pinched even further together as she watched them pretend that they hadn't been staring at her.

The people in this guild were weird.

"Somehow, though there're people rushing off to jobs. There're others who're just doing the usual. I can't make head nor tails of it." Lucy remarked.

"You'll understand when tomorrow comes." Mira told her.

Rette looked up in questioning, but Mira just smiled back at her. Rette didn't get it, but it didn't really matter to her. She went back to checking off the job requests, handing the finished list to Mira for her to file away.

"Rette."

Rette looked up when she heard Makarov call her name. The old man came trotting down the bar, a look of purpose on his face. Rette couldn't help wondering if she had done something to land her in trouble, but she couldn't think of anything. Unlike Natsu and Erza, who seemed to destroy everything when they went on jobs, Rette was extra careful not to. So it couldn't be that. Makarov stopped a few feet from her.

"I need you to come with me." he told her.

Oh, she was in trouble.

She didn't know what she had done, but she was in trouble. That had to be the only reason he would call her away from the view of the others. For some odd reason, the mere thought that Makarov could very well be mad at her...made her feel about as large as a grain of sand. Mira came up to her side and gave her smile, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder. With a push, Mira pushed Rette after Makarov. The funeral march song started playing in Rette's head as she was pushed after Makarov and shut inside the back office with him and Mira. Makarov jumped up onto the desk and took a seat, facing Rette.

"You're not in trouble, Rette, so you can stop looking so solemn." he told her, a grin on his face.

"You never call me into the office like this, so you'll have to forgive me if I thought for a moment that I was going to be in trouble." Rette replied, sounding a tiny bit sour.

"Have you done anything to warrant you being in trouble?" Makarov questioned.

"Not to my knowledge, which was why I was concerned." Rette said.

"Well, rest assure, you are not in trouble. I called you in here to talk to about an upcoming event in the Fairy Tail guild." Makarov told her.

Mira waved Rette into a chair. Rette took the seat, even though she still felt a little iffy and would have preferred to remain standing.

"Does this have anything to do with the recent increase of job requests being taken?" Rette asked.

"Actually, yes, it does." Mira answered.

"Rette, every year, around this time, we have S-class exams." Makarov told her.

"S-class exams?" Rette repeated.

"Yes. I choose a small group of candidates to take part and those who pass, become S-class mages. I understand you have no interest in being S-class." Makarov said.

"No, not really, Master." Rette replied.

"I thought so. That is why I have something to ask of you." Makarov told her.

Rette tilted her head to the side in questioning. What could he possibly need from her? She was one of the newest members of the guild. There wasn't much she could do for him that Mira, Erza, or a more experienced member of the guild couldn't do.

"Rette, with the upcoming exams, all current S-class mages in Fairy Tail will be helping. That means Gildartz, Mira, and Erza will be with me, helping to give the exams. While that is taking place, I will need the assistance of someone I know can handle the job. What I need from you is to either stay here in the guild hall and run the guild hall as Mira does, or to come with us during the trails and provide support for Gildartz, Mira, Erza, and I. The exams will be held on Tenrou Island, the holy land of our guild, and we will need someone to run our base camp while Mira and Erza are acting as examiners." Makarov explained.

Oh...so he just needed her help. Rette felt what tension had gathered in her body, release in relief. It didn't sound like too hard of a job, either way she went. While she didn't mind staying in the guild hall and keeping things in order, Laki and Kinana could do that. Rette had heard so many stories about Tenrou Island, had read about it in the books in the Fairy Tail archives. She wanted to see it, wanted to see the island where the grave of Fairy Tail's first master, lay.

"If it's alright, Master, I'm intrigued to see Tenrou Island and would be happy to help there in any way I can." Rette told him.

Makarov nodded, pleased with the answer. It would encourage Rette to learn more about Fairy Tail and to come a little closer to her guild mates. Something Makarov was convinced that Rette still needed.

"But you are aware that means Thyme will be with me, right Master?" Rette asked

"I figured as much. You two are hard to separate these days." Makarov remarked.

"You believe so? I think it's quite the opposite though. Thyme has her own...interests lately." Rette remarked, a tiny grin curling one corner of her mouth.

Makarov gave Mira a questioning look but Mira just laughed lowly to herself. By interest, Rette meant Lily. Thyme was almost constantly with him. It was funny, since Lily and Thyme were almost always with each other, that Rette and Gajeel hadn't ended up on a job together.

Makarov thanked Rette for her agreement and told her that she, like Mira, Gildartz, and Erza, would have to leave for the island early, so she needed to get ready. He gave her some papers to look over that were basically a layout of what she would have to do on the island and told her to go ahead and head home to start preparing. Rette nodded and returned to the bar. Lucy looked up at her as Rette grabbed her bag from under the bar. She had a couple of things she needed to get done before she would have to report to Tenrou Island.

"So were you in trouble?" Lucy asked.

"No. The Master wanted to ask something of me and now I have errands I need to run. I'll see you later, Lucy." Rette told her.

Lucy waved to her as Rette rounded the counter. She called to Thyme, who turned to her. Thyme waved a farewell to Erza, Lily, and Gajeel and hurried over to Rette. The two had their heads together, a silent conversation already flying between them as Rette left the guild hall.

"I wonder what they're up to." Erza remarked.

"Who knows. Rette's a strange one and so is her cat." Gajeel replied gruffly.

Whatever it was, when Rette had walked out of the guild hall, there had been an excited gleam to her eyes.

If only she had known what her choice would have gotten her.

-0-0-0-0-

The next day, pretty much everyone in the guild gathered in the guild hall, curtains separating the stage from the rest of the room. Most of the members of the guild were excited, though a few, the more recent members of the guild, were curious. Makarov, Mira, Erza, and even Rette were no where to be seen. Then the curtains parted, revealing Makarov on the stage, Mira to his left with Gildartz behind her and Erza to his right, with Rette behind her. Both Mira and Rette had clipboards in their hands. Cheers rose and Makarov had to clear his throat to be heard.

"Since long ago, this has been Fairy Tail's custom. And now, the announcement of the participants in the S-class Mage Promotion trial." Makarov called, cheers sounding from those watching. "The venue for this year's trial is Tenrou Island, the holy ground of our guild. Strength...heart...soul...I've been watching for each of these things this past year. There will be eight participants."

Rette stepped forward, handing a list to Makarov. The old man nodded to her and she stepped back to her spot.

"Natsu Dragneel." Makarov called.

"Alright!" Natsu cheered.

"Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockster, Elfman, Cana Alberona, Freed Justine, Levy Macgarden, Mest Gryder." Makarov listed off.

Several cheers went up. The loudest of which was Jet and Droy cheering for Levy. Rette blinked slowly. Mest...she didn't think she had ever encountered him, but he was there in her memory. It must have been that she had simply not talked to him much.

"This time, only one will be selected to pass from among them. Get into your best condition within one week's time." Makarov announced.

Muttering passed through the crowd. A week, when it came to training, wasn't much of a notice, but Rette was sure they could do well with what time they had.

"There are some newbies here, so I'll explain the rules." Makarov called.

"Within a preliminary period of one week, you eight are to select one partner." Mira announced.

"There are two rules to partner selection. First they must be a member of Fairy Tail. Second, they cannot be an S-class mage." Erza added.

"Which means Erza, Mirajane, and Gildartz can't be chosen." Lily mused.

"Then I can have Rette. She's a real man!" Elfman called.

"Sorry, but you can't. I'm not an option either." Rette replied.

"Why not?" Gray asked, curious.

"Rette will be assisting us on the island." Makarov said.

"Not to mention, that with her kind of magic, it would be like having two people for one partner." Mira added.

"I'm still only one person and still far weaker than an S-class mage, Mira." Rette told her.

Mira just smiled back. Rette was modest. If she would just train a little harder and would fight with all of her magic at her disposal, then she would be stronger than she currently was. She might even be a match for Gray and Natsu if she did.

"The point of the discussion at hand, is that I cannot be chosen as a partner. End of story." Rette said in a tone of finality.

Rette actually looked relieved at the fact. It was almost as if she didn't want to be picked to begin with. Knowing Rette and her opinion on the whole becoming S-class, no one doubted that that was indeed the case.

"The details of the exam will be revealed after arrival to Tenrou Island, but this time, Erza will attempt to block you all from proceeding." Makarov announced, much to the horror of the others listening.

"I'll also be a troublemaker this time." Mira added cheerfully.

"Don't look at me...I'm just making traps." Rette said.

Neither of which really made any of those competing feel better about it. Rette was known for making traps that were...less than pleasant to people's rear ends. The last time anyone in the guild had accidentally been caught it in one, it had been Gray and he had spent the rest of the day picking crystal shards out of his backside and the back of his thighs.

"Y-you mean no one will become an S-rank unless they can defeat Erza and Mira and get past Rette's traps!?" Lucy asked.

"Well...I'm sure they won't go completely all-out." one person remarked.

"You understand now that this is hard, right?" Warren said to Lucy.

"Enough whining. This is a path that all S-rank mages have gone down." Gildartz piped in.

"Gildartz is taking part too!?" Natsu asked, a huge grin on his face while everyone else around him groaned in dismay.

"Rette, I better not end up with slivers of crystals stuck in me again!" Gray told Rette.

"I make no promises. This is the one time I acutally have **permission** to make your lives hell." Rette remarked idly.

Rette, on a normal day, was a little trying to handle. Rette on a day when she had permission to make their lives hell...that was truly scary. She could, and would, go above and beyond her call of duty.

"It'll be a good chance for me to practice the enchantments I've been having Freed teach me." Rette added.

All eyes of the other candidates turned to Freed in sharp glares. Freed held up his hands sheepishly. When he had agreed to teach Rette's enchantments, he hadn't known she would be recruited to help with the S-class exams. If he had known, he wouldn't have agreed to teach her. Maybe it was because of her natural inclination to learning magic, or the amount of magic books she read, but Rette had picked up on enchantments pretty fast.

"The chosen eight will take their partners with them and gather at Hargeon port one week from now. That is all!" Makarov announced.

After handling a few last minute issues with Mira, and agreeing that she would meet Erza and Mira at Hargeon in two days, she joined Natsu and the others at their table. Lisanna scooted over to make room for her, smiling at her as Rette sat down. Rette sat down the clipboard she was still carrying and starting drawing on a piece of blank paper. Lisanna leaned over to see what Rette was drawing. It was a small design, like a crest, that features both dragon and fairy wings sprouting from an eight pointed star.

"What are you drawing, Rette?" Lisanna asked, drawing the others' attention to Rette.

Rette showed them the mark she had been drawing. Everyone leaned in to get a look at the mark. On paper, it was about the same size as their guild marks.

"Pretty. What is it?" Lucy asked.

"My mark." Rette replied.

This earned her confused looks. Rette turned the clipboard back around and continued to fiddle with the design, adding shading and tiny details.

"Just like the guild has it's emblem, I have my own mark, to mark anything, or anyone, I deem important to me. A star to represent my birth mother who adored the stars, dragon wings because, no matter how much I dislike it, dragons are apart of my life, and fairy wings to represent my home." Rette explained.

The others smiled at the last part.

"You said to mark any **one**?" Gray asked.

"Yes...you've all already been marked." Rette replied.

Everyone started searching their bodies for the mark, not finding anything on the skin they could easily search. Rette shook her head at them. It was a little amusing how they instantly started looking, but she had made sure not to leave a visible sign of the mark.

"You won't see it. It's kind of like...an enchantment." Rette told them.

With a wave of her hand, the mark she had just been drawing, appeared as a pale outline on random parts of their bodies, almost exactly opposite of their guild marks. For example, where Lucy's guild mark was on her right hand, Rette's mark was on her left hand or where Natsu's guild mark was on his right shoulder, Rette's mark was on his left. So on and so forth. One even burned to life on Rette's chest, right over her heart and next to her guild mark.

"Wait...when did you do this!?" Elfman asked, shocked.

"It's been a while. I told you all once before...I don't like others messing with what I deem mine. This is kind of like an extra security measure. It's not going to effect you in anyway, I swear." Rette told them.

Basically, it was Rette's way of saying that she cared about all of them and didn't want to risk losing any of them. Lisanna was surprised to find one already placed on her too.

"You've already marked me?" Lisanna asked.

"I did that when I took your hands the first night you were back."

Lisanna turned to look at Rette as she idly shaded a dragon wing. She hadn't even noticed that Rette had done it. Rette glanced at her and, as if reading Lisanna's mind, she shrugged.

"I didn't expect you to notice. Erza, Mira, Gildartz, even Master didn't notice when I laid the mark on them. If anything, if master noticed, he wouldn't be pleased with the placing." Rette said.

"Why? Where'd you put it?" Gray asked.

Rette turned towards where Makarov sat on the bar, drinking from a wooden mug. She waved her fingers and her mark, briefly glowed to life...on the very top of his bald crown. Those sitting at the table, fought not to laugh out loud. How Makarov had not noticed Rette placing a mark on his head, was beyond them.

"I designed this to be a very subtle magic. It won't mess with you or your magic. If anything, I can use it to restore a little of your magic energy in a fight. As long as I have some myself, that is. You're cut off during the exam though." Rette told them.

This raised laughs from the others. Lisanna hugged Rette and, to the others' surprise, Rette let her. Even when Lisanna remarked on how considerate Rette was, Rette just took the affection, showing that she had already fully accepted Lisanna as a sister.

"Looks like this year is gonna be pretty tough as well, though." Gray remarked.

"I'm surprised you all are first-time challengers." Lucy said in surprised.

"I'm burning now! I'm definitely gonna become an S-class!" Natsu cheered, flying to his feet and slamming his hands down on the table top.

"Natsu...sit down." Rette told him, kicking his ankles together so he dropped heavily to sit on his bench.

Natsu shot her a glare, but Rette wasn't paying him the least bit of attention. Elfman was having himself a freak out about the whole exam thing.

"Oh yeah, has everyone chosen a partner already?" Lucy asked.

"I'm definitely going with Happy." Natsu said instantly.

Not that Rette really expected anything else from him. He and Happy were just about inseparable as Rette and Thyme, or Wendy and Carla. The two had always been partners and would always be partners until the day one, if not both, of them died. They might even decide to haunt the guild together after that.

"Happy? That's not fair! If the exam turns out to be a race, he can fly, so it'll be no contest!" Elfman said.

"What's the big deal?" Lisanna asked.

"I don't mind. You'll be in trouble when it comes to fighting." Gray remarked.

"Don't be mean, Gray!" Happy complained.

"Well, he has a point. No offense, Happy, but you don't exactly have much battle prowess. Not that Natsu really needs a battle savy partner." Rette remarked.

Happy wasn't sure if he should take was she said as a compliment or an insult. With Rette, it was hard to tell. So he didn't know if he should take offense at what she said or not.

"I'm gonna make Natsu an S-rank mage no matter what!" Happy declared.

"I know you guys are my allies, but this is one thing I can't back down on!" Natsu told them, before declaring it was training time.

He and Happy took off, the others watching him as he stormed out of the guild hall. Rette leaned back on her bench to watch him.

"Since when has Natsu ever backed down on anything?" Rette asked.

It was a question that none of the others could answer. Natsu was so stubborn that he never backed down on anything. It all had to be his way or no way. Rette hadn't imagined this would be any different from any other day of the week.

"In only the two years I've been gone, Natsu's come all the way to taking part in the S-rank exam. Natsu thinks he'll be able to meet Igneel if he becomes an S-rank mage. He's got twice the passion of a normal person in regards to the exam." Lisanna said.

Rette continued to stare after Natsu before getting to her feet suddenly, scooping her clipboard up off the table. Lisanna looked up at her, wondering if it was something she had said.

"I don't know why he's so heated up about dragons. It's a waste of time." Rette said lowly before walking off.

"Was it something I did?" Lisanna asked, looking at the others.

"Rette, like Natsu, was raised by dragons." Gray told her.

"Her life before them hadn't been the best and she already had a few issues. When they vanished, leaving her all alone, she took it really hard." Lucy added.

"Oh...I didn't know. So that's what she meant when she said they were apart of her life whether she liked it or not." Lisanna said.

"Rette doesn't really like to talk about them, or the fact that she's a Dragon Slayer. She hates to use the magic even more." Gray told her. "So don't worry about it. She'll forget dragons were mentioned and be back to herself soon enough."

Lisanna nodded, though she continued to stare at Rette's back as she joined Mira, taking up some work behind the bar.

"Um...Juvia wants to forfeit the exam." Juvia said in a gloomy voice.

"Eh!? Why?" Wendy asked.

"Because...I want to be...'s partner..." Juvia said lowly where they couldn't hear half of what she said.

"What?" Gray asked.

"Because...um...Juvia wants to..."

Juvia just couldn't get it out past her embarrassment. Her cheeks turned a light shade of red as she fought with herself to say it.

"She wants to become your partner." Lucy told Gray with a grin.

"I knew it! So you are after him, Lucy!" Juvia accused when she saw Lucy tug on Gray's collar.

"No I'm not!" Lucy protested.

"Sorry, but I've already decided on my partner." Gray asked.

"Long time no see, everyone."

Everyone looked up as Loki appeared at Gray's shoulder. Gray grinned at the sight of the spirit.

"Loki!?" Elfman said in surprise.

"We made a promise last year." Gray said.

"Sorry Lucy, but I'll have to cancel our agreement during the exam. You don't need to worry, I've created a gate using my own magic. So I won't need to use yours." Loki told Lucy.

"Just how selfish a spirit are you?" Lucy asked.

"But how will you pass for a member of the guild?" Elfman asked.

With a grin on his face, Loki slid his jacket off his shoulders, removed his tie, and unbuttoned his shirt. He turned as he let his shirt fall to hang from his elbows, showing them the Fairy Tail emblem still on his back between this shoulder blades.

"I'm still a Fairy Tail mage. On the pride of the guild, I will make Gray an S-class mage." Loki said.

"I'm counting on you." Gray told him.

"Leave it to me." Loki replied.

Just then, Loki stumbled forwards as someone planted a foot in his backside. When he staggered into the table and turned, there stood Rette with a tray of drinks in her hands. With her free hand, she grabbed his ear, tugging on it to pull him down to her height.

"Put your shirt back on. Spirit or not, one person randomly striping in this guild hall is enough." Rette told him, givin his ear a hard tug before releasing it.

"Yes ma'am." Loki said quickly.

Since the first day he had met Rette, he had figured out pretty quickly that it was best not to argue with her on such a small matter. Rette walked around the table, setting the drinks down.

"Lucy, you need to have a serious talk with some of your spirit friends. Their quirks are strange. And if **I** say that, you know it has to be true." Rette told Lucy.

"Got it." Lucy said, looking away from Rette as she scratched at one cheek.

"I'll team up with Juvia!" Lisanna offered as Rette sat a drink in front of her.

"Are you serious, Lisanna!?" Elfman asked.

"I was good friends with Juvia in Edolas. And this Juvia...she's kinda cute." Lisanna said.

Though Juvia seemed a little suspicious on whether Lisanna was really trying to be friends or just wanted Gray, she agreed to having Lisanna as her partner.

"Hold on, Lisanna! Who will be my partner, then!?" Elfman asked.

"Oh? But there's someone who's been giving you a heated stare for a while now." Lisanna remarked.

"I'm surprise you haven't felt her eyes burning a hole into your back." Rette agreed.

Rette and Lisanna gestured towards the bar when Elfman gave them a questioning look. When he turned around, he found Evergreen staring at him from where she sat at the bar. A shiver went up Elfman's back when he saw her staring at him.

"It seems that she's miffed at Freed choosing Bixlow as his partner." Lisanna told Elfman.

"Heated...it looks more like the kind of stare that will turn you into stone!" Elfman complained.

"Gee...I wonder why." Rette said as she picked up her tray to return to the bar.

Across the room, Jet and Droy were celebrating that their beloved Levy had been chosen. But their celebration quickly turned into an argument on which one of them would be her partner in the exam. In the end Gajeel offered to be her partner. When all she could say in reply was that she would probably lose quickly because she was small and not really a fighting type mage, Gajeel grabbed her by the collar of her dress and easily picked her up off her feet.

Rette, who had been walking by, stopped long enough to look at him.

"Gajeel...that is not how you pick up girls."

Levy slapped her hands to her face in embarrassment while Gajeel stared after Rette in confusion. He didn't get it. Levy did and it embarrassed her to no end. Rette finished up her work in the guild hall, called a good night to Mira and Lisanna, before grabbing her coat. As the snow had begun to fall outside, she had started using the coat Laxus had left with her. It was so big on her that she was perfectly warm, wrapped up in it. To her surprise, when she had pulled it out of the trunk she had put it in, she had found that it still smelled like Laxus too.

With the coat wrapped firmly around her, Rette headed home, Thyme snuggled into the coat with her. Rette looked up at the sky as she walked, watching snow drift down from the night sky above.

"Isn't it beautiful, Thyme?" Rette asked.

Thyme sighed her agreement, her tail curling in joy. When Rette had lived with Tundron and Chrysalis, they had lived in a place where it was always so cold that there was always ice all over the place. Mostly that had been because, as an ice dragon, Tundron couldn't stand the heat. Rette had hated the cold, but she had lived with it because she had thought she had two creatures who had loved her, despite all of the screwed up sides of her. Despite the cold of the area though, Rette didn't really remember it ever snowing in the five years she had lived there.

After leaving that area, even after gaining Thyme as a friend and traveling companion, she had never really traveled in an area where it snowed. To see it now...Rette could see why people would actually live in cold areas. The snow was wonderfully beautiful. It also gave Rette and Thyme an excuse to light a fire in their fireplace and curl up together on the sofa in a big, fluffy blanket. Something the both of them loved to do.

Rette didn't know then, how much she would come to miss the snow in the up coming days, or the peace it brought.

-0-0-0-0-

The next couple of days found Rette getting things ready for her trip to Tenrou Island. Thyme rushed around with her, getting ready. They met up with Erza and Mira in Hargeon, ahead of those who were going to take the exam. Gildartz joined them on their trip to Tenrou Island. He was happy to get to know two of the newest members of the guild, though Rette spent most of the ride draped over a table from a mix of her motion sickness and the heat they encountered the closer they came to Tenrou Island.

"I'm not usually one to complain about heat, but...isn't it suppose to be winter?" Rette asked.

"Out here, around Tenrou Island, it's like this all year around." Erza told her.

"Glad to know...I will **never** consider having my honeymoon out in these parts if I ever get married." Rette retorted.

"I'm sure that's just your stomach talking. The heat can't be helping your motion sickness any." Mira told her, rubbing her back.

Like Erza and Mira, Rette had changed into a bikini, but even in the scant amount of clothes, she was still sweaty. Gildartz just grinned at her from where he sat in a chair across the table.

"So Rette, you aren't from Magnolia, right?" Gildartz asked.

"Nope." Rette replied.

"Then where are you from?" he asked.

"I haven't the slightest idea."

When Rette replied instantly that way, Gildartz looked at her in questioning. Rette looked up, seeing the look on his face. She heaved a sigh.

"I guess I can say this since it's only the three of you here..." Rette said as she started pulling one of her gloves off.

Rette never took her gloves off. Every time they saw Rette she always had her hands covered. Whether that was by gloves or bandages, depended on when they saw her.

"Have you ever heard of the Banesbloud Clan?" Rette asked.

All three turned wide eyes on her, their expressions all instantly going serious. Rette had figured that would be the case. The clan was one that turned out more dark mages in the name of Zeref than anywhere else in the world. It was a clan that fiddled with all dark arts and didn't care how many lives it cost them to achieve their goals.

"I'll take that as a yes." Rette replied.

"Of course we have. I don't know of a single person who has never heard of them." Erza remarked.

"They were the largest gathering of dark mages, in existence up until the last couple of decades. The original creator of the clan was the right hand man of the dark mage, Zeref, himself." Gildartz said.

"Lachlan Banesbloud...one of the biggest, baddest, and most twisted dark mages to walk the earth. I'll hear the screams that were caused under the orders he set up for the clan, every time I close my eyes. He would even sacrifice his own flesh and blood if Zeref asked him." Rette said.

"Exactly. It's a bad group of mages you shouldn't talk about so lightly." Gildartz told her.

"Yeah well...imagine what it would be like being property of that clan." Rette said.

She pulled the glove off her hand, showing them where someone had burned a very vivid "BC" brand into the back of her hand. Inside the loop of the "c" was the symbol of the clan which was a tear drop with a rose blooming in the center. A seamless, crystal band, that shifted from one color to the next, wrapped around her wrist. The three stared at Rette's hand as she yanked the glove back on.

"Rette-"

"Everyone already knows that my biological father was a dark mage. What I never told anyone was that he was a supporter of Zeref. He ran a place called The Compound, which raised, tortured, and twisted children into dark mages. All in the name of Zeref. The Compound was a branch of the Banesbloud Clan. For the first five years of my life, I lived in the cold darkness of a labyrinth of metal hallways, deep beneath the earth. When I finally escaped, I didn't bother to stop and figure out exactly where I had emerged from the ground. I wanted as far away from that place as I could get. So...I ran. And I never looked back. Still haven't." Rette said, cutting Mira off.

Rette dropped her chin on one of her arms, draping the other over her head as she stared off to the side. She had forgotten about the heat for the time being. At the memories of her past, a chill had filled her body, chasing away the heat.

"The anniversary of that day is coming up. It brings back nightmares of that place, as vivid as if I was still a child trapped there. It's why I'm grateful for the distraction the exam will give me." Rette said idly.

"Rette...why didn't you tell us sooner?" Erza asked.

"And have you look at me exactly how you're looking at me now?" Rette asked, her eyes snapping to Erza's face.

Erza jolted in surprise. She, Gildartz, and Mira all three had looks of surprise and horror on their faces. Rette pushed herself back, leaning back in her chair.

"Everyone who finds out always looks at me with one of two looks...pity or disgust. I don't need either. And I certainly did want to be a disappointment to the guild or remind you, Erza, of unpleasant things from your past." Rette said.

"Rette...we aren't disgusted and don't pity you. We certainly don't think you're a disappointment. And while our past are similar, I would never hold it against you." Erza told her.

"It's just...it hurts to think you had to go through that. That your own **father** put you through that." Mira told her.

"Yeah well..." Rette rubbed at the hand she had shown them, as if the brand hidden under the glove was aching. "Everyone has their demons. Mine were just more...life-like than most."

Silence met her words. For a moment Rette continued to stare off to the side but then she heaved a sigh, cracked her neck and turned to look at them again.

"My point is, after that hell, I was in such a hurry to get away from the place, that I have no idea where it was located, so I have no idea where I'm from. Not that it matters. Magnolia, no Fairy Tail, is my home now." Rette said.

That put a smile on the three S-class mages' faces. Rette, no matter her background, was a part of their family. She didn't always act like she wanted to be around them, and she had her...quirks, just as any member of the guild did, but she was still their friend.

That being said...all three of them knew that there were still several pieces of Rette's background that she wasn't telling them.

END

Kyandi: Volia! There's another chapter.

Rette: And now she is going to go post the new story line for this story.

Kyandi: Starting now, for every chapter I post of Nexus Mage, I will be posting a chapter of Nexus Mage: A Different Choice.

Rette: That way, those who want to read one story line over the other, will have a new chapter at the same time as those who want to read the opposite story line.

Kyandi: I'm actually a little excited for this, because I think I'm the only person who has done this. If I'm not, then please correct me. I don't want to take away from someone else's work.

Rette: If not, then you aren't as original as you thought you were.

Kyandi: You're just trying to make me depressed, aren't you?

Rette: You could tell? And here I thought I was being subtle.

Kyandi:...

Rette: Dragon got your tongue?

Kyandi:...Everyone please enjoy and review.

Rette: Huh, looks like she's learned not to talk back.

Kyandi: Line!

Rette: Oh, alright. We'll be back as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	30. More Than You Can Chew

Kyandi: Greetings, lovelies!

Rette: We have returned.

Kyandi: Yes we have. I got stuck for a short while, but then I went and watched some funny videos and got back to work.

Rette: She laughed every time a guy got kicked in the groin.

Kyandi: Hehehe! I can't help it! It's funny!

Rette: Not to the guy.

Kyandi: Says the girl who now has Laxus afraid to let her come within six feet of his body.

Rette: Oh, we'll be even soon.

Kyandi: Yes you will. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Kyandi: Hehe...I almost misspelled Fairy.

Rette: Aren't you a right Einstein.

Chapter 30 More Than You Can Chew

Rette, once on the island, was put in charge of setting up the base camp. When she had first caught sight of the island, it had taken her breath away. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. An island with a giant tree growing out of the middle and another island making up the top of the tree. It boggled Rette's mind on now that had happened. When she stepped onto the island, she could feel the magic flowing through the tree and branching out to the whole island. It was so pure, so clean, that she had to stop and take a deep breath.

It had amused Mira, Erza, and Gildartz but Rette just acted like she didn't notice. She went about her jobs, setting up traps that the candidates would run into no matter the paths they took, setting up camp, and keeping food made and ready for Erza, Mira, and Gildartz. Thyme helped as much as she could. Together, they managed to get a working camp in order. Though the weather was hot, Rette grew use to it quickly enough. After having to run around, setting traps for the exam, it was grow use to it, or die of heat stroke. Out of all the ways Rette had pictured her life ending, heat stroke hadn't been one of them.

The day the candidates were to arrive, Rette climbed a tree that allowed her to watch the sea. She would have no part to play until after the first part of the exam was over. From her perch, she watched the ship come into view, stopping a good distance from the shore line. As part of the first exam, the candidates would have to find their way from the ship to the shore line where a fire burned as a beacon for them. Around the fire were eight openings leading to eight paths, one for each set of candidates.

Three of the paths lead to the three S-class mages helping the exam. In those paths, the candidate would have to fight with either Mira, Erza, or Gildartz. Two sets of two paths converged together, meaning that two pairs would have to fight each other. Only the winning pair could pass. Those four paths would disqualify two pairs right off the bat. And the final, eighth path, was marked as the "Quiet" path. The pair that had the fortune of picking this path, would basically get a free pass. Worst case scenario, only three pairs would pass to the second exam. Best case scenario, six would.

Holding out her right hand, Rette used her Crystallization magic to fashion herself a set of binoculars before making one for Thyme too. She held those up to her eyes so she could get a better look at what was going on on the ship. As she watched, Makarov must have declared the exam started for Happy snagged Natsu and tried to fly him off the boat. Rette let out a low "Oohh!" as Natsu slammed face first into a barrier enchantment set up by Freed. Using their own magics, Freed and Bixlow flew off the ship and headed for the shore line.

"Leave it to Freed to have an enchantment ready for just about anything." Rette remarked, Thyme nodding from beside her.

Levy, though, being skilled with script magic herself, re-wrote the enchantment, allowing her and Gajeel out of the barrier. The two dived into the water, leaving the others behind as they swam to shore. Evergreen was the next to break through the barrier. Rette had a feeling that after so long of knowing Freed, Evergreen had picked up on how to rewrite his more simpler enchantments. That meant she and Elfman were the next off the ship. The others were left to wait until the enchantment broke on its own after five minutes.

Gray formed an ice walkway for him and Loki, the ice vanishing as soon as they had crossed it. Juvia and Lisanna were next, Juvia traveling as part of the water and Lisanna using her Animal Soul to transform into a fish. When Rette searched the deck of the ship, she found that Lucy and Cana were already in the water, but Mest and Wendy were already gone from sight. Natsu was the first of the remaining five teams to land on shore, the others following until Lucy and Cana were the last ones.

"Well...now it begins. Who do you think will be the one to pass?" Rette asked Thyme, turning to look at her.

Thyme waved her paws in the air as if she was gesturing while talking. Rette tilted her head to the side as if listening and then put her hand to her chin in a thoughtful gesture.

"Yes, while Natsu is quite driven and strong, I don't think he'll be the one. Natsu is horribly childish and immature. Not to mention single minded and a bit slow on the uptake sometimes. Not that I have much room to talk on the latter." Rette replied.

Thyme got to her feet, her paws moving again, as if arguing with her. Rette raised an eyebrow at her.

"Who would I choose?" Rette said, repeating Thyme's question.

Thyme nodded firmly, waiting for her answer.

"Personally, I'm rooting for Cana. Out of all of them, she's been with the guild the longest, it's her sixth try, and she really wants it. Not that that's all there is to it. She's strong, she's gifted, and she's persistent. I believe it'll be her." Rette replied.

Thyme thought about this for a moment before shrugging and agreeing with Rette. Rette got to her feet, balancing on the tree limb she had been sitting on. Tossing aside the crystal binoculars, the thing shattered before it had fallen more than five feet from her.

"Anyway, we have to meet Master at the ship. Come on." Rette told Thyme.

Thyme tossed aside her binoculars aside as well and both cast their magic to fly. Rising into the air, they soared out over the island, gliding on the air currents. They circled the island while they waited for the ship to dock. At one point, Rette yanked up short, turning to search the ground below her. Thyme came to a stop and circle back to her, a questioning look on her face.

Rette didn't answer yet, as she searched the ground. She had felt something just then. Something that was both familiar and unknown at the same time. It had slashed across her magical sense like a dark shadow, but was gone almost as instantly. If Rette trusted her magical sense any less than she did, she would have thought she was imagining it. But as it was, she didn't think she was imagining it. Thyme reached out, laying a paw on her arm.

"It's alright." Rette assured her. "It was nothing...I hope."

Thyme gave her a questioning, if not grave, look. Rette laid a hand on her head, rubbing at her ears, silently assuring Thyme that it was alright. Rette would keep an eye out for that magical energy. If it appeared again, then she would worry. Rette glanced back at the ground below before following Thyme into back into their path.

Rette wasn't sure what she had felt, but something about it was so familiar, yet not, that it sent a chill down her spine.

Movingon and putting the strange feeling to the back of her mind for the moment, Rette and Thyme circled around the island until they found the ship docked. The two landed, finding Makarov waiting for them.

"There you are Rette. Is everything ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Master." Rette replied.

Rette fell into step along side him as he started walking, heading for where he would meet with those who passed the first part of the exam. Thyme landed on her shoulder.

"Rette, I want to go find those who didn't make it past, and take them to the base camp." Makarov ordered.

"Of course, Master." Rette agreed.

She took to the air again, leaving Makarov behind as she headed for the paths. First she would check the battle paths. The first one was empty. The losing pair were probably off exploring. From the feeling of the magic left behind, it was Wendy and Mest. Rette was sure the two were alright. She moved on to the next path and found Freed and Bixlow sitting on the ground. Rette raised an eyebrow the moment she was standing over them. Neither looked all that beat up and both were soaking wet. From the magic she felt left behind, Lucy and Cana had been their opponents.

"You threw the battle, didn't you?" she asked.

Both gave her sheepish smiles in return. Rette heaved a sigh, her hands on her hips as she shook her head.

"You two are way to soft." Rette remarked, making them smile.

"We didn't hear you complaining when we were taking care of you after the incident with Laxus." Bixlow remarked.

"I complained every day. Especially when somehow, Evergreen managed to burn through one of my pans." Rette retorted. "And it wasn't like I asked you to help me just because it was Laxus that put me in that state."

Both smiled at her. They knew that even if she scolded them and claimed it had all been a chore for her to deal with, that she had appreciated the sentiment behind their actions. Unknown to her, they were always careful to keep an eye out for her.

"Why are you here, Rette?" Freed asked, getting to his feet.

"It's my job to go and round up those that didn't make it past the first part of the exam. Be happy you didn't make it past here. I had set a crystal trap up further down the path." Rette told them.

Both grimaced at the thought of falling into one of her traps. They had seen Gray after his accidental encounter with one of them. It didn't look pleasant in the least. The two followed Rette as she left the path. She gave them directions to the base camp and went in search of the next pair. Elfman and Evergreen, who had gone down Mira's path, had passed, probably by some odd and possibly underhanded way. Rette didn't put the latter past Evergreen. Natsu and Happy, who had taken Gildartz's path, had passed too. That left Juvia and Lisanna who had not managed to pass Erza.

Rette found the two, soaking wet, draped over boulders and everything around them looked to have been nearly completely destroyed. Leave it to Erza to cause a complete mess wherever she decided to battle someone. Rette leaned over them, just to make sure that Erza hadn't accidentally killed one of them. Sure enough, they were both still breathing.

"Are you two, alright?"

Both opened their eyes to peer up at Rette. Rette gave them a little wave in greeting.

"Rette? What are you doing here?" Lisanna asked.

"Just rounding up those who didn't make it." Rette replied.

She gave the two a hand up. Juvia looked depressed for having failed. Rette gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder, assuring her that there was always next year. Though Rette failed to see why becoming an S-class mage really mattered.

"Who all passed?" Lisanna asked.

"Well Mest and Wendy met up with Gray and Loki in a battle path and lost. Bixlow and Freed lost to Cana and Lucy, Natsu and Happy passed Gildartz, and Evergreen and Elfman passed Mira. Of course, that leaves Gajeel and Levy, who picked the quiet path." Rette told them, as she lead them back towards the base camp.

"Gajeel and Levy got lucky." Lisanna said.

"Gajeel is probably not agreeing with you at this moment. You know him...he would prefer to have someone to punch." Rette replied.

Neither Juvia or Lisanna could disagree with Rette on that one. Thyme just nodded in agreement from where she sat perched on Rette's shoulder. When the four returned to the base camp, Mira was bandaging a bruise on her cheek and Erza was cooking. Rette walked up to Mira, leaning over to peer on at the bruise.

"What exactly happened?" Rette asked.

Mira explained to them how Evergreen and Elfman had managed to take her off guard and pass. Rette stared at her as Erza turned to look at Mira with surprise, her cheeks staining a light red.

"What!? Elfman and Evergreen are getting married!?" Erza asked.

"...Is what they said to surprise me, and then hit me hard." Mira confirmed.

So Evergreen and Elfman had used the fact that Mira was a concerned older sister to shock her, take her off guard, and then hit her while she was down. It was an underhanded way to go about it, but apparently it had worked well for the two. Erza, not listening when Mira said it was just a ploy to shock her, turned to Mira, pointing the ladle in her hand at her.

"Wait a minute! When's the ceremony!? And when did they become a couple!?" Erza demanded.

Rette turned a blank look on Erza. People wanted to say that Rette was the oblivious one? Then what, pray tell, did that make Erza? The painfully stupid one? If Rette didn't know that Erza was actually really smart, she might have said yes.

"Mmm...it was probably just a plan in order to shake me up." Mira told Erza.

Rette couldn't help but throw a monkey wrench in at this point. She knew how Mira was when it came to her siblings.

"Are you really positive that it was just a ploy? It might be true on some level." Rette remarked.

"I really don't think there could be anything between them." Mira replied.

"Are you sure? I mean, personally, I think Evergreen and Elfman would be good together." Rette said.

"Yeah, I mean if they got married and had a kid..."

Mira trailed off, thinking about that. As the image of a possible child between Evergreen and Elfman came to mind, Mira was reduced to tears. Apparently the image hadn't been a good one. Rette pat her on the shoulder, inwardly grinning.

"Don't cry, Mira. Depending on how you think about it, it could be cute." Erza remarked.

There was no way Rette could image a baby of those two being cute. Just no way at all. If the image Rette was thinking of was the one that had gone through Mira's head, Rette could see why Mira was crying. It wasn't pretty.

"Big bro and Evergreen, huh...they might actually go together." Lisanna remarked.

Juvia, on the other hand, sat beside Lisanna, her face red all the way to the ears. Apparently the talk of a marriage and a child had gotten her to thinking something she probably shouldn't have been thinking.

"Oh yeah, where's Freed and Bixlow?" Lisanna asked suddenly.

"They went back to the guild with Gildartz." Erza replied.

"In a hurry much?" Rette asked.

"Right? They should have stayed to watch the end!" Lisanna agreed.

"More importantly, where did Mest and Wendy go?" Erza asked.

"They were already gone when I got to their path." Rette replied.

"Maybe they tried to meet up with us and forgot where to meet us." Lisanna suggested. "Mest, huh...I didn't meet him in Edolas, so I don't really know him too well. Did he come in during the two years I was gone?"

"You mean he wasn't already here when you were?" Rette asked in shock.

All eyes turned to Rette.

"No. Why are you so shocked?" Lisanna asked.

"Because I don't remember him." Rette replied.

All four of them stared at her as Rette tried to conjure up memories of ever having met Mest before. Somewhere in her, she knew that Mest was a member of Fairy Tail...she just couldn't remember ever having seen him before.

"I mean, I know he's a member, but...for the life of me, I can't ever remember having met him personally." Rette said.

"I think he's been here for a while." Erza said.

"But that just doesn't make sense." Rette said, her brain hurting with the effort it was taking to try to recall the man.

"Don't worry about it, Rette. He has no sense of presence." Mira assured her.

"I still don't feel good about this." Rette told her.

"It is worrisome to Juvia too. Juvia will go look." Juvia said, getting to her feet.

"Then I'll go too. Mira and Lisanna, you two stay here. Rette, Thyme, can you two search as well?" Erza asked.

"Sure." Rette agreed.

In truth, since she had sensed that dark presence earlier, she had been on edge. The idea of Wendy being out there alone with some man Rette didn't know personally, made her even more uneasy. Erza and Juvia went one way and Rette and Thyme took to the air. Rette lead the way, her eyes scanning the land below as she searched for Wendy and Mest. Where could the two had gone. With the natural magic of the island fully around her, she was having a little trouble tracking them.

Rette was just stretching her magical sense out as far as she could when that dark presence she had sense earlier, suddenly appeared again, craving a gaping hole in her magical sense. Rette drew up short, spinning around to face the direction it had come from. Thyme screeched to a halt, turning to Rette and was surprised to find Rette trembling. She flew up to Rette, finding the girl's eyes wide as she stared into the distance. She tried to get her attention but Rette wouldn't move.

Rette now knew where she remember this feeling. As a clan of Zeref followers, many of the mages in The Compound, had practiced the same dark arts that Zeref had. Even Rette's father had especially. This dark presence was just like that that Rette's father would let off after preforming one of Zeref's dark spells. Just feeling it again made Rette tremble all over. Her first instinct was to run and run far. To get as far away from the island as she could. But she instantly quelled that need, knowing that she couldn't just leave her guild mates behind.

Rette was still debating what to do when she realized she was feeling Natsu's, Elfman's, Evergreen's, and Happy's magic from in the same direction. If it was them, they should be alright...right? Rette was still hesitating when she felt that dark wave slash out at her magical sense again. Her possessive, protective instincts kicked in then and Rette took off like a shot. Scared to hell or not, no one messed with her guild. She followed the feeling, Thyme rushing to keep up with her. Rette desperately searched the ground below for her friends.

From the sky, she spotted the patch of dead trees before she neared it. She came to a stop over head, peering down. Down below, she could make out Natsu, Happy, Evergreen, and Elfman. All four looked to be alright, but whoever had caused the dark presence, was gone now. Rette, once again, couldn't even feel it anywhere around her. Who in the world was it that they could cause such a vivid slash in her magical sense, but then disappear completely? Though that question nagged her, she was just relieved that her friends were alright.

Rette heaved a relieved sigh, her pounding heart finally slowing back down. Too many scares like that and she was sure her poor, pathetic excuse for a heart, would give out for good. Rette pressed a hand to her chest as Thyme came to a hovering stop beside her, giving her a questioning look.

"It's nothing. Just scaring myself unnecessarily." Rette assured her. "Come on, lets get back to looking for Wendy and Mest."

Thyme nodded. Turning, the two took off once more, dipping down below the tree tops for a better view. Rette popped back out of the trees near the center of the island. Rising high into the air, she scanned the land below. Why was she having just difficulty finding Wendy and Mest? She was just as acquainted with Wendy's magical energy as she was with everyone on her team, so she should have no problem following it. She hadn't had an issue finding Natsu, Happy, Elfman, and Evergreen. Was it because of Mest?

Rette's musing was cut short when a massive bundle of magic energy approaching the island, made her turn. It was then that she spotted it, in a brief break of the clouds. A massive airship nearing the island, baring the heart-like emblem of a guild Rette had only heard of.

"Grimoire Heart!? What is a dark guild doing here!?" Rette asked.

Thyme was just as shocked. Rette had a bad feeling about this. If a dark guild was here then that meant a fight was about to break out. After all...that was all dark guilds were good for. Causing trouble and starting fights. And with a ship that size...the entire Grimoire Heart guild had to be on that thing. This was about to escalate to levels that none of them were ready to deal with. Rette had to warn the others. Dropping, Rette shot across the tree tops, heading for the base camp to warn Mira. Thyme followed close on her heels.

Something below caught Rette's attention. Dropping once more, Rette broke through the trees, landing near Erza and Juvia, who were standing over a horribly injured Levy. All three turned to her as Rette hurried towards them.

"Erza! We're in trouble!" Rette said.

"We know. Levy told us. Grimoire Heart scouts are here." Erza said.

"No! The whole guild is here! The ship is heading for the shore line now." Rette repiled.

Three sets of eyes grew wide as they looked at her. Rette pointed in the direction of the ship she had seen.

"I saw it while I was in the air, searching for Mest and Wendy. They'll be upon us soon." Rette told them.

"This isn't good. Rette, go warn the master. We'll go back and help Gajeel." Erza said.

Rette didn't have time to ask what was happening with Gajeel. She had a pretty good idea on what was happening just by seeing Levy's wounds. She nodded and jumped back into the air. Makarov would be waiting at Mavis' grave. Since she wasn't taking part in the exam, Rette knew where it was. A peek above the trees showed her that they were too late.

The ship was just about to the shore. A flare shot out from a point on the island, shining a bright red for all to see. To help pass on the message, Rette pulled her flare from a pouch on her belt and turned to shoot it off. Those on the island who saw the flare would know that it was time to prepare for battle. Makarov would see it too, but he need to know everything. Once her flare was shot, Rette hurried back about her way. Rounding the side of the island, she was confronted with a sight that she hadn't been expecting.

Rette came to a stop, Thyme beside her. Together the two stared at the Magic Council ship that was docked a short ways off the short of the island.

"First Grimoire Heart and now the Magic Council. Just what is going on here?" Rette muttered.

Rette was just starting to wonder to herself if she should fly out to the ship, try to get some information to take back to Makarov and was taken off guard and sent tumbling through the air when ship suddenly exploded, the shock wave knocking Rette off balance. Thyme tumbled into Rette as she corrected herself.

"What the hell is going on here? Did Grimoire Heart attack the battle ship?" Rette asked.

Thyme had no idea, but she made it a point to express how much she wanted to get away from there. Rette agreed. Turning, Rette bolted from the spot. She need to find Makarov and explain to him what was going on. She swooped down towards the hidden aclove where Mavis' grave sat, finding Makarov there.

"Master!" Rette called, making the old man turn to her as she landed.

Rette hurried to his side as Thyme landed on her shoulder. She took a moment to bow to Mavis' grave before turning to Makarov.

"Master, the dark guild, Grimoire Heart is here." Rette told him.

"Grimoire Heart?" Makarov repeated.

"Yes, but that isn't all. There was a Magic Council battleship off the coast not too long ago that was suddenly blown up. I don't know what happened." Rette told him.

Makarov looked up at her in shock before his expression turned solemn. He turned towards Mavis' grave. Rette stood at his side, looking from him to the grave.

"Mavis...The first master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermilion. To think we would invite enemies to this island, the holy land of the guild...we must have truly disappointed you." Makarov said to the grave.

"Master, you had no way of knowing that a dark guild would come here." Rette told him.

"Still. I take full responsibility. I will absolutely accept my punishment for this. Therefore, please just protect those kids." Makarov begged of the grave.

Rette looked from him to the grave once more. Makarov always thought of the guild before himself. She had a feeling that Mavis had been the same way. Standing there in front of the grave, Rette felt a warm presence that seem to wrap around her like a warm embrace. It was nice and made Rette feel secure despite the impending fight she was about to face. Makarov turning to her, broke her free of her thoughts.

"Rette, go back to the base camp. The others will need your help." Makarov told her.

"What about you, Master?" Rette asked.

"Don't worry about an old man like me. Just do as I told you." Makarov told her.

"If you say so. Be careful, Master." Rette told him.

Makarov watched her as she turned and took off, taking back to the skies because that was quicker. Rette didn't feel good about leaving Makarov behind, but she knew he was strong and could take care of himself. There were others for her to worry about for now. Already, she could feel the presence of at least one enemy on the island. It came from behind her and Rette was able to confirm the location when a tower of flames erupted into the sky. She could feel Natsu and Happy heading in that direction, as well as...Rette paused for a moment, sure she had gotten it wrong, but no. In that direction, she could feel Carla and Lily's magic energies.

She was concerned for a moment, knowing that if Carla was there, then so was Wendy, but Natsu was heading that way. Whoever the enemy was, Natsu would handle it. She had her own job to do. Rette faced forward once more and hurried about her way. Even when she felt the expanding of Makarov's magic that signified him using his giant magic, she didn't turn back. He would swat that ship out of the air like a fly. An incoming presence did make Rette turn.

For a moment Rette thought she had gone insane.

Flying towards her, via a jet-pack, was a goat-man. He was raining small orbs down on the island below. For some reason, he kind of felt like Loki. Just a enough to make her wonder for a moment if he was a spirit, but at the same time, he felt different. A sudden attack had her dropping from the sky to avoid it. Rette landed on the ground below, keeping a sharp eye on the goat-man as he flew by over head. He didn't spare her another glance. The orbs continued to rain down around her, but just before they hit the ground, they shattered and people burst forth from them.

Before she knew what was going on, Rette was surrounded. The sheer number of enemies around her was ridiculous. Thyme hovered behind Rette, watching her back as they scanned the enemies around them.

"You have to be kidding. None of them even have that much of a magical presence but there's enough of them to make this a real chore." Rette muttered lowly to Thyme, who nodded in agreement.

Well, nothing was going to get solved by just standing there. Rette braced her legs apart and held her hands out ready to cast a spell. Seeing what Rette was about to do, Thyme landed on her shoulder, out of the way.

"Light of the left, Crystal of the right...Nexus Magic." Rette fused the two magics together and separated her hands, two large, green magic circles appearing above and below the land surrounding Rette. "Two Layer Magic Circle, Dancing Light Crystals...Purgatory Raze!"

Shards of crystallized light appeared in the air inside the magic circle, save for a small space around Rette. The spell activated then and, as if they were caught in a blender set on puree, the shards of crystallized light started pinging around inside the tight space mapped out by the magic circles. They moved faster and faster, soon forming a storm of glittering light, even managing to slice through the ground. The men around her didn't stand a chance.

Those who had escaped the spell, backed away in shock as the spell vanished, leaving behind only the bloody and beaten forms of their comrades. Rette stood in the center of it all, completely untouched.

"You guys picked the wrong person to mess with." Rette told them. "But you'll be the perfect targets to try out my new spell."

The men prepared themselves but Rette was pretty sure that even those who knew her wouldn't be able to prepare for the new Nexus spell she had learned. Rette held her hands out on either side of herself, palms facing up. Resting in her palms were seven of her Conductor Crystals. Rette tossed those into the air.

"Dancing Light Crystals...Seven Point Mystic Shards."

The seven Conductor Crystals turned into seven, seven point star shaped crystals and hung in the air around her. Each glowed a different color. There was a red, a dark blue, a pale blue, green, yellow, black, and even a white one. Rette extended one hand, pointing a finger at the nearest grouping of men to her.

"One...Fire!" she called.

The red crystal, shot towards them, exploding to unleashing flames upon them. Rette turned to the next group.

"Two...Water!"

The dark blue crystal exploded, waves of water bursting forth to sweep the men away.

"Three...Sky!"

The pale blue one was next, blades of air slicing through the men.

"Four...Plants!"

The green one was next, plants sprouting from the spot where the crystal exploded, large and thick vines sending men flying.

"Five...Lightning!"

The yellow crystal shattered, bolts of lightning dancing about the area around it.

"Six...Smoke!"

The black one shattered next, men yelling as fists made of smoke suddenly burst forth, slugging them across the face. Rette laughed inwardly at this one.

"And Seven...Light!"

The white one was blinding as it shattered, it's light so intense, it burned away everything around it. Nothing was left in the area where the white crystal had shattered.

Out of all of the men that had surrounded her, a great deal were now either down for the count, or gone completely. Those who remained, stared at her with fear on their faces. Rette didn't blame them. The spell took a great deal of magic energy since she had to combine her Conductor Crystals with another spell, using the magic already in the crystals to form the attacks. But it was effective and Rette could change what seven elements she used, based on the spells she had stored. She could even use two of the same element. It had been an handy use for all the fire crystals she had collected from Natsu.

Rette looked around at her job well down before turning her eyes to those who had escaped the second attack. She held up one hand, beckoning for them to come in get her. None of them moved an inch towards her. So they wouldn't come to her, huh? Well then she would just go to them. After all...she didn't have the time to sit around and wait for them to grow a pair.

Rette tore through the enemies around her, slowly, but surely, making her way towards to the base camp. At one point a massive collision of two magical forces blocked out all other magical energies currently on her radar. She knew one of those belonged to Makarov. Who the other person was, she didn't know, but she did know that she didn't have the time to worry about Makarov when she, herself, was surrounded by enemies.

She managed to clear her path and took off. She needed to return to the base camp. She need to return to Mira and Lisanna. She could already feel their magic energies as they collided with that of an enemy. While she knew Mira was capable of taking care of herself, she also knew that there was a limit to how long Mira's magic would support her Take Over form. As soon as Rette cleared her way, she took off as fast as she could manage in the trees.

Anxiety filled Rette as she rushed, mentally calling out to Mira and Lisanna to hold on. Rette could feel them getting closer and closer and soon she could glimpse the camp up ahead. She burst through the trees and only had a few split seconds to take in the scene before her. Lisanna had been captured, wrapped up tight in what looked like tree roots. A timer on the roots was ticking away the seconds. Mira, in her Take Over form, was facing an enemy. There was only nineteen seconds left on the timer. Mira glanced between Lisanna and the enemy before turning and flying to Lisanna.

Mira wrapped her arms around Lisanna.

"It's futile! It won't unlock until you defeat me. Now! You haven't much time! Show me how much more serious you can get!" the man fighting with Mira demanded.

"Sorry...It's tough to accept, but I don't have enough power left to defeat that guy. It's impossible for me right now." Mira said, releasing her Take Over form.

Rette knew instantly what Mira was about to do and she felt her blood run cold. Mira wrapped Lisanna in her arms, telling Lisanna not to worry. Rette completely forgot about the enemy in that single moment.

"Mira!" Rette yelled.

In the same instant the timer hit zero, Rette cast her spell, partly to save Mira from a possibly fatal hit and partly to save herself from the after math of the explosion that followed the timer hitting zero.

"Conductor Crystal!"

A large crystal formed before Rette, absorbing part of the blast. She couldn't absorb it all with the amount of magic energy she had left in her. As it was, the after shock of the blast, sent Rette tumbling back, end over end until she managed to regain her feet and slide to a halt. Smoke bellowed up from the blast as the crystal that had absorbed part of the blast came drifting into Rette's hand. When the smoke cleared, the camp site had mostly been destroyed. Lisanna lay in the middle of the blast zone, Mira draped over her. Rette hurried over to them. She could feel the eyes of the man, Azuma, as he watched her, shocked that she had managed to absorb some of the blast.

"Mira! Lisanna!"

Rette fell to one knee beside them as Lisanna rolled slightly, holding Mira as she tried to wake her sister up. Rette grit her teeth when she saw the state Mira was in. She hadn't been able to spare Mira enough damage it seemed, for Mira was badly hurt. Though, to Rette's greet relief, Mira was still breathing. Lisanna was reduced to tears, trying her hardest to wake Mira. Rette, on the other hand, turned a dark look on Azuma, silently daring him to take another step towards them. Magic energy or no magic energy, Rette would rip him to pieces.

Azuma was surprised by the fierce, dark look on her face, but he couldn't sense enough magic energy from her to deem her worth his time. He turned his back on them and walked away, off in search of a fight worth having. Rette watched him, waiting until his magic energy faded off the edge of her senses before she turned to Lisanna, who was basically having a panic attack.

"Lisanna...Lisanna, calm down!" Rette told her.

Lisanna turned wide eyes to Rette, tears streaming down her cheeks. Rette softened her tone as she reached out to ease Mira away from Lisanna and onto her back.

"She's still breathing, Lisanna. She's alive. You have to calm down. Becoming hysterical isn't going to help her, alright? The others will be heading here as soon as they can. Lets get a sheltered spot set up and see to Mira's injuries." Rette reasoned.

Lisanna, seeing the reason in Rette's words, nodded. She wiped the tears from her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. When she was under control, they got to work. Rette, herself, pushed back all of her feeling as she got to work setting up a temporary shelter to cover their little camp. Lisanna looked up from tending to Mira to look at Rette.

"Rette...you're trembling." Lisanna pointed out in surprise.

Rette stopped in what she was doing and held her hands out in front of her too look at them. She hadn't noticed it until Lisanna pointed out, but, she was, indeed, trembling. Her whole body was shaking from head to toe. And Rette knew why. A mix of fear for the life of Mira mixed with the sheer anger she had felt at seeing how Azuma had treated her friends was welling up in her, threatening to spill over and burst forth. It didn't help that it was mixing with the unease and fear that she had felt after feeling that dark presence earlier. Rette knew what happened when she let her emotions get the best of her.

Rette pressed a shaking hand to her throat, the fingers finding the stone in her choker, quickly. Taking a few deep breaths, Rette forced herself to calm down. As her fingers slide over the stone, she felt herself relax. The shaking slowly tapered off.

"Rette?" Lisanna asked.

"I'm fine." Rette assured her.

But if these Grimoire Heart mages kept hurting her friends and angering her, they wouldn't be fine. They obviously didn't know what they had gotten themselves into when they had challenged Fairy Tail. Rette wasn't the only person that would raise hell and rain hell fire upon the world in defense of her guild. They could arrogantly claim that they would wipe out Fairy Tail but Rette and her guild mates knew...Grimoire Heart had bitten off more than they could chew.

And they were going to choke on it.

Rette would make sure of it.

END

Kyandi: I love how possessive you are.

Rette: Why?

Kyandi: You're so adorable when you get huffy.

Rette: I don't get huffy. I get angry.

Kyandi: Uh-huh, sure. Whatever you want to call it.

Rette: Can we just move on already?

Kyandi: Yep! Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	31. Unite As One

Kyandi: Hey everyone!

Rette: We have returned.

Kyandi: I was kind of hoping to update a different story before this, but my muse is just too great for this story.

Rette: It's a force she can't fight.

Kyandi: Oh? Just like your anger?

Rette: That is a completely different thing and you know it.

Kyandi: Not really. I can't help it that you have a bad temper.

Rette: Actually...you can. You made me, remember.

Kyandi: Oh...right...Anyway! Everyone, please enjoy and review! I cannot tell all of you how much your reviews make my day, so thank you to all who review!

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 31 Unite As One

"This should do it for now."

Rette pulled tight on a piece of rope, tightening the knot she had made to tie some canvas into place. During the time she had been working on putting a roof on their makeshift shelter, Levy had shown up, half dragging a badly injured Gajeel on her tiny shoulders. Lisanna, who had laid down a bedding of leaves on which lay Mira, had helped Levy lay Gajeel next to Mira. Both injured mages now lay bandaged and covered in spare blankets.

Rette jumped down from her perch and stepped back to eye the shelter. It wasn't pretty, in the least, but it would keep them dry if it happened to rain. Part of the support poles were burned and there were a few holes in the canvas, but it was the best she could do with what she had. When she was sure there was nothing else she could do for the shelter, she turned her attention back to Lisanna and Levy. Both were shaking as they watched over Gajeel and Mira. Rette joined them, looking at her injured guild mates.

"Calm down, you two. Both of them are still breathing so they'll be fine. Neither of them are the types to kick the bucket so easily." Rette assured them.

"Yeah, but...Gajeel barely won, and even Mira lost..." Levy said.

"It's my fault...my..."

Rette opened her mouth to assure Lisanna that it wasn't her fault, but someone else beat her to it. Rette, Levy, and Lisanna turned to see Elfman, bloody and beaten, walking towards them, carrying an equally beaten Evergreen in his arms. Rette, her anger spiking once more, sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of them, biting down on her bottom lip as trembling set in once more. While Rette excelled at hiding her emotions, at locking herself away from others, she had always been horrible at holding in the intense feelings of anger and fury. She blamed it on those first beginning years of her life in which she walked around everyday, all day, angry with everyone, everything, even angry with the very breath she breathed. It had fostered a horrible temper inside her.

"It's no one's fault. They're strong. It hurts, but they're too strong. We can't do anything...damn it! As a man, it's pathetic...I couldn't protect Sis, or my partner." Elfman said, tears pouring down his cheeks.

Rette's anger kicked up a notch. How dare someone make one of her guild mates cry. It was bad enough that they had attacked the holy land of Fairy Tail, but this dark guild had the gall to hurt her guild mates and make them tremble and cry in fear. Rette turned and headed for Elfman. She took hold of his arm and tugged gently, urging him to follow her before he fell over. She helped him lay Evergreen down before insisting he sit.

"We need to unite." Levy said then. "The exam split us apart. It was temporary, but...everyone prioritized themselves over their allies. But...we can't stay like that now. The enemy is a great one! Therefore we, Fairy Tail, must combine our strengths.. and win! Everyone...please. Unite your feelings!" Levy said, tears now streaming down her face.

"Dry your tears, Levy."

All eyes turned to Rette as she worked on removing large stakes of wood from Elfman's left shoulder. She tossed them aside, pressing gauze to the wound as soon as it was free. Rette's eyes were focused on her task and despite the steadiness of her hands, she was slightly trembling, her eyes flashing with anger.

"There's no need to cry. We're a family, are we not?" Rette asked. "Families, no matter previous priorities, always stick together. We'll be fine. After all, we're Fairy Tail. I don't know of a single person in our guild who would give up and roll over. Not when their family is on the chopping block. We just have to do what we can here. Pretty simple if you think about it."

Tired and wary smiles flashed across their faces. Rette had a point and it was so good to hear her refer to them as her family. Even as she spoke, Rette worked quickly on cleaning and bandaging Elfman's wounds, working pieces of wood from his wounds. She double checked each wound to make sure she didn't leave any wood behind and bandaged them all. When she was done and Elfman was resting, Rette moved to Evergreen. It was easier to treat her wounds since most of them were bruises and some mild gashes. Rette considered them lucky. Things could have ended worse for them.

She had a feeling that the warm magic she felt flowing from the island had something to do with it. Rette didn't know why, but she just felt secure with that magic around her and already, she could feel her own magic replenishing itself. She would be back in fighting shape soon, something that she might have to be if an enemy found the camp. While she had no doubt that Levy and Lisanna could, normally, take care of themselves, they were both pretty beaten up. Not to mention that they currently had four injured people to guard too.

Rette tucked Evergreen in with a blanket just as it started to rain. Water dripped through some of the holes and Rette rearranged her guild mates to make sure they didn't get wet.

"I wonder how the others are doing." Lisanna remarked.

"I'd send Thyme to check it out but she doesn't have any offensive magic, so I wouldn't feel right sending her on her own." Rette remarked.

Thyme gave her a smile, touched that Rette cared so much. Rette reached out to pat her head, the bells in the exceed's earrings, ringing as Rette scratched her ears.

"When we get back to the guild, we need to do something to remedy that." Rette told Thyme, who nodded in agreement.

Thyme perked up then. She turned and trotted to the edge of the sheltered area they were resting in and peered up at the sky. Her face lit up then and she waved her paws in the air. Rette joined her and looked up. Flying towards them, was Lily.

"It's Lily." Rette said.

Lisanna and Levy joined her as Lily landed, joining them under the shelter. He gave himself a shake and instantly jumped into explaining how he had come to the island with Carla and how they had ran into Mest, who turned out to be a Magic Council member named Doranbolt, and Wendy. Rette knew she had felt Carla and Lily's magic energies. Lily went on to explain everything that had happened since he had arrived on the island, right down to meeting up with Happy, Lucy, and Natsu. Even telling them how Natsu was bringing Makarov, who was gravely injured, to them. Rette's already high anger level just spiked up another notch.

"Natsu and all of them are coming here!?" Lisanna asked.

"Lucy and Wendy are with him! Right?" Levy asked.

"Yup. If everything goes according to plan, Carla should be leading them here." Lily told them.

"That's good. We have a lot of injured people here and Levy, Lisanna, and I are low on magic energy. If an enemy attack, it'd be bad. And it'll be good to have Master here too, where he can rest with the others." Rette remarked from where she stood, leaning on a pole, watching the rain filled sky.

"I can't believe it...even the master was beaten." Levy said lowly.

"Levy..." Lisanna started.

"I know, I know! We can't give up, no matter what! If we all combine our power and work together...then surely-"

"Guys, incoming." Rette said suddenly, stiffening as an incoming magic energy hit her radar a little too close to home.

Then he came into view. A strange man with his silver hair done in a, in Rette's opinion, ridiculous pompadour style. What looked like designer glasses, a long, fur trimmed coat, and pristine white gloves only added to make him look even more ridiculous. Rette flinched at the sight of him. She could tell, just by looking at him, that he had to be a very dramatic person and if there was one thing that Rette really didn't think she could handle at the moment, it was drama.

"It's important to know when to give up, too. In this world, no matter what you do, there are just some things that will always be stronger than you. The broken pieces of my heart tremble. And now...I'll eat up every last one of you until not a single fairy remains." he proclaimed.

Yep, there was the drama. It made Rette gag on her own tongue. Especially when she looked down and saw the gaudy, zebra striped loafers he was wearing. Rette knew a lot of people questioned her sense of style with her barely there, skin-tight clothes, but at least she had more fashion sense than to were animal print shoes and at least her choice in clothes served a purpose.

Behind her, Rette could feel Levy and Lisanna tense up from fear. Even Lily grew tense. The three of them didn't have any magical power to spare. Rette, at least, had a little, but if she wanted to use her Nexus magic, she would have to limit it to one, maybe two spells. Past that, her magic energy wouldn't support it. This was horrible timing, but Rette wasn't going to let this jerk know how concerned she was. She stepped forward, standing between him and her guild mates.

"I hate to break it to you, Pompadour-"

"My name is Rustyrose."

"Whatever." Rette said, waving away his interruption. "As I was saying, I hate to break it to you, Gaudy, but we in Fairy Tail...we never give up. And I've already met that one person stronger than me. Sorry, but that isn't you."

Rustyrose chuckled, as if her show of bravado truly amused him. Rette lift her chin, her arms hanging loosely at her sides, ready for anything he threw at her. Lisanna hissed her name lowly in a warning tone, but Rette simply held up a hand to silence her. Rette was well aware of what she was doing. If she planned this right, if she could just hold out long enough, she knew she would be alright. She could already feel a familiar and completely welcomed presence on the very edge of her magical sense. She was sure she could hold out. Stalling seemed to be a special skill of hers.

Before a fight could break out, though, another magical presence hit all of them like a ton of bricks. Rette didn't know who this energy belonged to meaning it was an enemy.

"There's still this powerful of a monster out there!?" Lily asked, now back in his Battle Mode.

"Looks like something obnoxious just got set loose. Is he trying to interrupt my meal?" Rustyrose said lowly.

Rette didn't even bother turning in the direction of the energy. Whoever it was, they were in trouble. A small smile curled the very corners of Rette's mouth. If only they could feel magic the way she did, they would know just how screwed that so called monster was. After all...Fairy Tail had it's own monsters. A small laugh leaving Rette, drew everyone's attention to her.

"What is so funny?" Rustyrose asked.

"Nativity seems to be trade mark for you dark guilds." Rette remarked, shaking her head.

"Come again?" he asked in response.

"Fairy Tail has it's own monsters. Whoever that monster is that you call obnoxious, he's about to run into a lot of trouble. If only you could sense magic like I do. You'd know your chances of winning this fight, just went down the toilet." Rette told him, jabbing a thumb over her should to gesture in the direction of the magical energy.

"Rette?" Levy asked.

"Don't worry. We'll be just fine. Protect the injured and watch my back." Rette told her.

Rustyrose laughed, but his laughter stopped when there was an explosion of magic energy that was a mix of the previous energy they felt and that of another person. Rette tilted her head to the side as she watched Rustyrose, one of her hands going to her hip.

"You feel that? That's **our** monster and his name is Gildartz. But he's not what you need to worry about. Let me see what you've got, Gaudyrose, or whatever your name is." Rette said.

Rustyrose's smile grew as Rette started towards him. If someone had asked her, at that moment, what her plan was, she would have replied with..."Don't got one". Her only plan was stalling and with any time she stalled, she just made it up as she went. Rette, when she was close enough, darted for his left side. In response to her attack Rustyrose turned his right arm into a long, clawed and scaled arm of a creature Rette couldn't even begin to name. Rette raised her left arm in defense of her face and the claws hit her hard in the side.

Rustyrose grinned, but that grin faltered when, instead of the sight of her blood, he was met with the irritating noise of claws scraping against glass. His claws bounced right back off her and Rette slid to the side, away from him.

"How!?" Rustyrose demanded.

Rette's guild mates knew how. They could just barely pick up the tiniest glint of skin colored crystal as Rette moved and knew she was using her Pressure Armor spell. Rette shook out her arm. Though the armor had absorbed most of the blow, the sheer force behind it had made her arm go temporarily numb.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Rette retorted.

She could use, at the most, two of her Nexus spells. Satan Crystallite took up too much magic. It would drain her in under three minutes. Purgatory Raze was one of her strongest, after her Satan Crystallite, but that could catch her friends up in the attack. Several of the spells in her Nexus arsenal were wide range attacks and destroyed over a wide area. She had to worry about her guild mates too. Only one spell gave her any kind of control over the area of destruction and it was going to drain the rest of her magic. She would have to release her Pressure Armor spell and direct the last of her magic to this spell since it took so much. She dispelled her Pressure Armor spell.

"Levy, Lisanna, Lily, back up. Give me some breathing room." Rette told them.

The three did as told, retreating back to the shelter as Rette reached back to dig through her pouch of Conductor Crystals. As always, the most she found were those of Natsu's flames. She picked out the strongest one. The next was an older one from Laxus. That, too, got picked out. Gray's ice, Wendy's sky, Max's sand, and her own light met her finger tips next. The last one was the single Conductor Crystal she had from Gajeel and she had only gotten it when she had absorbed his Roar into the crystal. Rette had been saving that for a rainy day and well...Rette glanced up at the rain falling from the sky.

Today was perfect.

Pulling the seven crystals from her pouch, she held them out in her hands.

"Dancing Light Crystals...Seven Point Mystic Shards."

Rette tossed the crystals into the air. Her guild mates watched in surprise as the crystals transformed into the seven pointed stars, each glowing a different color. Floating around Rette was a red, yellow, silver-blue, pale blue, brown, white, and a grey crystal.

"Such small stars. What do you plan to do with those?" Rustyrose asked in a mocking manner.

Oh, he would see his mistake soon enough. Rette held out a hand, pointing a finger at him.

"One...Fire."

The red crystal zipped around Rette. Rustyrose dodged it, but the moment it hit the ground at his feet, it exploded, Natsu's flames jumping forth. Rustyrose had to leap back to avoid being scorched to death, but Rette's next crystal was already in place behind him.

"Two...Lightning!"

The crystal shattered, sending Rustyrose skidding backwards as lightning bolts hit him hard. His long coat bellowed up as he braced a hand on the ground to keep from hitting the ground. The third crystal, the silver-blue, appeared behind him, making his whip around to face it.

"Three...Ice!"

Gray's Ice Geyser broke free of the crystal, turning the spot into ice. Rustyrose jumped back, guarding his face with an arm. The pale blue crystal appeared at his feet then.

"Four...Sky!"

A whirlwind of blades of air crashed into Rustyrose from his feet, sending him flying into the air. Before he could even set a foot back on the ground, Rette sent the next crystal into motion, the brown one flying through the air.

"Five...Sand."

Rustyrose was thankful for his glasses as Max's Sand Rebellion spell was set free. He wasn't, however, thankful for the hard ground that met his back as he hit the ground.

"Six...Light."

Rustyrose jumped to his feet, diving to the side to avoid the destructive path of the light spell that came bursting free of the crystal. He had to question how someone could have so many element based spells in their arsenal. And it was all apart of one spell!

"Seven...Iron."

The grey crystal appeared right in front of Rustyrose's face. It shattered, the space around Rustyrose exploding with Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Roar. The explosion kicked up a cloud of dust, making Rette raise an arm to keep it out of her eyes. Did she manage to get him that time? Rette peered through the smoke and dust cloud, trying to locate any sign of Rustyrose. She could still feel his magic, but was he unconscious? She hoped so. She was officially out of magic and didn't have a sword to use in defense. Movement in the smoke was the only warning she got before Rustyrose burst free of the smoke, his right arm once more transformed into that of a beast.

He swung his claws at her, the sharp claws cutting into her side. Even trying to dodge, he still caught her, knocking her back onto her side.

"Rette!"

Lisanna and Levy cried out to her, concerned for her, Thyme's paw flying in her fear for Rette. Rette clamped a hand against her side, blood welling up past her fingers. Four gashes now marred her side, blood coloring her skin a crimson red. Despite the pain now burning through her side, Rette pushed herself up and had just got to her knees when Rustyrose grabbed her by the hair, his finger digging into her scalp as he yanked to the side, knocking her off balance. Rette reached up, clamping her hands around his wrist as she fought to get her feet back under her.

"You're a troublesome one, are you not? It is sad that that was the last of your magic. You have nothing left." he said, giving her a shake.

Rette grit her teeth as he yanked on her hair. Her eyes cut up to his face and a tiny grin started to curl her lips when she saw that his hair was a mess from her attacks.

"I might be, but it was worth it to mess up that asinine pompadour of your's." Rette retorted.

A tick mark appeared on his forehead, letting Rette know that she had angered him. Levy, Thyme, and Lisanna cried out in concern with Rustyrose hit her across the face, busting open on of her lips. Rette winced as she ran her tongue over the open wound on her bottom lip. The taste of iron filled her mouth from the blood. She looked back up at him.

"You know...I really wouldn't keep hitting me if I were you. You're kind of digging your grave." Rette told him.

"Oh, really? Shall we see?" he asked, pulling his hand back again.

Rette raised her arms to defend her head just as something broke free of the trees, hitting Rustyrose hard enough to send him flying back onto his back, forcing him to release Rette's hair. He did a flip to put himself back on his feet, just as someone scooped Rette up, holding her bridal style. Rustyrose slid to a halt, raising his head, his eyes wide in either anger or fear. Rette couldn't tell.

"Who the hell are you people!?" Rustyrose demanded.

Rette turned her eyes to the person holding her, finding herself looking up at Freed, with Bixlow at his side. It was Freed that was holding Rette, making her feel a little ridiculous to be held like that.

"Freed! Bixlow!" Levy cried in joy.

"Why are you guys here!?" Lily called.

"We saw the signal fire...we came back with Gildartz." Freed replied.

"About time you showed up. I was beginning to think my magical sense was failing me and you weren't going to show up." Rette told Freed and Bixlow.

Both grinned back down at her as she let herself hang limply in Freed's arms. A second later and Rustyrose could have seriously beaten the crap out of her, or worse. Freed noticed the injury in her side then, Bixlow noticing it at the same time. In the time since Laxus had left the guild, they had become attached to Rette, claiming her a good friend. To see her injured so...the smiles on their faces vanished.

"Rette, did he do that to you?" Freed asked, nodding his head to the injury on her side.

"Yeah. I didn't react fast enough to avoid the attack." Rette told him.

That was all Freed needed. He handed Rette over to Lily before he and Bixlow turned back to face Rustyrose. Thyme instantly hugged Rette's neck as Levy and Lisanna moved to bandage the gashes. Rette though, was focused on Freed and Bixlow. She could feel the anger rolling off them.

"Hmph! A couple more weaklings added to the mix are no match for my Arc of Embodiment!" Rustyrose insisted.

"From the start, we never had any plans of doing this fair and square. Now, we're going to take you down!" Bixlow growled.

"You've committed the crime of hurting our comrades. The rules don't apply to you." Freed agreed.

Bixlow attacked, Rustyrose blocking the attack with a golden shield that appeared from his left hand. Rette remembered, once, reading about the Arc of Embodiment. It was a kind of magic that brought to life anything the castor could imagine. Well...just about anything. It couldn't bring to life, real, living and breathing beings. Only fake creatures. But as long as Rustyrose could imagine it in his mind, he could create it. As evident when he sprouted pegasus wings from his feet to fly into the air and avoid an attack from Freed.

"You think you can defeat my creativity!? My power is infinite! Sacred Guardian Beast, Belfast of the Hurricane! Tear them down." Rustyrose commanded.

A large beast with spikes all over it's body, a long tail, and razor sharp claws, appeared before Bixlow and Freed.

"What the heck is this!?" Lily asked.

"It's not real." Rette told him.

Lily looked down at her in surprise but figured out what she meant when Bixlow took control of the beast. Bixlow's magic allowed him to use the souls he called his babies to possess and control any **object**. Meaning the beast couldn't be real for Bixlow to take control of it. He commanded the beast to be crushed and it exploded. In the opening the surprise caused in Rustyrose, Freed attacked using his Absolute Shadow technique that encased him in black armor from the waist up.

"Incredible." Lily breathed.

"The Thunder Legion's power!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"Is it only me who thinks Freed looks really cool like that?" Rette asked, making Lisanna laugh lowly.

"So this is what they're like when they're serious...They really are strong." Levy said in awe.

"Amazing what some seriousness does for their power, huh?" Rette asked.

Levy nodded in agreement, but where they were awed by Bixlow and Freed, Rustyrose only felt fear. Rette had seen fear do a lot of things to a person, but she had never seen it make someone smile with such malice as it was making Rustyrose do. He pushed himself to his feet and placed his finger tips on his temples. Rette stared in surprise as a literal wave of ghosts rushed past Freed and Bixlow, weaving between their legs.

"Fear is just more inspiration for my imagination! Come forth! Ghost of the Britear! Devour the spirits of the fairies!" Rustyrose demanded.

The swell of ghost, rose, wrapping tightly around Freed and Bixlow up to their chest. It made it hard for them to move with them wrapping around their bodies.

"Be careful, you two!" Levy called.

"Sit me down, Lily. I can stand on my own feet." Rette said.

Lily would have protested, but arguing with Rette was usually a lost cause. He sat her on her feet. She seemed steady enough, so he merely remained close in case she swayed or collapsed. Rette could feel something strange going on with the magic of the island. It didn't feel right. Then she felt the great rumbling of the ground and she wasn't the only one. It felt like the ground was quaking under their feet and then she felt it. Even being out of magic, there was always that last little drop that all mages had that gave them physical strength. But in that second, Rette, and all of her guild mates, felt that get sucked right out of them. Rette's legs buckled, making her crumple to the ground. Levy and Lisanna collapsed, too and Lily reverted back to his tiny form.

Thyme groaned lowly from where she now lay at Rette's side. It even effected Bixlow and Freed, draining their magic power and making them easy pickings for Rustyrose who laughed as he knocked them around. Rette tried to push herself up, but she could just barely move and had no strength. She had never felt this weak in her life. It was like whatever power on the island that had been feeding her magical power before, was now draining it from her. Then it clicked.

Rette remembered reading a book on Tenrou Island from the guild's archive. It had said that the Great Tenrou Tree, which grew from the very heart of the island, granted divine protection on all of those who bore the emblem of Fairy Tail. With the tree standing, none of those on the island with the Fairy Tail emblem on their bodies, could die. It was a special magic that fed their magical power, enhanced it. Someone must have done something to the Great Tenrou Tree. At this rate...her friends would die.

The thought cut through Rette like a razor blade, making her eyes widen in both fear for her friends' lives and anger that someone was doing this. Later, if asked, Rette wouldn't be able to answer where she got the strength, because really...she didn't know. Maybe it was from the sheer mix of anger and the possessive and protective feelings she had for her guild mates, or maybe it was something else. She didn't know. All she knew was, inch by painful inch, she forced herself up.

"Rette!? What are you doing!?" Levy asked.

Rette, despite the burning pain in her side, got a knee under her, then another, slowly raising to her feet, her body shaking from the effort. Rustyrose, surprised and a little impressed with her strength of will, turned his attention from Bixlow and Freed, who could barely move, to Rette, who was shaking from the effort it took to remain on her feet.

"You have quite the will." Rustyrose told her.

"Not exactly. It more along the line of devotion." Rette retorted sharply.

"Devotion?" Rustyrose asked.

"For my guild I have a devotion that is solid as concrete. Though I prefer to think of it as possessiveness. See, you're messing with what's mine, Pompadour. I don't like people messing with what's mine." Rette told him.

"Is that so? But you're on your last leg. It's taking all you have to just stand."

With every word Rustyrose said, he took another step towards her. Bixlow and Freed called out to her to run if she could, but Rette remained where she was. She would be damned if she ran and left them behind. She had stared down worse people than this pompadour sporting, gaudy, drama-loving asshat. He wasn't going to scare her. She knew the hit was coming before his fist hit her across the face, but she simply didn't have the strength to dodge it. She staggered back from the force, only barely remaining on her feet.

"See? You can't even stop a normal punch." Rustyrose taunted.

Rette regained her balance, gathered the blood pooling in her mouth and spit it in his face. She hit the left lense of his glasses, really ticking him off.

"Bite me, you gaudy pansy. As long as I'm alive, I'm not backing down to some second rate hasbeen trying to be scarier than what he is." Rette spat at him.

The next punch hit her square in the gut. Rette bent double, a cry of pain spilling from her lips. Alright, so perhaps saying that to his face wasn't the smartest idea she had ever had. Rette had never claimed to have that convenient filter between her brain and mouth that told her what she should and shouldn't say out loud. Some people appreciated her blunt honesty with what she thought. Apparently not all people did.

Rette latched onto Rustyrose's coat to keep herself on her feet when her knees would have given. He simply laughed at her. He could laugh all he wanted. Didn't make him any less a gaudy pansy. Perhaps she shouldn't have said this to him too. But she did and was back handed across the face for it. Gripping his coat as tight as she could, she managed to stay on her feet. Try as he might, he couldn't get her to let go of his coat.

"Rette, let go of him!" Freed yelled.

He couldn't watch Rette continue to get beat up like that. None of them could, but Rette refused to let go. She was holding out hope that something would change and she would regain enough magic power for just one attack. Her wish came true as somewhere on the island, Erza defeated the man responsible for uprooting the Tenrou Tree and he returned the flow of magic to the Fairy Tail mages. Rette felt her magic power return along with her strength. With a little slight of hand on her behalf, she tucked something in the collar of his shirt. Then she released him, and threw herself away from him. Rustyrose opened his collar to see what she had tucked in there. Out of it, he pulled a small crystal with flames dancing in it's core.

"Consider this a little payback." Rette told him before releasing the spell.

Flames burst free of the crystal, burning the sleeves off Rustyrose's coat and burning the flesh beneath. While distracted by the flames, Bixlow and Freed charged in to take back over. Rette hit the ground hard and decided that it would be in her best interest to remain where she lay. Levy and Lisanna rushed to her side, Thyme and Lily right on their heels.

"Rette, how are you feeling?" Lisanna asked as she and Levy dropped to their knees beside her.

"Like crap. Can I die now?" Rette asked, trying for a joke.

Levy and Lisanna heaved relieved sighs. If she was joking, then she was fine. Thyme draped herself over Rette's chest, obviously relieved as well. Rette reached up and pet her head, silently assuring her that she would live. In pain perhaps, but she would live.

"But what was that all about?" Lisanna asked, meaning the brief period of magic loss.

"I think I might know, but whether that was it or not, doesn't matter at this point." Rette said.

"She's got a point. For now it looks like our magic power is back to normal." Levy agreed.

"Was it that strange phenomenon's fault for Carla and them running late?" Lily asked.

Rette wasn't sure that was the case. She had a sneaky feeling that Natsu and his group had met with an enemy. If that was true, she was sure they were fine. Natsu wasn't about to let his comrades die. Rette, for the time being, was worried about the enemy in front of her. She hadn't done nearly enough damage to Rustyrose to make much of a difference for Bixlow and Freed. She was especially worried when she, Levy, Lisanna, Lily, and Thyme got caught up in Rustyrose's next spell along with Bixlow and Freed.

Using his magic, Rustyrose called forth a large, tower-like creation that they all became half fused with. No amount of trying would free them. Rette felt a moment of panic rise in her chest at her own immobility, but she managed to calm herself before she could actually freak out. Freaking out would not help her at the moment.

"What is this...I can't move my body!" Freed exclaim.

"None of us can." Rette replied.

Bixlow, with the one arm he could move, reached up and worked his visor free.

"Your unavoidable figure eyes won't work on someone wearing glasses, right!?" Rustyrose mocked.

"Not you...our only hope happened to have an eye open. I'll be taking control of you." Bixlow replied, his eyes locking on, not Rustyrose, but Elfman.

"By all means." Elfman agreed.

The surprise of Bixlow taking control of the heavily injured Elfman, was enough for Elfman, under Bixlow's command, to land a solid kick to the back of Rustyrose's neck. Rette winced, thinking that it had to of hurt...a lot. But the kick was enough to break Rustyrose's concentration and, therefore, dispelling his tower, freeing Rette and the others. Thyme sprouted her wings and instantly swooped down to catch Rette. Lisanna used her Take Over magic to change her arms into wings, offering her feet as a kick-off for Freed. Helping to launch him at Rustyrose, Freed landed the final blow, taking down Rustyrose for good.

The moment Thyme sat Rette back on her feet, she collapsed to the ground, so tired and her aching so much, that she couldn't remain standing. Freed, the Mother Hen that he was, rushed to her, grabbing her by the shoulders to shake her. Which did nothing for the amount of pain she was already feeling.

"What were you thinking!?" he demanded of her.

"Not sure anymore. I think you've rattled my brain right out of my head." Rette replied.

"It's not funny! Without any magic and already hurt and unsteady on your feet, he could have seriously hurt you or killed you!" Freed scolded.

"Gee, I didn't know I had a guy for a mother." Rette replied.

Frustrated that she wasn't taking the scolding seriously, Freed silently fumed. Rette had come to be a close friend for him, Evergreen, and Bixlow. He didn't like seeing her hurt anymore than he did the rest of his friends.

"If he knew your middle name, he'd probably be yelling your full name about now." Bixlow teased.

"Irini."

All eyes turned to Rette in confusion for a moment. When she saw their confused looks, she explained.

"My full name is Rette Irini Starrilia. Irini was my birth mother's name." Rette told them.

"Irini...that's so pretty." Levy remarked.

"Yeah well, from what I was told...she was a beautiful woman, so it fit her. Me...? Not so much. I'm much too awkward." Rette remarked.

They tried to argue with her on that, but Rette waved them off. With the enemy handled, Lisanna and Levy saw to Rette's injury in her side since she had bled through the bandages they had already put on her. They propped her up under the canvas top of the shelter, draping a blanket around her, before checking on the others. It wasn't long before Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, and Carla showed up, bringing an injured Makarov and Cana with them. They stared in wide eyed horror at the injured members of their guild before them.

"Wh...what the heck happened here...!?" Natsu demanded.

"Gajeel...and even Mira and Rette." Lucy said.

"I'm fine, I swear. It's just cuts." Rette insisted.

"It's not just cuts and you know it!" Levy scolded.

Rette's lips twisted down into a frown. Especially when Freed and Bixlow chimed in their agreement with Levy.

"I'll start with the healing magic immediately!" Wendy said.

"I appreciate that, but it would be impossible to heal this many. If you heal anyone...Rette's wounds are the least. That would put at least one person back in fighting shape." Lisanna said.

"She's right. Besides, I think you've overused your magic today. You should rest a while after helping Rette." Carla told Wendy.

"I think so, too." Happy agreed.

Wendy couldn't really argue with them. She knelt next to Rette and got to work healing the gashes in her side. Rette tired to insist she use what energy she had left for one of the others who were more seriously injured but she was quickly told to shut up by Levy, Lisanna, Bixlow, and Freed. Rette, shocked, snapped her mouth close.

"So, Master and Cana are injured, as well." Freed remarked.

"Just what happened here." Bixlow replied.

"A lot of crap we weren't prepared for." Rette remarked.

The others silently agreed with her. None of them had been expecting an attack from a dark guild during the S-class exam. Yet here they were.

"The Grimoire's battleship is currently to the east of us at sea. How about if we split into two teams for now." Lily suggested.

"An "Attack" team and a "Defense" team." Levy agreed.

"If we split up that way then, for sure, Levy and Freed would have to be on the defense team. They are among the best with enchantments and defense spells." Rette remarked.

"Then shouldn't you be on the defense team, too?" Lucy asked looking at her.

"I'm still working on my enchantments. They're no where near ready to used against enemies this strong and my traps would only annoy them. I'd be of more use on the attack team." Rette reasoned.

"You won't be of much use to anyone if you get yourself injured like that again." Freed said tartly.

"Details, details, details. Must you be such a stickler for details as well as worry wort of a Mother Hen, Freed?" Rette replied.

Freed stuttered as he stared at Rette. Despite their current situation, watching Rette turn Freed into a stuttering, red faced mess, put smiles on the others' faces.

"I'll be fine. I always am. Besides...we can't afford to lose even one good fighter." Rette said.

"She's got a point. Even though her defenses and evasion tactics are among the best, Rette is a good fighter too. The enemy certainly won't see her Nexus magic coming." Lisanna said.

"No one ever sees Rette coming until she explodes in their faces." Bixlow remarked.

Rette a threw a look in his direction. Bixlow grinned back at her, swearing that it was a compliment. It didn't sound like a compliment to her. Especially since she actually had blown things up in people's face before. Rette looked up as a clap of thunder sounded and lightning split the sky, lighting up the storms clouds that darkened the sky. The rain seemed to pour even harder, pounding off the ground beyond the covering of their shelter.

"The sky's really pouring down." Lucy remarked.

"I hate lightning." Levy added.

Rette let out a curt laugh, making everyone look at her as Wendy finished up with healing the gashes in her side. Rette thanked Wendy before seeing the looks directed at her.

"What's so funny?" Levy asked.

"You hate lightning, huh? I think it's humorous...It's cloudy with a chance of Laxus." Rette remarked.

The horrible pun was so bad that it actually wrung curt laughs from a few others. Just one of those things that was so bad, it was funny. If only she had known how correct she was. Lily though, didn't find it funny. He was too busy pressing his paws to his ears.

"What's wrong, Lily?" Happy asked.

"Don't tell me you're scared of lightning?" Carla asked.

Thyme turned to look at Lily who was standing beside her, when he tensed at the accusation. Happy had to tease Lily by commenting that is seemed even Lily had a cute side to him. Carla laughed and Thyme pat Lily's shoulder as he sulked. Thyme, at least didn't care and wouldn't tease him if he was scared of lightning and thunder. For a while, they sat there, watching the rain, letting everyone recover some. Bit by bit, Rette felt her magic start to replenish itself. She would need every ounce of it she could get before going back into battle. Silence fell over them as they waited and rested.

"Now then," Natsu said, getting to his feet. "I'm going to defeat Hades. Lucy, Happy, Rette, Thyme."

Rette got to her feet, shedding the bandages around her waist. She was grateful to Wendy to only see healing, pink skin where the gashes had been. Thyme hopped up onto her shoulder as Rette adjusted her gloves.

"Right behind you." Rette said, Thyme nodded in agreement.

"Aye, sir!" Happy chimed in.

"M...me?" Lucy asked.

"We're all on the same team, aren't we?" Happy asked.

"I know, but wouldn't Freed be a better-"

"I still need to inscribe this area with enchantments." Freed told her.

"Leave the defenses to us." Bixlow agreed.

"Here, catch."

Freed held out a hand to catch something when Rette called out to him. He opened his hand to find a small crystal in his palm that shifted from one color to the next. One moment it looked like flames had bloomed into life in its core before it shifted to look like lightning dancing about and then shifted again. Freed could feel the magic of several different mages coming from the small crystal. He gave Rette a questioning look.

"If you find yourselves in a little trouble, just break the crystal. Everyone in our guild is marked with my own mark. That'll activate to protect those with my mark while attacking those who aren't." Rette told him.

Freed nodded. He didn't even question the part about everyone in the guild being marked with her own mark. He had accepted the fact that Rette was completely possessive of whatever she claimed as hers. Be that objects or people.

"Do you want me to ask Virgo to bring you some clothes, Rette?" Lucy asked, looking over Rette.

The barely there shorts and bikini-like top Rette had been wearing were badly worn, looking like they would tear apart at the slightest tugging. Rette looked down at her clothes. She always chose her clothes, every last piece, to be sturdy and to withstand a heavy beating. She was sure she would be alright and told Lucy so. Lucy shrugged. If Rette thought she would be alright than she couldn't make her take new clothes.

"I'm going to go with Natsu and them, too!" Wendy declared.

"Wait, Wendy!" Carla tried to argue.

"I think I would be able to provide some kind of support." Wendy insisted.

"I...I'm going too...I need to take on Gajeel's rival." Lily said, though his eyes went to Thyme, who was sitting on Rette's shoulder, ready to follow the girl into a fight.

While he wanted to take on the rival of his human partner, he also didn't want to let Thyme go into a fight and not be there to keep an eye on her. Thyme, for all her bravery, was, in his mind, delicate. He didn't want her to get hurt. It would only serve to upset him and distract Rette.

"I'm going to stay here and help Freed with the enchantments." Levy said.

"I want to stay with Mira and Elf." Lisanna agreed.

"Be careful, Lisanna and take good care of them." Rette told her.

Lisanna gave her a smile and nodded in agreement. With that, they had effectively split into two groups, as agreed upon.

"Then it's decided." Freed said.

"We will protect everyone, no matter what." Bixlow agreed.

"Be careful, Lucy." Levy told her friend.

"Most of my magical power has recovered." Lucy assured her.

"Mine too." Rette said, flexing her hands.

"The only enemy left is Hades." Lisanna mused.

"This looks like the final battle." Wendy agreed.

If only she knew how wrong she was. Their final battle was far from being there yet and it would be a battle that they wouldn't be able to win. Looking up at the storm filled sky, Rette had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know why, or what was causing it, but she had a bad feeling something was going to go wrong.

Really wrong.

END

Kyandi: I'm going to say this now, but something that happens in the next chapter, is going to become a running gag in later chapters.

Rette: She gave somewhat of a hint to it in this chapter.

Kyandi: Rette isn't pleased with me for it.

Rette: Who would be!?

Kyandi: Gray.

Rette: ...I don't think pleased is the right word with Gray.

Kyandi: Oblivious?

Rette: Yeah, that's about right.

Kyandi: Hehe! Everyone, please enjoy and review!

Rette: We will return soon.

Kyandi: Bye bye!


	32. Darkness

Kyandi: Greetings, my lovelies!

Rette: Yeah, hey.

Kyandi: I've been working really hard on turning out more chapters.

Rette: Mostly because she's had this part of the story planned out since before she started writing this story.

Kyandi: Well...she's not wrong.

Rette: I'm sorry, was that you actually admitting that I'm right? I can't hear you when you mutter.

Kyandi: You're a real jerk, you that right?

Rette: I'm whatever you want me to be. Now shall we move on?

Kyandi: Right! Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chatper 32 Darkness

Natsu led the charge, Rette, Wendy, Lucy, and the exceeds hot on his tail. Along the way, they found Erza supporting a wounded Gray. Gray was making the comment about always needing to be saved by someone when they neared them, Erza agreeing that she was the same way. The two looked up when they neared and Natsu grinned at Gray.

"I'm the same way, too." Natsu assured him.

Rette rubbed at the back of her neck, looking away from the others. One hand went to her hip as she forced an indifferent look on her face.

"Yeah, well...I'm not any better. I guess that's just our little group." Rette remarked.

The others smiled at her, knowing that no matter her indifferent expression, Rette cared. Natsu clapped her on the shoulder a little harder than he should, rising an "Ow" from Rette. With their team whole, they continued about their way, finding the Grimoire Heart battleship on the east shore. Hades was waiting on the deck when they came to a stop in front of it. Though battered and bruised, they stood there, ready to fight, and to win.

"Come anytime you're ready. Makarov's babies." Hades called down to them.

Babies?

Oooohhhh, someone was asking to get his ancient ass kicked.

With that, Hades turned and vanished back into the ship. Natsu yelled for him to come meet them on their turf, but he ignored him. It looked like they would have to meet Hades on his turf.

"How cocky." Gray remarked.

"He handled Master." Erza reminded him.

"If we can defeat that guy...everyone would be able to leave this island, right?" Wendy asked.

"Of course! All of us would be free to go." Lucy assured her.

"But there's no "if" to it. We have to win. For our guild mates." Rette added, staring up at the ship.

Natsu turned to the four exceed present, then.

"Happy, I have a favor to ask of you guys." Natsu told them.

"What?" Happy asked.

"I want you to search this ship for whatever looks like its power source and destroy it." Natsu told them.

"If it starts to fly by any chance, Natsu and Rette would have serious problems." Wendy said in agreement.

Rette didn't even want to think about the ship flying. Just thinking about it made her stomach do a flip and had her shoulders sagging.

"For now, you two should use Toroia on yourselves." Wendy added.

Rette and Natsu agreed, letting Wendy cast the anti-motion sickness spell on them. Though it wouldn't last forever, it would help if the ship happened to take off. Happy, Carla, Lily, and Thyme agreed to the task set out for them. Rette made Thyme promise to be careful.

"Shall we get started, then?" Gray asked.

"Not like we have much of a choice." Rette remarked.

Gray used his ice to craft them a staircase to the deck of the ship and Natsu lead the charge up, Erza and Rette right behind him and Lucy, Gray, and Wendy bringing up the rear. The exceeds separated from them, flying off to handle their own task, Lily still comically covering his ears with his paws.

"He's even more powerful a mage than Master. We have to be fighting at full power from the very start!" Erza told them.

"Got it." Rette agreed.

"Okay!" Wendy chimed in.

"Give it everything you've got! Hear me, Rette!? If that means turning his ass into a pin cushion, then do it!" Gray called out.

"I only do that to people if it'll make me laugh." Rette replied.

"You did it to me!" Gray retorted.

"Exactly."

Gray shot Rette a glare and she returned the glare with a little wave of her hand over her shoulder. Erza quickly told the two to cut it out and take this seriously.

"No time to think about the past or the future, just focus on now!" Lucy called in agreement.

"I'm finally going to get to smack that bastard! I'm all fired up now!" Natsu yelled from the head of the group.

When they reached the top and burst into the ship, Natsu went in swinging, charging straight for Hades, who was waiting for them. Hades easily blocked the flames Natsu shot his way, but as soon as the flames cleared, he found Erza, equipped in her Purgatory armor, and Gray, using his Cold Excalibur, coming at him from above while Rette, a crystal sword in hand, came in from low to the ground. His eyes widened as the three all attacked him at once. Lucy chimed in with Taurus, right behind them and Wendy offered them all support with a mix of three support spells that increased their attack and defense power.

Switching out, but never letting up, they all continued to attack Hades. Despite being old, he moved with such and speed and reflexes, he effortlessly dodged them all.

"If you are going to be that relentless..." Hades remarked.

Holding a hand out, a magic chain with a clawed hook on the end, shot out from his hand, latching onto Erza's shoulder and with a tug, he sent Erza flying towards Rette and Gray. Rette, seeing the attack coming, hit the floor, letting Erza fly over her head and crash into Gray. Natsu came in from above then, attacking with his Fire Dragon's Wing Attack. Hades dodged and, using another chain, latched onto the back of Natsu's neck, whipping him off his feet. Erza came to his rescue, cutting through the chain. Gray stepped up, offering Natsu a launching pad of sorts with his Ice Hammer, sending Natsu rocketing back towards Hades.

Wendy, Lucy, with the help of Scorpio, and Rette combined their next attacks, managing a three way Unison Raid with Natsu and his flames in the center. Natsu, with their support, managed to land a direct hit on Hades, sending him skidding back several feet to crash into the wall. Rette stared at the issuing smoke, waiting to see if the attack had worked. She gnashed her teeth when Hades's figure appeared in the smoke, still on its feet.

"The mistakes people make are eventually labeled as "experience". But with a true mistake, there will be no experience to be gained. Because the mistake you made taking me on as your opponent will leave you with no future." Hades said, appearing from the smoke, completely unharmed.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me. What, is he made of steel?" Rette said tartly.

"It had no effect on him at all." Lucy said.

"H...hey...I went at it will full power." Gray said.

"The level of his magical power has changed." Natsu added in.

Rette was positive then...this was going to be a real pain in her side.

"Well, then...are you just about finished with your warm-ups?" Hades asked.

The magical power that hit Rette's senses was sinister. It wasn't, by far, the most sinister magical energy she had ever sensed, but it was enough to send a chill down her spine. It had the others shaking on the spot. Rette knew something awful was coming their way. Erza warned them to be parpared, but nothing could prepare them for what happened next. Without lifting a single finger or chanting anything, Hades cast a spell that made Wendy, save for her clothes, vanish into thin air. The others turned as her clothes fluttered to the ground.

Rette's eyes went wide, her blood running cold. Wendy...was gone? Wait...no. Rette started turning on the spot. This magical energy...she could still sense Wendy. Hades raised an eyebrow, watching as Rette turned, searching the room, a look on her face like she knew something they didn't.

"She's...gone..." Lucy said lowly.

"No she's not." Rette said firmly.

But Gray and Natsu weren't listening. They turned on Hades with anger. Then Rette located the energy she was feeling. Her eyes went up to the ceiling just before a voice spoke.

"'Everyone, please calm down. I'm fine'...is what she says."

Clinging to the ceiling above them was Lucy's clock spirit, Horologium.

"I knew it." Rette said, breathing a breath of relief.

"I am currently in automatic danger response mode." Horologium told them.

"Umm...I've been in pleeenty of dangerous situations up till now." Lucy remarked.

"I'm sorry, the level of danger is currently higher than any previous situation. "Thank you very much, Horologium." she says." Horologium said.

Rette shook her head. The spirit was just as strange as every time Rette had seen him. Just because Wendy spoke, didn't mean he had to repeat it. Especially when it was just a thanks to him.

"So why did only your clothes get left behind?" Natsu asked.

"In an emergency situation, I protected her body." Horologium replied.

"Wait...does that mean inside there...Wendy is..." Gray trailed off.

Rette heaved a sigh when Horologium repeated the little yell Wendy made upon realizing that she was naked inside Horologium. So not a sentence Rette ever thought to find herself thinking. Her world just seemed to get stranger and stranger. Erza thanked Horologium for saving Wendy, to which that he replied it was a one time deal since he was at his limit. After asking them to be careful, he vanished, releasing Wendy, who had been given a new pair of clothes. She landed easily on the floor below, safe and sound.

"So these are Makarov's kids? As expected. They're interesting." Hades said, more to himself than to them.

"Are you an acquaintance of the old man?" Natsu demanded.

"Did you not investigate me?" Hades asked.

"Oh yes, because we so knew you were going to attack us here on the island." Rette retorted.

Hades ignored her sour mood. Rette was getting awfully tired of being ignored like that. Yes, she knew that she didn't have to smart off, but still...he was annoying her. More than Laxus and that was saying something.

"There should be plenty of information archived about me in your guild's files." Hades added.

Wait...what?

What did he mean by that?

"I was Fairy Tail's second master. I went by the name of Purehito." he said, as if in answer.

"Liar!" Natsu snapped.

"I was the one who nominated Makarov to be the third guild master." Hades insisted.

"There's no way that's true! Stop bull-shitting with me!" Natsu demanded, charging Hades.

With a swipe of two fingers, Hades blew Natsu away and then, with another swipe, he attacked Gray and Wendy. Casting two chains, he latched onto Erza and Lucy, and bound them together before causing an explosion in the chains. His attention next turned to Rette, but she was no where to be seen. A shadow falling over his face, made him turn his eyes skyward. Rette swung a crystal sword down on his head, but a quick casting had a chain wrapping around her wrists, binding them together and tightening until she dropped her sword.

Rette struggled as she hung off the ground by her wrists. Natsu charged in to help her but with a simple motion like that of firing of a gun, it was like a bullet had been fired from Hades's fingers straight through Natsu's right leg. He turned the finger gun on Gray and Wendy next, laughing at their pain. He gave a wave of his hand, and Rette's stomach lurched as the chain whipped her from one side, slamming her into Lucy and the to the other side, releasing her wrist to hurtle her into Erza. Hades didn't relent his attacks until they all lay on the floor, too hurt to move.

Rette's very chest burned as she lay on her back, her legs draped over part of a pillar Hades had swung her through. Apparently he believed her a wreckball. That being said, her chest didn't just burn from injury. Her anger was starting to rise once more. She was getting flung around like she was nothing more than a sack of rice or something. She hadn't felt so small and defenseless since she had been a child, easily picked up and punished by Tundron for a fit or a smart remark. That realization only made a low growl roll out of her throat.

"Do fairies have tails? Or don't they? An eternal mystery. And an eternal adventure." Hades remarked.

"What are you babbling about?" Rette demanded.

"The origin of the name of your guild probably sprung from that thought." Hades replied.

Rette let out another low growl as Hades walked up to Natsu, who was the closest to him, and stepped on his head.

"But your journey is about to end. Mavis' will was entrusted to me. My will was entrusted to Makarov. But that was a mistake. Makarov changed the guild." Hades said.

"What's wrong with change!?" Natsu asked.

"Too much sunlight shone on magic." Hades replied.

"That is our Fairy Tail! We don't live like we have already died, like you do! We live with our lives on the line, you bastard! If you don't have the courage to change things then you might as well just die!" Natsu snapped at him.

"Annoying brat."

Rette's anger shot up another notch, her body shaking with the effort to contain it when Hades shot another of his finger bullets into Natsu's uninjured leg. She forced herself to roll onto her stomach, her body screaming at her in pain as she forced herself to her hands and knees.

"If you're going to hate someone, hate Makarov. It's Makarov's fault that you have to suffer and die like this." Hades said, shooting Natsu again and again.

His attention was so focused on Natsu that he didn't even see the incoming attack until, with a roar of her increasing anger, Rette hit him square on, in the side. She knocked him back from Natsu, staggering as she fought to remain on her feet. Natsu and the others stared in shock. It was almost like a dark cloud was rolling off Rette, her magic energy taking on a darker twist in her anger.

Almost like there was something else tainting her magic a black color. Like there was something else taking hold of her and twisting her anger into a sinister power that was starting to flood her body. Hades was surprised as he faced Rette. Her expression was indifferent, as it almost always seemed to be, but her eyes were cold, the magenta-lavender color of them blazing as her anger made her shake on the spot. Her pupils had even begun to shrink into slits as her anger begun to get the best of her.

"Rette..." Natsu called, looking up at her back.

They could all feel the darkness taking over Rette. They had never felt anything like this from her and it scared them to see it now. Rette, though, didn't answer him, her eyes focused on Hades only. Her anger had gifted her with tunnel vision and in that state all she saw or heard, was Hades. How dare he lay a finger on something of hers! How dare he play with and hurt a member of **her** guild as if he was nothing more than a plaything. Rette's anger clouded her brain, her rational thought fogging over. She had never handled anger well. In fact, her temper had gotten her in more trouble than she could count.

Chrysalis had even commented once that when Rette got angry, it wasn't anger...it was fury. It raged and destroyed all before Rette even realized what she was doing. Chrysalis had claimed that when Rette's anger truly grew too strong, it was like a demon took over her body, blocking out Rette's rational mind and driving her to do things she would have never done in her right mind. From then until her anger was saited, it was like Rette rained tribulation down on all who blocked her way.

Almost as if something completely took over her brain in that moment, blacking out everything.

"That darkness...who would have thought Makarov would have someone as tainted as you in Fairy Tail." Hades remarked, a grin on his face.

A low growl from Rette was his only answer. Without warning, Rette charged Hades. Her friends called out to her to stop, but Rette didn't hear them. Hades caught the punch she threw at him, and returned it with a punch of his own. Rette slide back a few feet, but she remained upright and attacked again.

"Persistent, aren't you? Anger seems to be a fuel for you, I see." Hades remarked.

He caught her next punch, only noticing the green magic circle after he had caught the first.

"Nexus magic, Dancing Light Crystals...End Annihilation."

The resulting explosion from the spell rocked the whole ship and sent Rette and Hades flying apart as smoke kicked up. Rette staggered, almost losing her footing, but stubbornly stayed on her feet. She searched the smoke, trying to locate Hades, knowing she hadn't managed to do him in. Out of the smoke, though, came one Hades' chains instead of himself. It latched onto her wrist and yanked her off her feet, sending her flying across the room to hit the wall hard. Before she could hit the floor, it latched onto her again, binding her wrists together and dragging her to Hades. The chain held her off her feet right in front of him.

"Enough already. Disappear now." Hades told her, holding up a hand to cast a spell.

"Rette!" came the combined yells of her friends.

A split second before the spell could be cast, Rette felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She knew this feeling. A bolt of lightning lit the sky as it arched through the sky and crashed into the ship. Rette squeezed her eyes shut against the brightness and was sent swaying as Hades backed up from the bolt of lightning, taking her with him.

"So **he's** the old man's rival?"

Rette knew that voice. She opened her eyes to find none other than Laxus standing before Hades. Hades was so taken by surprise with how much Laxus looked like a young Makarov, that Laxus landed a hard headbutt on him before he knew what hit him. Rette winced. She kind of felt sorry for Hades. Laxus had a really hard head. It had to feel like getting hit in the head with a ton of bricks. Hades took a step back, managing to keep his grip on the spell holding Rette. Had he released her, Rette would have instantly attacked him, following up Laxus' headbutt.

Hades could still feel the darkness that was fueling Rette's anger. Laxus could feel it too, and glanced at Rette who looked about as mad as Mira had that one time Laxus had let Happy get away with an S-class job request without telling anyone.

"So you're related to Makarov?" Hades said, looking at Laxus.

Laxus though, glanced over his shoulder at Natsu before turning his attention forward once more. By ignoring Hades, annoying him with the lack of attention, the chains around Rette's wrists tightened. Hanging like that, after all the damage she had taken, it felt like the strings holding her top on were about to snap. Rette really regretted not taking Lucy's offer for more clothes now. As the thought of the possible embarrassment she would feel at losing her top in front of others, sank into her head, it effectively washed some of her anger away. As that bit of anger was washed away, her vision began to clear of the tunneled darkness that had rolled in and her rational mind returned.

"How pathetic." Laxus called back to Natsu. "All of your clothes look like shit-stained rags."

Natsu only grinned back in reply. All of their clothes looked like crap.

"What are you doing here?" Erza asked Laxus.

"I came to visit my ancestors' graves. After all, I was once a part of Fairy Tail." Laxus replied. "I had planned on coming to visit Mavis' grave. I was shocked that the second had forsaken her. At least make a grave for him and pay your respects."

The look on Laxus' face could peel paint, it was so intense. While Rette usually wasn't the kind of person to interfere with a staring match like this, finding it too amusing to just watch, she was a bit concerned for another matter.

"As great as it is to see you, Annoying Man, can someone get me down. My top is about to snap." Rette said.

All eyes turned to Rette. It was easy for them to see the fraying of the strings for her bikini-like top. If she moved in just the right way, the whole top would snap and come falling off. Rette's cheeks went a little pink when all eyes went to her.

"That doesn't mean for everyone's eyes to instantly come to me!" she snapped.

"Since I'd rather look in private, I'll help you." Laxus told her, grinning at her.

"You're asinine comments aren't helping, Laxus. Just get me done." Rette insisted.

As much as he loved to watch Rette squirm, because she did it so rarely, he turned his attention back to Hades. The two stared at each other, as if waiting to see who would make the first move. As fast as the lightning that was his magic, Laxus slammed a knee up into Hades' chin. A split second later, he lunged forward, wrapping an arm around Rette's waist and freeing her from the chain.

"Hold on tight." he told her.

"Who would want to hold onto you?" Rette retorted.

As much as Laxus would have loved to simply drop her on her ass, he didn't. Rette was forced to hold onto him when he instantly jumped back into attacking Hades. He was pretty sure Hades would try to recapture her, or that Rette would jump into the way, if he sat her down. So he kept a tight grip on her with one arm and attacked with the other. Rette felt like she had static electricity running all over her body with every lightning attack Laxus used. It made her skin tingle.

Hades, getting his feet, aimed a chain for Laxus, who side stepped it easily. Rette, who was able to see over Laxus' shoulder, saw what Hades had really been aiming for and her grip on Laxus' tightened.

"Laxus, behind you!" Rette warned.

Laxus turned, finding that the chain had latched onto a large and heavy globe, yanking it towards him like it was a wrecking ball. In his distraction with escaping the globe, Hades landed a hit to Laxus, who defended Rette in his arms. Now down on one knee, Hades cast another spell. Rette, not wanting to get taken out with Laxus, cast her own spell just as quickly, a Conductor Crystal absorbing enough of the blast, that Laxus could zip around behind Hades and land a hard kick to the old man's back. But Rette knew, before the effects hit him, that she hadn't been able to absorb enough of the blast. She knew he had taken the damage of what had been left, to protect her.

"Laxus?" she asked, pressing a hand to his chest in concern.

"The world really is a huge place. To think...that a monster of a person like this exists...I still have a ways to go." Laxus said lowly.

"Looks like you've finally figured out your place, Laxus. Now, you and the girl can disappear!" Hades snapped.

Rette's eyes went wide as Hades launched another attack. She couldn't absorb enough of it into one of her crystals. The blast would simply be too big as this point. She could try, but they would still take a hit and she knew Laxus would shield her over himself.

"Hey Rette."

Rette eyes turned back to Laxus when he spoke.

"I'm no longer a member of Fairy Tail, but...if something happened to the old man...I can still get angry about it, right?" he asked.

His honest question shocked her. It seemed that, in his time away from the guild, he had done a lot of growing up.

"Of course you can, you dummy!" she told him.

A grin curled Laxus' lips. Rette could feel the surge in power from him and had a good idea what he was about to do. Especially when he looked her in the eye. She knew what he was silently asking of her even as he gathered the last of his power. Explosion rocked the ship a split second after they both cast their own spells. Whatever she couldn't absorb, Laxus took, shielding her from any harm. He collapsed from the damage, Rette supporting his body as much as she could. Which wasn't easy.

The man was heavy.

"This is...my treat...Natsu." Laxus said lowly.

Rette turned her eyes towards Natsu. In that split second, Laxus had given the last of his power to Natsu, lightning now dancing over Natsu's body as he got to his feet. Natsu thanked Laxus for the meal as Rette settled Laxus' head and shoulders in her lap.

"That's every last bit of my magic." Laxus told Natsu, before grinning. "To think, this is what it took to end up with such a comfortable pillow."

Rette would have smacked him if she could actually muster up any annoyance with him. Instead, she simply rolled her eyes at him. She would keep an eye on him for now, make sure he didn't get hurt.

"Rette?" Erza called.

"I got him. We're good." Rette replied back.

Erza nodded, glad to see that Laxus would be alright in Rette's capable hands. If Laxus had given the last of his magic power to Natsu, right before the hit, that meant he took the hit with no magic. Erza knew that if it hadn't been for Rette and her Conductor Crystal spell, Laxus would be worse off than he currently was. Erza was sure he would be perfectly fine in Rette's han...

"You annoying idiot."

Erza and the others flinched when Rette gave Laxus a slap across the face.

Did she say he would be fine in Rette's hands?

Perhaps that was a **little bit** of a stretch.

Laxus, though, just grinned. He'd take a little slap across the face and being called an idiot in exchange for getting to use Rette's lap as a pillow. Natsu, lightning now dancing about him, turned to Laxus then.

"Why did you give this to me?" Natsu asked. "I'm so much weaker than you."

"It's not about strong or weak. Who was the one hurt by all this? Someone with the guild's brand needs to handle this...the right way. Take the pain that was caused to your guild and return it...one hundred fold." Laxus told him.

Rette leaned over Laxus, making him look up at her as her hair fell forward to tickle his face. His eyes met Rette's.

"Well...look who finally figured it out." she remarked.

Laxus scoffed, but there was a grin on his face. Nodding in agreement, Natsu took the extra power Laxus had given him, fusing the lightning Laxus had given him with his own flames. Rette frowned slightly. Fusing magic together was her thing. She wasn't sure how she felt about Natsu doing it. But using the power he dubbed as the Lightning Fire Dragon, Natsu attacked Hades, hitting the old man with all the strength he had been given plus his own. The damage to his surrounds was vast, but so was the anger Natsu was feeling at the harm Hades and his soldiers had done to their guild. His anger, and the power born through his intense feelings for his friends, was so great that even when Hades bound his arms, Natsu broke free.

Rette was so surprised. She had known that Natsu was strong. Power had never been something that Natsu lacked. She hadn't known he was so capable of taking something so seriously, so personal. All because his emotions, his feelings for his guild and friends, was so great. Rette, herself, was scared of her own emotions. The intensity of them scared her to her very core. It was so much easier, so much safer for her little bit of remaining sanity, to keep them locked away. To build walls around herself, and distance herself from everything and everyone.

It was so much easier to just run and never look back.

But Natsu...Natsu faced it all, charging head first into it. He had the bravery to confront his feelings, to embrace them and fight with them. That was something Rette was sure she would never have. Not while she still had so many demons from her past dogging her every steps, haunting her every time she closed her eyes. To see the power it granted Natsu...it shook Rette completely.

Rette folded herself over Laxus, shielding herself as well as much of him as she could when Natsu's final attack lit up the whole space, punching a hole in the side of the ship with it's sheer power. The power of the attack was so strong, it carrying it clear across the full length of the island and into the sky beyond. That was definitely power that Rette could never match. When all the smoke cleared and Rette sat up, Hades was laying on the floor, looking like he was done for. Natsu swayed on his feet, and tipped over, almost falling through a hole in the floor just behind him. Lucy scrambled across the floor, just barely catching Natsu's wrist before he could fall out of reach.

Rette knew Natsu's store of magic power had to be bone dry now. So much power unleashed in a fury of attacks...there was no way he could have anymore. The others looked relieved, happy that it was finally over, but Rette only shivered. She could feel a surge of dark magic.

It wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

"You're quite some amazing youngsters."

All eyes turned in shock to face Hades. The man was climbing back to his feet, as if he hadn't just been hit with the immense power Natsu had thrown his way. Didn't the man know when to call it quits!?

"That damn Makarov...he raised up some incredible brats. I don't know how many decades it's been since I've taken this much damage. It would be simple to finish things off as they are right now, but I want to thank you properly for entertaining me." Hades said, reaching for the eye patch over his right eye.

Rette didn't like this feeling. She didn't like it at all.

"The Devil's Eye awakening! I'm going to show you something quite remarkable." Hades said.

As he removed the eye patch and opened his right eye, it was like the very magic in the air around him went dark, spiraling around him like a swirling abyss that made Rette's skin crawl. And the power was continuing to increase, gaining more and more power. His appearance shifted as well, his ears becoming pointed and his very features turning a little more demonic looking.

"The abyss of magic. This domain of magic is far beyond any of your wildest imaginations. This is your end, Fairy Tail." Hades declared.

They were in trouble. Laxus was done, Natsu was out of power, and the rest of them were injured and running low on strength. This power that Hades was displaying...Rette had felt power like this before. Power so strong, so terrifying, it made her stomach quiver in fear. She didn't like fear, hadn't really felt it since she was a small child and had lived with it every day of her pitiful life. And to think Hades had actually gotten back to his feet after Natsu had hit him with all he had. As she was, Rette knew she would never match up to Natsu in power.

"To walk the path of magic is to sink into the deepest levels of darkness. Beyond the depths, shining in the deep abyss...is the "Magic of the One". Just a little more and I will reach the Magic of One! But that infinitesimal distance...is the deepest stretch of my path. The "Great world of magic" fills that depth. The world Zeref inhabits. Tonight, with Zeref's awakening, the world will change. Soon I will obtain the Magic of one! You little ones cannot pass into the great world of magic. You lack the resolve to step into the abyssal deep!" Hades declared.

Darkness.

Now **that** was something Rette knew about from personal experience. Darkness was a part of everyday life. No matter where anyone turned there would always been darkness, there would always be shadows. But Rette knew, now, that with shadows, with darkness...came light and hope. For with the darker the shadows grew, the starker and brighter the light became. Light always shined brighter in the dark. Rette had thought herself lost in darkness until she came to Fairy Tail. In the short time she had been with them, the members of the guild had become her saving light in the darkness that shrouded her on the inside.

Rette hated the darkness, but if using the power it granted, if latching onto it was what it took to defend her light...

Hades would pay for digging up that darkness.

"From the Chapter Four. Scripture twelve of the Book of Zeref...Hidden Magic, the Punishers of Heaven: "Nemesis"!"

Rette's head flew up as she heard those words come from Hades. A shiver traveled up the length of her spine as the rubble around them turned into demons straight from the pits of hell. Rette could feel the fear rising from her guild mates at the sight of the demons that Hades conjured. She felt it to, which raised a curt laugh that she barely kept to herself.

"With the magic power of the abyss, I can spawn demons from even the lowliest of rocks. They are at once the dancing children of demons. And judges of heaven. This is Hidden Magic." Hades declared.

Fear.

The one feeling Rette hated more than anything. She had spent everyday of her life from the day she was born, scared about one thing or another. She had lived in the stuff that made up nightmares. Anything Hades conjured couldn't possibly stand up to the horror she had witnessed and lived through at the hands of her own father. Which was why she felt like laughing in the face of the "fear" his demons made her feel. Hades would find out quick that not everyone was so easily scared. He would see. So might her guild mates, but Rette could handle things like that later.

Rette gently lowered Laxus' head out of her lap, setting him down carefully. The big lug was annoying and constantly got on her nerves, but he had helped her and had come to their aid despite not being in the guild anymore. She would give him a proper thank you later. She got to her feet then, stepping between Hades and her friends.

Everyone froze as Rette turned and headed towards Hades, looking stronger and more confident than her tattered and beaten appearance let on. Even when the demons snarled and snapped at her, Rette never wavered.

"Rette! What do you think you're doing!? Get back here!" Ezra yelled.

Rette didn't listen. She continued towards Hades, calm as she always was. Hades grinned as he watched her. She had to be out of her mind to purposely walk into his clutches when she could feel the power rolling off him. He was all but laughing in her face as she neared him. One demon snapped at Rette, but she turned to it, the look on her face so dark that instead of the demon scaring Rette, Rette scared the demon. Hades' laughter died off when he noticed why.

The dark magic he had felt from her earlier, was back. It was growing in intensity. He was surprised to find such magic pouring from a young girl like Rette, but he knew it wouldn't help her. Rette didn't agree, didn't care to think about it. All she could hear was a voice in her head urging her to kill, to rip and destroy for the pain and fear he was causing her guild mates. The voice was like a war chant being repeated in her head, whispering in Rette's ear, "Kill, kill, kill, kill". Rette had never been able to deny the voice before.

The next demon that snapped at her came too close. Rette grabbed the creature by the head, slamming its head into the ground and stomping on it with a booted heel. Hades was shocked, to say the least. Most cowarded in fear, to afraid to approach the creatures, much less touch one. Rette really had to of lost her mind.

"Would you look at this. Most, like your guild mates, lack the resolve to reach into the abyss, into the darkness. But you...you've already plunged into the darkness, haven't you?" Hades asked. "I can see the darkness fighting to try to take you over."

Rette's cold, killer gaze snapped up to him. He could see her rational mind finding to remain in control even when something was urging her to continue. Urging her to destroy all in her path. This was no longer anger. Rette was losing an up hill fight for the control over her own body. But the question than became...just **what** was she losing her battle to?

Her friends stared, their eyes wide as they watched Rette. This wasn't Rette. Not the Rette they knew. Hades claimed that Rette had already plunged head first into the void of darkness, and Rette wasn't denying it. Instead, she was wrestling with something deep in her and seemed to barely be winning. Instead of denying Hades' claim, Rette let out a curt laugh.

"My darkness is of my own concern. I won't deny it's there. If there's one thing I've learned in this unforgiving world, it's that there's darkness everywhere you turn. Shadows are just a part of the world. But where there's darkness...there's light, shining brighter as the darkness grows thicker. You've threatened my light. If letting my darkness consume me is what it takes to protect that precious light...I'll do it. You and your pitiful demons can't scare me." Rette told him.

"What was that!?" Hades demanded.

"You call this fear!? I grew up with fear. I lived in it everyday, breathed it with every breath I took in. Terror so great it made me numb. Afraid of so much, of everything, of the very person I should have trusted more than anyone else. I lived in endless nightmares that these sorry excuse for demons could never match. When compared to that, the fear you're trying to spread, pales in comparison. You wouldn't know true fear if it hit you in the face." Rette told him.

Rette ground her heel into the head of the demon she was stepping on, driving it deeper into the floor with every word. If there was one thing her friends had come to learn...a person didn't remind Rette of her past and get away with it. Especially if that person was trying to make her guild mates feel as she had in that dark past.

"Your magic might be able to create nightmares to prey on the fear of others, but there's something about fear you don't understand. Right, Natsu?" Rette called.

Natsu, wrapped in Lucy's arms, reached up to latch onto her arm. Rette, no matter the darkness that was swirling around her, was still their Rette. She would fight whatever influence was fighting to control her. All for her guild mates.

"Right. Fear isn't "evil". It only allows us to learn our own weaknesses." Natsu agreed, quoting something Gildartz had told him. "When we learn our weakness, people can grow stronger and kinder. We learned our own weakness right now. So what do we do next? Rette?"

"We grow stronger!" Rette agreed as Natsu got to his feet.

"When we're all alone, it might be too frightening to bear, but we're all right beside each other. We've got our comrades, right here! There's nothing to fear! We're not alone!" Natsu declared.

"A delightfully empty set of words. But even that ends now." Hades said.

"Once again, you're wrong. It never ends. I may have darkness lurking in me, I may be the most tainted thing to walk this earth, but if there's one thing I know about Fairy Tail, it is that light over flows from the whole guild. They are my guiding light and I will go to hell and back to defend them. As a former master of Fairy Tail, you should already know this...Fairy Tail never gives up. Even when the odds are stacked against us, even when the darkness overwhelms us and blocks out all outside light, we can still fight. We'll find our light in our comrades and keep fighting. **That** is Fairy Tail." Rette declared.

Behind her, her guild mates got to their feet. Though they were shaking, and their magic was growing low, they weren't going to give up.

"Let's roll!" Natsu yelled.

Rette lurched into action, attacking the demons around her. As if their charge into the battle triggered them, the demons attacked back. Rette, using her light magic, cleared the way and kept it clear. Behind her, Natsu tripped as the demons attacked them with blasts of dark energy. Lucy and Wendy reached back, grabbing a hold of his wrists. With all the energy and strength they had left, the two girls launched Natsu forward. Erza and Gray took over, both raising a leg, to offer their feet as a platform for Natsu. With a might heaving kick, they sent him rocketing right towards Rette. Rette drew every last bit of her magical and physical power into a tight ball. As Natsu reached her, she seized him by the back of his vest and swung him with all her might, following close behind him.

"Send everything to the bottom of darkness. It's time for the sun to sink, Fairy Tail!" Hades yelled.

Rette slide to a halt, drew her left fist back and, with a punch, unleashed all the magic power she had left. The attack hit Natsu's feet, propelling him into Hades. The resulting explosion sent Rette flying backwards off her feet. Her back hit the floor hard and she slide a few feet. Sadly, this caused her already fraying strings on her top to snap. Rette wrapped her arms around her chest. She quickly searched her surrounding, looking for anything to use to cover herself. Her eyes landed on a torn piece of fabric that could have been a curtain before.

She snagged it and wrapped it around her chest, tying it in the front, right between her breasts. Rette swore, for now, she was going to carry extra clothes with her. She looked up, watching Natsu, even on empty, continue to pound away at Hades. Then Rette felt it. It felt like her magic suddenly surged back to life, even when she was sure she had just used every last drop of it. A look back towards the island, told her why. The Tenrou Tree, which had been uprooted, was back to it's original state, standing proudly once more. The Fairy Tail brands on each of them began to glow as their power was restored. Rette grinned slightly to herself as she pressed a hand to her guild mark.

Without a second's hesitation, she surged to her feet, charging forward. Natsu, seeing her coming, ducked out of the way, letting Rette get her revenge on Hades with a solid left hook to Hades' face. Switching off, Natsu and Rette continued to attack.

"This victory is ours!" Natsu declared.

"NO!" Hades retorted, blocking his next punch.

Hades knocked Natsu aside, sending him flying back onto his back. Rette swooped in, coming from below. She landed her punch on the underside of Hades' chin, snapping his head back, but Hades repaid her with a hard back hand to the face, knocking her aside.

"Until those of you that follow this path of magic finally reach its peak, the devil will not sleep!" Hades declared.

"Oh, you're about to sleep alright." Rette retorted.

Before he could figure out what she meant, Laxus came out of nowhere and landed a punch right to Hades' face.

"Go, Fairy Tail!" Laxus called.

Lucy and Wendy attacked first, Erza and Gray following up right behind them. Just before Hades hit the floor, Natsu and Rette were on him. Natsu pulled back a fist, using the lighting fire dragon power he had gained by taking Laxus' power. Rette, despite her dislike of her own Dragon Slayer magic, had the perfect spell to join Natsu's.

"Crimson Explosion Lightning Blade!"

"Ice Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Frosting Blizzard: Hydrothermic Typhoon!"

The two spells mixed into a whirlwind of power that finally, thankfully, did Hades in. Natsu fell to his knees in a cheer, throwing his fists into the air. Rette staggered on her feet and would have fallen over if Laxus hadn't grabbed her arm, helping her regain her footing. Outside, the sun was rising over the horizon, coloring the sky with pinks, oranges, reds, and purples, A new day had dawned and they had survived the night and another enemy.

"It's over, isn't it?" Gray asked.

"Yeah." Erza confirmed.

"We won, didn't we?" Wendy asked.

"We did, but it sure was a pain." Rette remarked, heaving a sigh.

Rette was so tired that she was sure that she could sleep for a week. Laxus looked down at her, raising an eyebrow.

"A Dragon Slayer?" he asked.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Laxus Dreyar. I happened to have been raised by two dragons and have the magic learned from both." Rette told him.

"That explains a lot." Laxus muttered.

Rette rounded on him, eyeing him as her hands went to her hips.

"And what is that suppose to mean?" she demanded.

Laxus just grinned, refusing to answer her. And this was why Rette claimed that he was an annoying man. Her name suddenly being called through the link she had with Thyme, had Rette turning. When she did, her eyes widened. Coming their way, Happy yelling, was the four exceeds. Somewhere along the way, Lily had picked up a sword that changed sizes as he did, but that wasn't what caught Rette's attention. Behind them, wielding weapons and yelling something about the cats destroying their master's heart, were guards.

"This is bad." Gray remarked.

"Our magic power is absolutely zero." Erza agreed.

"Sorry...my magic power, too." Lily agreed.

"I don't even have the physical strength to fight now." Rette added.

Apparently, though, Rette had joined a guild that was filled with luck. The members of their guild that they had left back at the base camp, had shown up, Makarov leading them. Even bandaged and heavily wounded, the group had more magic at their disposal than Rette and her group did. That, along with the sight of their master defeated, was enough to send the guards running for their lives. Laxus dropped to sit on the ground, cross legged, and, relieved, Rette dropped to sit on a boulder near him. She was almost knocked over when Thyme took a running leap at her, hitting her in the chest. Rette assured her that she was fine.

The others reunited in a loud cheerful display. Rette was almost knocked over, once again as Mira and Lisanna threw themselves at her, hugging her tightly. Elfman came up behind them and seized all three in a hug, squishing an already squished Rette, even more.

"Alright, alright. I get it. You're all glad to see me well. I'm glad to see you well too. Now can I breathe?" Rette asked.

The three released her with laughs. Rette turned her attention to Laxus and Makarov as Makarov spotted his grandson. Makarov stared at him and Laxus looked away.

"It's good to have you back...Did you think I was gonna say something like that!? You shit-for-brains! What were you thinking stepping foot onto Tenrou Island while you were still being exiled!?" Makarov yelled.

"Shut up, old man." Laxus told him.

"Master, I think that in light of everything that has happened, Laxus' presence on the island is the least of our concerns. After all...he did help us." Rette told Makarov.

Makarov muttered, but he saw Rette's point and let it go. Rette though, couldn't help but pick up on how Makarov had phrased his last sentence. "Still" being exiled, huh. It almost made her smile. Even more so when Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen finally spotted Laxus and jumped him in a dog pile. Rette couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her before she slapped a hand over her mouth.

"What are you laughing about!?" Laxus demanded, from the bottom of the pile.

"A lot." Rette replied, crouching next to the pile of human bodies to poke Laxus in the forehead. "Given your current situation, I can't **not** laugh. It's too funny and its not like they'll get onto me for laughing at you."

Rette gestured to a crying Freed and his two companions as they hugged Laxus. Laxus glared at her, but Rette didn't care. It was good to have a laugh. A little a ways from them, Natsu insisted they continue with the S-class exam.

"That last part of the test had interference, so it doesn't count! So this time, let's handle it simply! We'll decide it by battle! Battle!" Natsu declared.

Where he found the energy was beyond Rette. She was bone tired. He even had the energy to start a fight with Gajeel. It seemed, though, that he didn't have the energy to finish it. The boy passed out cold, snoring loudly, right in the middle of an argument with Gajeel. Everyone agreed they needed a rest and they all agreed to head back to camp for that rest. Offering a hand up to Laxus, Rette fell into step beside Mira and Lisanna, Lisanna supporting her so she wouldn't fall over. Makarov brought up the rear and stopped when he heard Hades call his name.

"Finish me off." Hades requested.

"I learned many, many things from you. As thanks for that, I'll look the other way while you get off this island." Makarov told him.

"What naivety...if you let me live, next time I'll destroy your guild for sure." Hades assured him.

"I lost to you. But...those kids defeated you." Makarov told him.

"Not exactly. My heart was defeated...Tenrou Island gave it's power to the younger...if that coincidence hadn't happened, there's no way I would have lost to you." Hades argued.

Makarov didn't reply back instantly. He remained silent for a moment before he said anything to Hades.

"Why did you fall into the darkness?" Makarov asked.

"I already told you...the true nature of magic is "darkness". The miracles created in the depths of darkness were called "magic". I retired from the guild and journeyed the road of magic because I wanted to discover truth in this world. This world that overflows with magic is a world of lies. But that world that Zeref was in, the "Great World of Magic" is the true world. I wanted to see what the world was like. That's why I awakened Zeref and acquired all the keys. I was so close...just a little bit further until the One Magic." Hades answered.

"Even if you found that, it wouldn't change anything. It doesn't matter if you say the true origin of magic is "darkness". If doesn't matter if you say it's "light" either. Magic is alive. It's place changes over time and it grows along with us. Magic is anything you can think of. It can be felt in infinite ways...as light, as darkness, as red, or as blue. And it is living freely, together alongside Fairy Tail. All of this, I learned from you." Makarov told him.

"Then allow me to teach you one more thing. That Rette girl...you might want to watch her closely."

When Hades said this, Makarov half turned to look at the man. Rette? Why would he have to watch Rette?

"That girl...she is drenched in darkness. It completely fills her. I got to see it for myself. The very core of her is tainted with the darkness, her heart just as black. In that girl, there is only darkness. I don't know how, or when, but she has plunged into the darkness of the abyss of magic and that leaves a mark on the soul and on the heart." Hades told him.

Makarov glanced back towards Rette as the girl walked away from the site, leaning on Lisanna. Inside Rette there...was only darkness? Makarov knew there were somethings that were wrong with Rette, but given how she had grown up, that wasn't unusual. She didn't show her feelings a lot and there were many times when he was sure that Rette was trying to keep a wall between her and everything and everyone else.

But pure darkness?

No.

"You're wrong."

Hades turned his head to look at Makarov's back. Makarov watched Rette as the girl turned to say something to Mira, the corners of her mouth slightly curling in the smallest hint of a smile.

"If anything, Rette has a greater light inside her than anyone else. Despite all she's been through, despite the darkness her life had started out in and all the reasons she's been given to hate and shun the world, she has the courage to continue facing life. More than that, she has the greatest capacity for hope that I have ever seen. She has hope for the world around her, hope that life isn't just what she's seen. Rette isn't filled with darkness. She simply has a darker shadow to shadow her bright light." Makarov told Hades.

Rette didn't understand a lot, and, it seemed, she understood herself even less. She couldn't see in herself what others saw. The great hope, the overwhelming urge to protect, and the vast capacity to love, if she would simply let it happen. No. Rette had her issues and she had her past demons, just like anyone else, but she was not filled with darkness.

If anything...Rette was a guiding light of her own.

She simply had to look past the darkness to see the light.

END

Kyandi: And the plot thickens.

Rette: You like coming up with more and more twists and turns, don't you.

Kyandi: Oh, my next twist and turn is going to be great.

Rette: For you.

Kyandi: Well I am the only real one out of the two of us.

Rette: ...Alright, that hurt.

Kyandi: Aw, I'm sorry.

Rette: No you aren't.

Kyandi: You're right. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back soon...if she doesn't choke on something.

Kyandi: So mean! Bye-bye, everyone!


	33. January 16, X784

Kyandi: Hey everyone, I'm back!

Rette: We apologize for taking so long.

Kyandi: I'm trying to work it out where both time lines start the Grand Magic Game arc, together.

Rette: So chapters on this one are going to be a little slow.

Kyandi: But after I get them both at to the same spot, I'll be updating them both at the same time.

Rette: So, without anymore ado, we'll start the chapter.

Kyandi: Yep! Everyone, please enjoy and review. In this chapter, you'll get a little more of a glimpse into Rette's relationship with her father.

Rette: Oh goodie.

Kyandi: Just say your line.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 33 January 16, X784

Everyone returned to camp and the first thing Rette did, was sit down and lean against a rolled up mat. She was so tired, her body aching so much, that she could have probably joined Natsu in dream land. Though that would be impossible as long as Natsu continued to snore like a chainsaw as he currently was. How he didn't wake himself up, was beyond Rette.

And she had thought Tundron snored loudly. At least he had an excuse.

"Damn, you're noisy, Natsu! Can't you just shut up and sleep quietly?" Elfman asked.

"Leave him alone, let him rest." Mira told her brother.

"Sis! I though of a great idea!" Lisanna chimmed in.

Rette, who had had her eyes closed as she rested, opened an eye and peered in Lisanna's direction. She was bent over Natsu, messing with his hair. When she was done, she propped Natsu up, showing that she had tied his hair into tiny pigtails.

"Natsu's twin sister, wouldn't she be cute?" Lisanna asked, making Mira laugh.

Rette shook her head as Elfman sulked in horror at the possibility of a girl that looked like Natsu. Off to the other side, Bixlow and Freed were expressing their joy at having Laxus back, though Laxus tried to correct them.

"Hey...Elfman did bad things to me while you were gone, Laxus...won't you get him back for me?" Evergreen asked, setting up Elfman.

"You bitch!" Elfman yelled back.

Rette shook her head once more. It was so good to have things back to normal. Wendy was hard at work healing injuries. Rette had insisted that Wendy leave her for last since there were others who needed her help a lot more than her. Juvia soon returned to camp, apologizing for letting Zeref get away. She then turned and presented her butt to Gray.

"Gray, please punish me! Give it to me however you like." she told him.

"I-I don't have those kinds of hobbies!" Gray insisted.

Rette let out a low, humming laugh as she watched the two. Juvia was so desperate for Gray's attention that it was comical. Gray probably took it for granted, but Rette couldn't help but wonder how he would take it if another guy took an interest in Juvia. He probably wouldn't like it.

Gildartz returned next, making their group complete. He sat next to Laxus giving him a hard time for getting exiled, making Laxus reply with a, "Piss off, pops!". Rette didn't understand where they all got their energy, but she was happy to watch them. To help Wendy with the work load of injuries, Erza became Nurse Erza, complete with the outfit. Rette stared wide eyed, wondering about the obviously sad state of the male mind as most of the males present decided they would rather have the "hot nurse" take care of their injuries. Among those being Bixlow, Gildartz, Makarov, and the one that really made Rette shake her head...Laxus.

It only served them right when Erza got the bandages all tangled up and actually ended up hurting them more than they already were hurt. Unable to continue to watch Erza nearly kill them because they were typical males and had chosen looks over actual healing ability, Rette got to her feet and took the bandages from Erza.

"Perhaps you should leave the bandage tying to those who actually know how to do it." Rette told Erza.

With a tug of her wrist, Rette sent the tangled up bandages unraveling, freeing those trapped in them. Rette took over for Erza, bandaging those who had yet to be seen by Wendy. It surprised most of them how easily Rette handled the bandages and how gentle she was while bandaging wounds.

"You should be resting too, Rette." Makarov told her as Rette worked on wrapping a bandage around Gildartz' arm.

"I'm fine, Master. You're the one that needs to lay down." Rette told him.

"And what is that suppose to mean?" Makarov asked. "Are you trying to call me old, young lady!?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Master. Now go lay down before you cause yourself even more injury." Rette told him, leaning down to put her face on his level.

This only set Makarov off and the old man begin to ramble on about his years of experience, how she should respect those years, and how he still felt fit as a fiddle. Rette heaved a sigh as she gave Gildartz' shoulder a pat, signalling that she was done with him. Laxus was the next one to sit down on the stump in front of Rette and seeing him gave her an idea.

"Master, if you really want someone to scold, why not take it up with your grandson who, when I was about to lose my top in the middle of battle, just stared at me?" Rette said.

Laxus' eyes went wide as he twisted around to stare at her. Makarov sputtered for a moment before instantly jumping on Laxus' case, yelling something about women and their bodies and respecting them. Though Rette was pretty sure Makarov was where Laxus got his more prevy traits from. Rette was just cleaning a wound on Laxus' cheek, plastering a bandage over it when Makarov finally got dragged away by Mira to discuss the state of the S-class exams.

"You just had to turn him on me, didn't you?" Laxus demanded.

"Hmm...well, let's see, shall we. **You** were the one that made the asinine comment about looking in private, **you** were the one that came to Tenrou Island when you aren't currently a member of the guild-not that I really care about that one-and **you** are the one that constantly annoys me. So, pass up on a chance to annoy you as much as you annoy others? Not a chance." Rette told him

"You can't just take it as a compliment that a man actually wants to look?" Laxus asked.

Rette gently grabbed his chin, tilting his head up so that he was looking into her eyes. Lightly, she gave his nose a flick.

"I'm a D cup...of course men want to look. I understand **that** much about men. Freed is about the only man I've met that hasn't had at least a passing thought about that. And I'm pretty sure that's because he has a thing for you." Rette told him.

With that, she released his chin and deemed him done. Laxus made a face at her last comment, watching her as she turned back to the first aid kit sat out beside her.

"That's not funny." he told her.

"Does it look like I'm laughing?" Rette replied, straight faced.

Laxus glanced towards Freed and made another face. Rette turned away from him and back to her first aid kit, fighting to hide a grin that was beginning to curl her lips. She was pretty sure that Laxus would now question everything Freed said or did around him. Laxus turned his eyes back to Rette, catching just the slightest shaking of her shoulders that suggested she was holding back laughter.

"You've changed."

Rette turned back to Laxus, raising an eyebrow in questioning. What exactly did he mean by that? She didn't think she had changed.

"How so?" Rette asked.

"You're expressions. They're still pretty much indifferent, but now you actually smile somewhat. Not to mention that you're actually making jokes now." Laxus replied.

"I've always made jokes. You were just never around for them. I wonder whose fault that is." Rette retorted.

Laxus rubbed the back of his neck, clicking his tongue in a slightly annoyed way. Alright, so that was a jab at him. A well placed one at that.

"I get it, I screwed up." he replied.

Rette leaned forward, putting her face on level with his so that they were staring eye-to-eye. She tilted her head to the side.

"Oh, you have no idea. By the way, before you left, do you remember what I told you?" she asked.

"Yeah. You said that a single punch would make us even." he replied.

"So glad you remembered..."

Laxus opened his mouth to ask what she meant and ended up cursing loudly, drawing all attention to them. Everyone turned around to face Rette and Laxus as Laxus pressed a hand to his right cheek.

"Damn it! Can't you give a guy more of a warning before you haul off and punch him!?" Laxus demanded.

"Nope. I feel better now, though." Rette replied.

Laxus could have sworn that Rette was grinning, ever so slightly, as she turned and walked away from him. Well...she had told him that she was going to punch him for all he had done during his take-over-Fairy-Tail moment. Returning to the spot where she had been resting before Erza's attempt at being a nurse, Rette sat back down and leaned back against the rolled up mat. Now to get her own rest.

"Hey, Rette."

Or not.

Rette raised her eyes when Erza called her name. All eyes turned to them as Erza stared at Rette with a serious look on her face.

"When we were fighting with Hades...what was that dark energy that took over your magic energy?" Erza asked.

Rette's expression went from somewhat smiling and pleasant to completely void and blank in a fraction of a breath. Thyme, who was sitting at a makeshift table next to Lily and Carla, shifted uncomfortably, looking from Rette to Erza.

"Sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about." Rette told Erza.

Nothing in her expression or eyes gave away rather she was telling the truth or not. But from the uneasy way Thyme shifted, they could tell...Rette was lying. And Erza called her bluff.

"You're lying, Rette." Erza said.

Rette's eyes flashed for a moment, her eyes hardening. They had seen a look like that in her eyes before, but they had never seen it directed at them. It was obviously a subject she didn't want to, and wouldn't, talk about. Just the way her eyes went cold, told them that much. Finally, she heaved a sigh.

"Let's put it this way, Erza, the first person that taught me magic, taught me one more thing. He told me that sometimes, to insure your victory, to insure your existence for another day, sometimes you have to use a cheap move. Being underheaded is all I consider it. Leave it at that because I'm **not** answering anymore questions." Rette told her.

Erza could tell that that was that. Rette really wouldn't answer anymore questions. Whatever it was, Rette didn't want to bring it up...ever. She simply leaned back against the mat and closed her eyes once again.

"Rette..." Erza said.

"Erza, as much as I respect you, I ask that you respect my wishes and drop it. Just believe me...its not something you want to know."

And that really was that. Rette refused to hear another word. Makarov didn't like the sound of it, and he would ask Erza what had happened at a later time. For now, he had other issues to handle. When Natsu finally woke up, Makarov announced that they were going to suspend the S-class exams. Some of those taking part, like Elfman, Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel, didn't take it well, but after everything that had happened, they didn't really have much of a choice.

Natsu refused to accept that answer. Makarov, just to get him to calm down, told Natsu that if he could win against him, then he would be promoted to S-class. Natsu stupidly fell for it and was easily and quickly, crushed. Rette could have told him that was coming.

"Whaaat are...you dooing...?"

Hearing Lisanna's distorted voice, Rette turned to find Laxus pinching and pulling at Lisanna's cheeks as he eyed her face.

"Ehh...I was wondering if it really was you." Laxus told her, patting her on the head.

"Of course it's me! How rude!" Lisanna retorted.

Lisanna started swinging her fist at Laxus, who easily blocked them. Rette, who had grown tired of sitting around, got to her feet. Thyme, who had been watching Lily, turned her eyes to Rette in questioning. Rette gave her a smile, encouraging her to go talk with Lily. When Thyme just continued to stare at her, Rette assured her that she was just going for a walk. Thyme thought for a moment before agreeing and hurrying over to Lily.

Rette shook her head and took off for a walk. She was going to look for somewhere to wash off when she came across Lucy, Natsu, and Happy.

"What are you three doing?" Rette asked.

Lucy shushed her, yanking her over and clamping her hands over Rette's mouth. Rette didn't get was going on until she spotted Cana a little bit away with Gildartz. Rette raised an eyebrow in confusion. Just what was going on here?

"What's wrong?" Gildartz asked Cana.

"It's the reason...I came to this guild...I came to search for my father." Cana replied.

Rette had a pretty good idea where this was going and she couldn't believe how stupid Gildartz was for not being able to figure it out with just that comment.

"That's the first I've heard of that." Gildartz said. "Is that what you wanted to talk about? Was your father a part of Fairy Tail?"

"Y...yes." Cana replied.

Cana looked really unsure on if she could continue, but Lucy was silently cheering her on. Rette was really sure she knew where this was going.

"It's you, Gildartz." Cana told the man before her.

At first it seemed to go right over Gildartz' head, even when Natsu's and Happy's jaws dropped. Rette had a feeling that was where this was going. She also had a feeling that Gildartz was going to take a moment to process the information and that his reaction was going to be quite the display when he finally did process it. Finally it seemed to sink in what Cana said and Gildartz' jaw dropped and he broke out into a sweat.

"EEHHHH!?" was all Gildartz could get out.

And there went the reaction Rette had anticipated.

"Lots of different things happened...I've never been able to tell you before." Cana told him.

"W...wait a second...you...!"

Gildartz was falling over himself, trying to wrap his mind around what she had just told him. He stared at Cana as if he was just seeing her for the first time.

"Yeah...it's difficult to accept, isn't it?" Cana asked.

Instead of being difficult to accept, there seemed to be another reason for Gildartz' reaction to the news.

"Whose kid are you!? Sara...Naomi...Claire...Feena...Marie...Eliza...No, no! The hair color is wrong! Emma...Lila...Jean...Sydney...Michelle...Stephanie..."

If Gildartz went through anymore names, **Rette** would have slapped him.

"Pops! How many women have you been with!?" Cana demanded.

"I-I got it! It's Sylvia, right? You look just like her!" Gildartz said.

Rette shook her head. If it had been her, she would have punch him already, father or not. At least there had been no doubt on who Rette's father or mother had been, even if her parents hadn't been married.

"Ahhh, I can't take it anymore! These trashy women got with my and are my parents!? Anyways, that's what happened...and that's how it is." Cana said, turning to walk away.

"W-wait!" Gildartz called out.

"That's all I wanted to say. That's it! It's not like I expected you to be part of my family now or something! We can just keep on like we've been..."

Gildartz cut Cana off by pulling her into a hug. Rette's head tilted to the side as she watched. It certainly wasn't something **her** father had ever done for her. Her father's idea of father-daughter bonding had been to train Rette ragged and then, when she messed up, taking his anger out on her. Half the time, he didn't even remember he had a daughter.

"You're Cornelia's child...no doubt about it." Gildartz said.

"Let go." Cana insisted.

"Why didn't you say anything until now? It must have been so hard to say it with everything that's happened 'til now. Cornelia was the one woman I truly loved. She was also the only woman I ever married. I was completely fixated on work and I left that love eighteen years ago. I'd just been following where the wind had taken me. But I had no idea I had a child. I'm sorry...I had no idea." Gildartz told Cana.

Cana pulled free of his embrace.

"It's okay. I was the one who kept it from you. It might have been wrong for me to decide that on my own, but now it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest." Cana told him.

"I had a daughter...this close to me."

Gildartz didn't seem to want to let go of the fact that he had never realized it. He truly seemed regretful for never knowing.

"Knock it off...I didn't bring this up to make you take responsibility or anything. We can just act like we always do. Just...I'll say this one time...I'm glad I got to meet you...father." Cana told him, giving him a wink.

As Gildartz started to cry, looking at his daughter, Rette wondered what went through his mind. With a deep longing sadness, she realized...she couldn't even began to guess what he was thinking as he looked at Cana. He pulled her into another hug, apologizing for all the sad feelings he had caused her and vowing they would be together always from now on. He simply asked that she let him have the right to love her. Rette stared at the two as Lucy wiped a tear from her eye.

Without a word, Rette turned and walked away. Lucy turned to her, calling her name, but Rette acted like she didn't hear her. Lucy remembered then that Rette had never had a good relationship with her father. Past saying that, Rette had never really spoken of her father and she certainly hadn't ever spoken of her feelings for the man. What she had said of the man, hadn't been good and definitely hadn't spoken of fondness on Rette's behalf.

Or either side of the relationship for that matter.

Leaving Natsu and Happy behind, Lucy followed Rette. She found the girl a little further down the creek, sitting with her feet hanging into the water. Rette was staring at her reflection in the water and staring at it intently as if something about it displeased her.

"Rette?" Lucy called.

Rette looked up at Lucy and quickly returned her eyes to the water, letting her hair fall forward to hide her face. Lucy sat down next to her, staring at her.

"Are you alright?" Lucy asked.

"I'm fine. I'm happy for Cana. It had to be difficult to finally tell him after so long, but they look happy to have each other." Rette replied.

Rette idly swirled her feet around in the water, distorting the image of herself in the water. Even with the distortion, Rette could still make out the color of her eyes and finally kicked at the water, sending a wave of water out to completely ruin her image upon the water.

"I know you said you didn't get along with him, but...what about your father, Rette?" Lucy asked.

Rette didn't answer instantly, making Lucy wonder if she was going to answer at all. It seemed Rette was even wondering if she was going to answer the question. Was it even worth answering? Could she trust Lucy to listen and not pity her for the relationship she had had? It was Lucy, one of her precious guild mates and prized friends. Lucy wouldn't pity her. Rette knew she could trust Lucy and with that realization, came her answer. She would try to paint as vividly an image of her time with her father as she could without digging up too many painful memories. Finally she heaved a sigh. She didn't notice Natsu and Happy come up behind them, listening in.

"It was more than just not getting along, Lucy. My father...to him, I wasn't even a human being. My parents weren't married and he basically forced my mother to have me. Something about wanting to have the perfect vessel for which to carry out his plans and who better than someone of his own blood line. He always claimed that my mother was a great mage and therefore the perfect candidate to bare his child. As I said, she died shortly after my birth. I never even knew if she loved me or even cared. Her nurse maid told me she did, but that could have been a lie. Lies were every day occurrences in the Compound. Growing up, all I had was my father, but, really, truthfully...I never really had him either. He never would look at me. It was like I was just trash under his feet. It scared me, how he could glance in my direction and never see me. As if I was of no importance...just dirt under his feet." Rette said.

Lucy couldn't begin to imagine how much that had confused and hurt Rette as a child. To have her father never care, to never have a mother, to never have someone who cared if she vanished from existence. Lucy knew how she had felt when her father would push her aside in favor of work after her mother had died, but with Rette...it was so much worse.

"I have his eyes, you know. His were pure magenta, but their similar. Too similar. I can't even look in the mirror without remembering him. Not that I can ever forget everything he did to me. Those memories are always there when I close my eyes. He was ruthless, merciless, and relentless. I spent my childhood in fear of that man, knowing that every time he was near, all I would feel was pain and fear. The funny thing is...I tried so hard to make him really notice me. He was my father after all, the only family I had. All I ever wanted from him was to know, even if for just one tiny second, that he actually ever loved me. That he ever cared if I lived or died. I just wanted him to love me and be proud of me. But to him...I was nothing but a means to an end. Another part in his grand master scheme. And I even failed at that! That last day I ever saw him...he made sure to tell me how much he hated me."

Hearing the words from Rette's mouth made Lucy cover her mouth in sympathy for Rette. It only made Natsu angry at how little and unimportant Rette's father had made her feel. No one should feel that way. He should have protected Rette, should have made her feel safe and loved every day of her life. Instead, he had been the stuff her nightmares were made of. Parents were suppose to protect their children from pain...not be the one to cause it.

If anyone failed...it was Rette's father, not Rette. He had failed at being a father.

"All I ever had from birth, was this necklace my mother left behind," Rette reached up to touch the choker around her throat. "and my own life and even the latter was under his thumb and could be taken from me if the whim ever so much as crossed his mind. I am absolutely nothing to him and never will be anything. Seeing Cana and Gildartz like that...while I'm happy for them, it reminds me of how little I meant to my father." Rette said, leaning her head back to stare up at the sky.

There wasn't any anger in Rette's words, just sadness. She stared at the clouds drifting by over head, an image of her father flashing into her head.

"And the truly sad thing about the whole thing is...I can't even summon up a tear to mourn the loss of a love I've never felt. I have been told from birth that I am worth nothing, am nothing, and will never be anything of value. So much so, that even despite the pain in my chest when I think about it, I cannot cry a single tear. How messed up is that?" Rette asked.

Lucy wrapped her arms around Rette, hugging her. She felt she now understood a little of why Rette was so possessive. She had never had anything, had been denied so much as a kind word, and now refused to let go of anything. If it was hers, she would be damned if she let it go. It was also no wonder why Rette seemed so confused by normal emotions and relationships. She hadn't had a good example of what a normal relationship was like. She hadn't had an example at all.

"Oh, Rette...it's not messed up. Everybody handles things differently. What he did to you wasn't right. It's wasn't fair." Lucy told her.

Rette let out a curt laugh, leaning into Lucy's hug.

"Life's not fair. But it doesn't matter anymore. I haven't seen him in thirteen years, and now I have Fairy Tail. While the memories still hurt, they're starting to matter less and less as I spend more time with all of you. I'm so glad I joined Fairy Tail. I feel like I can finally keep my head above water." Rette said.

While her friends didn't like knowing that Rette had been hurt so badly, they took comfort in the fact that she was with them now, just as she did. They would give her all the love she could want and more because no matter what happened in the past, Rette was a part of Fairy Tail now. She was a member of their family. That was so much more important.

Just then Rette tensed up.

Lucy let go of her to look at her in questioning, but Rette wasn't paying attention. The magical energy that had just reached her, along with the scent she could barely pick up on the wind, had a bone chilling chill going down her spine. Then a loud screech-like roar split the air. Rette knew that sound as if she had heard it just yesterday instead of seven years ago.

"What was that!?" Lucy asked.

Rette hurried to her feet, pulling Lucy to hers. Now was the time to be sitting around, discussing the actions of the past.

"That was the cry of a dragon. Come on." Rette replied.

Rette, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy met back up with Cana and Gildartz and hurried back to camp. There they found everyone searching the sky above. Thyme instantly flew to Rette, diving into Rette's arms as she covered her ears with her paws.

"He must be from back then..." Gildartz muttered, rubbing at his left arm where his flesh stopped and the fake arm started.

Rette remembered that Natsu had mentioned that Gildartz had encountered a dragon on his last major mission. Hearing the cry that split the air, must have made his missing limbs ache.

"Over there!"

Lily's sudden yell had Rette following his eyes to where he was pointing towards the sky. A great shadow fell over them as Rette's eyes landed on the massive form that flew over them. It was so massive, but there was no mistaking the creature for what it was. It was a dragon alright and one that could possibly be even bigger than Tundron had been.

"It can't be...! He's even bigger than Tundron had been!" Rette exclaimed, a chill going down her spine.

While Tundron and Chrysalis had been stern with her, they had always let off an air of gentleness and kindness. The feeling that Rette got from this dragon was nothing like that.

"The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse...Acnologia." Makarov breathed.

"You, over there! You know where Igneel is right now, don't you!? And Grandneey, Metallicana, Tundron, and Chrysalis, too!" Natsu yelled, waving a fist in the air.

"Knock it off, Natsu!" Gildartz scolding.

"Watch out! He's coming down!" Rette called, watching as the dragon took a sudden turn towards the ground.

The ground shook as he landed and he sent rubble flying as he spread his wings with a roar. His eyes fixed on them, making everyone tense with fear. Rette tightened her arms around Thyme, the exceed shaking from fear. There was **nothing** about this dragon that was anything like Tundron and Chrysalis. With a mighty pump of his wings, he shot into the air again, aiming for them.

"Run for it!" Gildartz yelled.

Rette didn't need to be told twice. She spun on her heel and ran, the others not far behind. Acnologia crashed into the ground behind them, knocking Rette off her feet and sending her flying forward. Freed caught her arm, keeping her from face planting the ground. Rette caught her feet and shoved Freed ahead of her as Acnologia swung his head towards them. For a fleeting moment, Rette's feet came off the ground again and she scrambled to keep her feet under her as she hit the ground again.

Gildartz and Erza started ushering them all in the direction of the ship, rushing everyone. Rette was still tired and horribly soar from all the fighting, but she ran as fast as her legs would move, refusing to be caught by the dragon. She fell into step beside Wendy, keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn't fall behind.

"Wendy! You can talk to dragons, can't you? Can't you do something about this!?" Carla asked.

"I can't talk to them! Dragons all have very high levels of intelligence. That dragon should definitely be able to understand words!" Wendy replied.

"I don't think this is a dragon that thinks of humans as being on a level anywhere near him. He probably doesn't see us as anything more than insects scurrying about his feet. Would you talk to a bug?" Rette retorted.

They could see her point. Another crash from Ancologia, sent Rette flying into Laxus' back. Laxus caught her. Natsu, who had been sent tumbling end over end, turned back towards Acnologia, angry with being knocked around. Before Natsu could possibly charge into a fight, Makarov stepped between them and the dragon.

"Master!?" Rette called.

"Run, get to the ship." Makarov told them, increasing in size until he was large enough to grab the dragon in a head lock.

"Master! Stop it, please!" Erza called out.

Makarov simply repeated his order for them to run. There was no way Rette could run and leave Makarov behind. Not after everything he had given her and taught her. She just couldn't do it. Several of her guild mates agreed, declaring that if Makarov was going to stay behind then so were they.

"Do you plan on even disobeying you master's final orders!? You shitty brats!" Makarov yelled.

"There's Dragon Slayers here, Master. Let us help." Rette tried to reason.

"Right! I'm a Dragon Slayer! If anyone's going to be that thing's opponent, it is gonna be-"

Natsu and Rette both were cut off when Laxus scooped Rette up in one arm, carrying her half thrown over his shoulder, and grabbed Natsu by the back of his shirt, dragging him behind him.

"We are getting out of here, Natsu, Rette!" Laxus told them sternly.

Rette twisted around to deliver some sharp words but the words died in her throat when she saw the tears flying off his cheek. She could feel him shaking as he carried her. Of course. Despite how much they bickered and argued, it had to be killing Laxus to leave his own grandfather behind. The others, despite not wanting to, turned and ran after Laxus. A painful ache formed in Rette's chest, greater than any she had ever felt before, but she knew exactly what it was. She had thought her heart far too tiny to break anymore, but that was exactly what it was doing.

She couldn't leave Makarov behind.

Just couldn't.

Her eyes turned back to Makarov, fixing on his back. Makarov had treated like she really was one of his children. He had accepted her into Fairty Tail, into his family, despite everything about her that would have had others turning their backs on her. He had given her a home to come home to, had taught her what it meant to have others she wanted to protect above all else. She wouldn't leave him, absolutely refused to. If that meant going down with him...at least she tried.

"No..."

Laxus glanced over his shoulder at Rette, only able to see the back of her head, but from where he was, Natsu could see her face. Rette's eyes, bright with resolve and determination, were set on the back of her master. Natsu knew what she was going to do, before she did it. Rette suddenly shoved with all her might, yanking her waist free of Laxus' grip. Laxus fumbled for a moment, having to release Natsu to try to catch her, but Rette pushed off his shoulder and hit her feet running, darting past the others without a single glance back, heading back to Makarov.

"Rette!" Erza yelled after her.

"I won't do it! I refuse! I refuse to let go of what's mine! I refuse to let go of any member of my family! What's the point to a family if you can't protect each other when it really matters!?" Rette called back, her resolve firm.

The others came to a stop, turning to look at her. It surprised them to realize how much she had changed. Gone was the girl who couldn't so much as muster a change in expression, who didn't know what a family or friends were. Now she knew...and she wasn't letting go.

Her possessiveness sure hadn't changed.

"She's right!" Natsu declared, turning back to follow Rette, pulling free of Laxus.

The others looked at each other, all agreeing. None of them had wanted to leave the master to begin with, but Rette had been the first to defy orders. Sometimes the most oblivious of them, was the sharpest. She didn't know a lot, but she knew when there was something she refused to let go of. They all turned back then.

Natsu, darting past Rette, was the first to reach Makarov and the dragon, the latter pinning Makarov to the ground. Natsu jumped onto the dragon, refusing to be knocked off as Ancologia tried to dislodge him.

"Natsu..." Makarov muttered in shock.

Makarov's eyes widened as Rette flew past him, landing a kick to the dragon's face. She latched onto his scaly hide, refusing to be shaken free. Her hair whipped up around her face as he threw his mighty head. With a yell to charge, Erza led the others into battle. Makarov stared at everyone joined in, attacking the dragon with all they had.

"I want you to know, I was against this. But...do you really think they're the kind of people who can run away and leave an old geezer behind? All it took was Rette refusing to leave you behind and starting the charge. The others followed. It's your guild, after all. And you know Rette...she doesn't let go of what's hers." Laxus told Makarov.

In front of them, the others were knocked off their feet, Rette finally tossed free of Acnologia's head. She landed on top of Elfman's back, knocking the air from his lungs.

"Is everyone alright!?" Erza called.

"I would be if Rette would get off of me!" Elfman yelled back.

"Are you implying I'm fat?" Rette asked.

"Say no, Elfman, say no!" Bixlow told him quickly.

Elfman shook his head frantically, refusing to say another word. Rette gave him a hard look before climbing off him and helping him to his feet. Her eyes turned back to the large dragon.

"Not a single one of our attacks worked." Rette remarked.

Rette had a feeling that the dragon was playing with them. The mere thought made her blood run hot with anger. She hated thinking that someone was just playing around with her and not taking her serious. Ironic since she did the same thing to other people.

"Rette! Get back here!"

Gildartz' and Erza's yell was lost to Rette's ears as she darted forward. She dodged a swing of one of Acnologia's massive legs, and jumped up onto his leg. Acnologia threw the leg out, trying to send her flying, but Rette latched on tightly, the wind whipping past her and throwing her hair into a frenzy about her head. The moment the leg stopped, she went scrambling up the length to the shoulder. She jumped, landing on his head when he tried to claw her off. She landed right on his head, staring straight into his eyes.

"Hey, you! I know you can understand me. If you can't...well, then that makes you stupid, doesn't it?" Rette called to the dragon.

Acnologia growled, obviously not too pleased to hear that she might think him stupid. At least he could understand her. Rette was about to make herself perfectly clear to this over sized gecko. She met his eyes-as well as she could considering the size difference-and gave him the most commanding, coldest, no nonsense glare she could manage. It had been a glare that made Natsu and even Gajeel balk in front of her. She hadn't expected it to do anything to this dragon. After all, he was bigger and stronger, his power greater than hers, but for just a moment...it was like he paused. Like her strong look cast a brief spell on him.

"You are making a very great mistake here. Even if I do not repay you today for attacking my family, someday, somehow...you **will** regret having crossed me. Dragon or not, **no one** messes with what's mine and gets away with it." Rette told the dragon, her voice dripping with venom.

Perhaps he understood the sheer threat behind those word, perhaps he didn't. Rette didn't think she would ever find out. As his wings spread, the wind kicked up by their downward beat knocking her from his head, all she knew was she would find this dragon, some day, and he **would** regret having ever met Rette Starrilia.

Gildartz caught her as she fell and Acnologia took to the sky. Rette ignored Gildartz' scolding as Acnologia took a deep breath, spreading his jaws wide. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was coming next.

"It's a breath attack!" Gajeel yelled in warning.

"Is it planning on blasting the whole island away!?" Cana asked.

"Everyone who can use defensive magic, put the power you've got into it, now!" Erza demanded.

That would include Rette. She highly doubted, though, that any of them had defensive magic that could stand up to this dragon. Even if she had had all day to carefully lay her defenses, layering shields on top of enchantments, Rette doubted she could come up with anything to defend against the soon to come attack. Freed realized this too.

"There's not enough time to draw the seals!" Freed said.

"There's plenty of defensive magic that does not require writing symbols or seals! Rette has several spells." Levy pointed out.

"She's right!" Bixlow said, turning to Rette.

"I could layer every defensive spell I have one after the other and I doubt it would do anything. I just don't have the time or power left." Rette retorted.

"Try!" Levy pleaded.

Anything for her guild. Rette nodded her agreement, hurrying to Freed's side, to join him in casting their defenses.

"Everyone...focus all your magical energy on Freed and Rette!" Lisanna yelled.

"Let's join hands!" Mira added.

Freed snagged Rette's right hand and Evergreen took her left. The others joined them in a circle, all of them refusing to give up, even when it looked hopeless.

"We can't let it end here!" Natsu declared.

"Okay! We'll never give up!" Lucy agreed, tears in her eyes.

"Everyone join your power together as one! Let's show it the bonds of our guild!" Gray called.

Rette glanced around the circle at her guild mates, her friends...her family. Each of them were just as precious at the last. While she didn't always agree with them, they had given her two things she had never thought she would have. A place to come home to, but more importantly...

Love.

For that, Rette was so grateful she couldn't even put it into words. Looking at them now as they focused their magic into defending, not themselves as individuals, but their friends, Rette had faith that they would return home together. It was a strong faith. Faith she had never felt before, but one she was more than happy to feel now. With that faith bright in her torn and tattered heart, she turned her face toward the sky, facing Acnologia with all the fierceness of her overly possessive nature coursing through her.

They would return home, she would face many more days with her friends, and she would laugh at Acnologia for his failed attempt to destroy them. All of that she would do because of one reason and one reason only...

Fairy Tail never gave up.

So there she stood, her friends around her, defying the very force that sought to wipe them from the face of the earth. Come hell or high water, no matter what happened, she would repay this dragon for the fear he had made her guild mates feel. And one day, after she would learn what had happened that day, she would vow to destroy the dragon for the tears it made her guild mates back home shed.

No one hurt her guild.

The last thing Rette remembered, on that faithful day that Acnologia wiped Tenrou Island off the map, was the warm hands gripping hers tightly as if holding on for dear life and the love of her mis-matched family coursing through their bond with each other. They deserved everything she had to give, even if it wasn't much, and give she did. Rette let her power flow from her, to mix with that of her family.

Someday, though it would only seem like a blink of the eye to her, she would face her guild, broken and sitting at rock bottom, and she would vow to do all she could to make sure they never suffered like that again. Even at the cost of her own life. For now, she could feel her friends love for her as it surged outward from their circle.

January 16, X784, just about a month before Rette's nineteenth birthday, Acnologia eradicated Tenrou Island and with it, the people gathered there.

END

Kyandi: And there you all go.

Rette: It might be a short while before we post the next chapter.

Kyandi: Right. I want to wrap up the seven year gap in the other story line before I continue both.

Rette: But that shouldn't take too long. She has it all planned out.

Kyandi: That I do. So, I'm going to get to work now.

Rette: I'll make sure she hurries.

Kyandi: And she will, too. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	34. Disorienting

Kyandi: Greetings, lovelies!

Rette: We've returned with a new chapter for you.

Kyandi: We're so close to the Grand Magic Games!

Rette: She's excited.

Kyandi: With good reason!

Rette: That doesn't mean you need to jump from the bed to the desk. You're going to break something. Or fall.

Kyandi: Fine!

Rette: Not the bookshelves!

Kyandi: Epp! *crash*

Rette: I told you, you were going to fall!

Kyandi:...Let's just move on to the chapter. Everyone...enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail. But she does own stupidity.

Kyandi: Oooooooowwwww...my head...

Rette: Well that's what you get for being stupid.

Chapter 34 Disorienting

Seven years.

Seven long years passed. Several search teams searched for any remains of Tenrou Island and anyone who could have survived the vicious blast. Not a single sign or soul could be found. Fairy Tail fell into ruin, losing members and their guild hall as the years past until only a handful of members remained and they were left in a run down, beaten up guild hall on the end of town.

Several things had changed. Romeo had grown up into a young man, Bisca and Alzack had gotten married and even had a little daughter, Macao became the new master, and several of the remaining members had changed. Not to mention they were in debt to a new guild in the area named Twilight Orge. None of them had stopped missing those who had gone missing with Tenrou Island. Everyone from Natsu and Gray, to Lucy and Happy, Ezra, Mira, Wendy, Carla, the Thunder Legion, and everyone else. Even Rette and Thyme.

No one could help but fall into depression when, after a few members of Twlight Orge destroyed their hall, one of Reedis' sketch books containing drawings of those missing, spilled on the floor. Several pictures from one of Master Makarov, to another of Lucy, Happy, Natsu, Gray, and Ezra, to another of Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, and Lily. To one of Shadow Gear, another of Laxus, the whole guild hall with everyone present, to one of Rette and Thyme with a rare, barely there, but soft smile on Rette's face.

"It's been seven years since then." Wakaba said, blowing out a puff of smoke.

Max peered down at the pictures, taking in the faces he hadn't seen in person in so very long.

"That really takes me back." Max said in longing.

"When we heard that Tenrou Island was destroyed, everyone searched with everything that they had." Jet remarked.

"But no a single one of them was found." Bijiter added.

"If the story of the Council is true, then Acnologia was what eradicated the island." Nab said.

"In reality, all different kinds of organizations worked together in the search...but none of their efforts resulted in anything." Reedus said.

"Yeah, that day...there was a strange emptiness in the eternano waters around Tenrou Island that day. Because it was of a level that no living being could even endure...that was the force of Acnologia's Roar!" Jet remarked.

"Long ago, just that one dragon by itself was able to destroy an entire country on its own!? There's no way any human alive would be able to take on that thing..." Warren retorted, tears in his eyes.

They were all so depressed with the loss of their friends, missing them greatly. So much sadness weighted on their shoulders, reducing some of them to tears. Each of them thought the same thing. Why their friends? Why did it have to be them? Just when they had started getting through Rette's walls, earning smiles and laughs from her where she use to wear the same expression all the time.

"Rette was just starting to smile. She was just starting to open up." Max remarked.

"I wonder if she would have been able to smile fully if she was still around. I wonder what that would have looked like on her." Jet said idly.

"Beautiful. It would have looked beautiful." Reedus remarked, picking up the picture of Rette and Thyme that he had drawn so long ago.

Even with just a tiny, barely noticeable smile, Rette had be pretty. He imagined that a full smile would have lit up her face, bringing out the beauty she had tried so hard to deny.

They were still lost in that depressed state when Blue Pegasus showed up to tell them that they had recorded an abnormality in the eternano levels where the Tenrou Island use to be. To tell them that the island still existed. With the small hope that they might find something to tell them of the fate of their friends, they went to search in the area they were told to search.

For a long while, they found nothing. Just endless stretches of water with nothing in sight. Even using binoculars, they couldn't see a thing. Just when they thought they might not find anything, a lone figure standing on the water appeared. With the appearance of the girl, the water started to rock, throwing the ship back and forth and Tenrou Island, surrounded by a magic bubble-shaped barrier appeared out of the water.

The bubble popped and the girl, without a word but with a big smile on her face, led them ashore. They followed her, fighting not to lose sight of her, until she lead them to the unconscious forms of first Natsu and Happy, and then the others.

Each so alive and well they all broke into tears.

-0-0-0-0-

Dreamless darkness had fogged Rette's mind. She thought she had simply fallen asleep or been knocked unconscious. But when she awoke, she found an older pair of Bisca and Alzack standing over her, tears of joy in their eyes as they stared back at her.

"Bisca? Alzack? Why do you two look older?" Rette asked idly, just before she was seized in a hug by Bisca.

"You're alive!" Bisca cried into her ear.

"Um...the last time I checked I was. What's going on?" Rette asked.

She didn't get an answer as Bisca released her and Jet, Droy, and Warren scooped her up in a hug so tight that Rette was sure her lungs were going to pop. They acted as if they hadn't seen her in years. She didn't know that, for them, that had been the case. The answers to Rette's questions came, instead, from the girl who had led Bisca, Alzack and the others to Rette and those who had been on Tenrou Island, who turned out to be the founding master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermilion.

She explained to them that she had turned the feelings in their bonds into magic energy and their feelings turned that magic energy into one of Fairy Tail's three grand spells, Fairy Sphere, an ultimate defense spell that had left them all in a suspended animation for seven years before the spell finally broke. Rette had no idea what to think about this, her mind was numb. It was just too out there to believe.

After that explanation, which left Rette and the others a little on the confused side, after Mavis vanished, they were all able to go home. Rette had never been more happy to return somewhere. Despite seven years having passed, she still felt as sore and beat up as the day Fairy Sphere had been cast, but her magical energy was back to full blast. Rette's anticipation grew the closer and closer they got to Magnolia. She was so ready to be home, to see the others and see how her house had survived in the seven years she had supposedly been absent.

It was so strange to think that she had basically remained still for seven years while the rest of the world continued to move forward. It made her wonder how Magnolia, how her guild mates had changed. Just looking at the few who had come to find them, had her head spinning. They all looked older, their clothing styles changing. Droy had gone beyond that and had gained some serious weight in the seven years.

When they reached Magnolia, they found that their guild mates had lost their guild hall and they now inhabited a run down, barn-like building on the edge of the town. When they got to the guild hall, they found a group of men from the new guild in Magnolia, Twilight Orge, causing trouble inside. Their leader, a guy name Teebo, was picking a fight, close to attacking a teenaged Romeo. Natsu, being Natsu, literally gave Teebo a kick in the backside, the fire boosted attack sending him flying. Erza, Gray, Gajeel, and Rette took down the other four, Rette landing a low blow that had the man crumpling to the ground, his hands clutched between his legs.

What could she say?

She wasn't a nice person to those who picked on her friends.

Those left of the guild, which was a tiny number, broke into tears at the sight of them. Those of the Tenrou team greeted the others, calling that they were home. When Rette didn't say anything, Lisanna nudged her in the ribs. Rette heaved a sigh, fighting off the slight reddening of her cheeks.

"Yeah...I'm home." Rette muttered, Thyme waving energetically.

"Rette!"

Rette was nearly knocked over as Laki threw her arms around her neck. Rette was so stunned, she couldn't say anything. Laki gripped her tightly, crying in her joy. Rette had never thought to see anyone, aside from Thyme, miss her so much. It took her completely off guard when a few of the others joined into the hug, completely taking Rette down to the floor. It made her friends laugh as Rette let out a strangled cry of surprise. The silvernette was completely lost under the pile of her friends, save for her arms which were flailing her in her attempt to get free.

"Mayday, can't breathe." Rette protested.

Taking pity on her, Bixlow and Gray dug her out from under the pile of bodies and Laki and the others turned their attention to the others. Makarov explained to the others what had happened, what Mavis had told them. Everyone got caught up in catching up with everything that had happened in the seven years they were absent. Romeo, who had grown into a fine, young teenager, had learned fire magic, learning how to use several different flames. Macao had become the fourth guild master in Makarov's place. Makarov was willing to let him remain master for now.

Rette wasn't so sure that was a good idea.

The biggest newest that surprised Rette, thought, came from Alzack and Bisca.

"M...ma...ma...you've gotten married!? You two!?" Erza asked, staring wide eyed at Alzack and Bisca.

"Six years ago." Alzack told her.

"You two actually managed to muster up the courage to tell each other about your feelings? Color me surprised." Rette remarked.

"That's right! And you know what? I was the one that proposed! And then we..."

"Let's stop the conversation right here." Erza said, cutting Bisca off. "C...congratulations! I may be a little inexperienced and naive, but please take care of me!"

Erza bowed to Bisca and Alzack, her face blood red. Rette raised one eyebrow at her. How in the world had Erza manage to turn it around to being about her? Rette was truly amazed at how she managed such a thing.

"What are you saying, Erza?" Elfman asked.

"She's somehow warped this whole thing around to being about her." Mira said with a little laugh.

"Yeah...any idea how?" Rette asked lowly.

"None." Mira replied.

"I figured." Rette said with a sigh.

"Do you have wonderful children!?" Lisanna asked Alzack, her eyes wide.

"I have one daughter. Her name is Asuka." Alzack told her.

"A child? Exactly how did that work?" Rette asked.

All eyes turned to Rette as she tilted her head to one side in confusion. She raised an eyebrow in questioning when they all just stared at her.

"What? It's an honest question." Rette said.

"You seriously don't know about that kind of stuff!?" Elfman asked.

Rette straightened up, her own cheeks tainting a slight pink in response. So yes, she didn't know where babies came from or how they came to be and she had never wondered. Out of all of the books she had read in her life time, that was **not** a book she had ever wanted to read.

"So I don't know anything about babies, where they come from, or how they come to be. Big deal. Dragons don't need to tell their children about those kinds of things and Tundron and Chrysalis were the only parent-like figures in my life. Sue me!" Rette retorted sourly.

Amused by the idea of the all too innocent mind of Rette, Elfman, Bixlow, and even Gildartz laughed at Rette. Rette bristled slightly, both embarrassed and insulted that they were laughing at her. Mira reached out and pat her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Rette. I'll explain it to you if you want." Mira offered.

"Thanks, but I have a feeling that would be more mortifying than not knowing." Rette replied.

Cana suddenly appeared behind Rette, wrapping her arms around Rette and half draping herself on the girl's shoulders. She pat Rette's head like she was a small child, a wide grin on her face.

"Aw, Rette's our adorable little virgin." Cana teased, clearly drunk.

"I do know what **that** means, you know!" Rette replied, trying to pry Cana off of her.

Rette was saved from further embarrassment by the arrival of Jura, Lyon, and their friends. Max explained that Lamia Scale, along with Blue Pegasus, were among the first to help them with searching for the Tenrou team.

"Looks like we're in their debt now." Gray said.

"Don't worry about it. Blue Pegasus made it out there first, but we have much more power." Lyon bragged.

"Who cares." Gray chimed in.

"I'm in agreement with Gray." Rette added in.

"Well, in these past seven years, we Lamia Scale have climbed up to the number two guild in Fiore." Cherie said.

"So does that mean number one is Blue Pegasus?" Lucy asked.

"Of course not! There's no way that could happen!" Toby yelled.

"Settle down." Yuka told Toby. "No...it's not Blue Pegasus."

"On that, I have to say...who cares? First place, second place...it's just a number." Rette remarked.

Lyon, Toby, and Yuka stared at Rette, but her guild mates were use to this. To Rette, rank and tilte meant about as much as the dirt under her feet. She personally had no use for it and therefore, didn't care. Before anything could get started, though, Jura stepped between his guild mates and Rette.

"Well, enough about that. What's important is that everyone's okay." Jura said.

In the end, Rette retreated to the edge of the room, watching her friends as they reunited and partied the night away. To see old friendships kick back off as if there had never been so long of a gap apart, was good to see. But it still felt so weird. To Rette, as well as the others who had been on Tenrou Island, it had been no more than a week, but those left behind in the guild hall, it had been seven long and sorrowful years. They had suffered a lot, had felt so much pain and sadness, had shed so many tears.

The realization made Rette feel both angry and guilty.

While it was Fairy Tail custom to party in celebration at something like this, Rette was ready to fall into her own bed. Finding Thyme, Rette and Thyme headed home. Upon entering her home, it finally hit Rette. Everywhere she looked, everything was covered in dust. Dust so thick that just stepping into her room Rette had to run to open the balcony doors just so she could breath. Standing on the balcony, letting the room beyond air out, Rette braced her hands on the rail.

"Seven years, Thyme. We've missed seven years." Rette said lowly.

Thyme perched herself on the rail beside Rette. She looked up at Rette as she hung her head, her shoulders hunched. Rette felt so guilty and so angry.

"They probably shed so tears, Thyme. How can I not feel guilty?" Rette added.

Thyme didn't have an answer for that. They had been gone, had vanished without any warning or explaination. There was a lot they all had to make up for, a lot they owed their guild mates for the seven years they had been gone. A lot they had to make right.

Rette would do whatever she could and one thing would be to wipe that over grown gecko, Acnologia, off the face of existence the next time she saw him.

He would regret messing with Fairy Tail.

She would make sure of it.

For now, she was going to show her guild mates how truly sorry she was.

"Thyme...bring me the scissors."

-0-0-0-0-

"Oh my god! Rette!"

Silence fell over the guild hall the next morning when Rette walked in. She didn't even pretend not to know why everyone had stopped what they were doing to turn around and stare at her. In a show of brief insecurity, Rette's hand went to her head.

"Does it look that bad?" she asked.

In the time since they had seen her last, the night before, Rette...had cut off her hair. While her bangs and the front of her hair fell to chin length, the back was almost shorter than Lisanna's hair. She had switched the part of her bangs from the left to the right and currently had two little pins pinning back a few strands on the left side of her face.

"No, not at all. It actually suits you." Erza told her. "But, I thought your hair was important you. Didn't you say it was a link with your birth mother?"

"It was, but...think of this as a kind of repentance." Rette said, now patting at her hair with both hands.

"What for?" Max asked curiously.

Rette turned to look at him, her eyes drifting to those who had been left behind for the seven years. Her hands came down and her eyes hit the floor.

"For being part of the reason the rest of you suffered those seven years." she replied.

The response surprised them, but then, with a tearful smiles, Laki, Jet, and Droy grabbed Rette in a group hug, happy that she cared so much about them. One side of Rette's mouth scrunched up as they hugged her between them.

"It's nothing to hug me for. Or to cry about." Rette told them.

With some work, and a lot of wiggling, Rette finally got free of the three and retreated to the bar, claiming a seat on a stool. Lisanna, with a big grin on her face, came up to Rette then.

"You're hair is almost shorter than mine, now! I bet you would cute with bows in your hair." Lisanna said.

"Please don't. I'm about to be nineteen, so I'd rather not be treated like a child." Rette replied.

"About to be?" Erza asked, catching on to what she had said.

"Yeah. It'll be my birthday soon." Rette said idly, accepting a drink from Mira.

"When?" Lisanna asked.

Rette glanced at the calendar behind the bar, to see what the date was.

"In four days. I usually forget all about it. I've never had a reason to celebrate. Just another day of the year to me. Nothing special." Rette told them.

Several eyes turned to Rette, but she was staring off into space, completely unconcerned. Rette honestly didn't care if her birthday came and went without any acknowledgement.

"Anyway...Mira, if you don't need my help around here, Thyme and I were going to spend the day giving our house a full clean. You wouldn't believe the dust that built up inside and then a majority of my lavender plants are dead and need to be replaced." Rette said.

"No, we're good here." Mira assured her.

"Alright. Then I'll see you all tomorrow." Rette said, hopping off her stool.

A whistle called Thyme from Lily's side and the two left, already engaged in a silent conversation about all of the work they had to do to the house. They stopped to pick up cleaning supplies on the way and set to work the moment they arrived. Rette and Thyme tied on masks to keep the dust out of their mouths and noses, tied on aprons, and got to work. First, they opened all windows in the house. All clothes and food that had gone bad, went in the garbage, all remaining clothes and linens in the house, went into the wash. When they were drying, Rette and Thyme went about sweeping, mopping, and washing down surfaces.

It was time consuming and it was almost dinner time by the time Rette and Thyme finished the inside of their house. They then moved outside, buying new lavender plants to replace the dead ones. It was there, digging up old plants and replacing them with new, that her teammates, followed by Gajeel and Juvia, found her. Rette was elbow deep in digging up the dead roots of one plants that had met it's end during her absence, when they walked up.

"Wow...you've done a huge over haul." Gray remarked, looking from the pile of dead plants to all of the new one planted around Rette.

"You should see the inside. I had to wash everything. Every surface, every piece of cloth, every dish and appliance. I'm going to have prune hands for a week." Rette replied, loosely patting dirt around the roots of the plant she was finishing with.

With that done, she got to her feet, wiping her gloved hands on her gardening apron. Looking around at her yard, she gave a nod. There were still several more plants to replace, but already her house was looking more like it had when she had left.

"Where's Thyme?" Happy asked.

"She's inside. She's putting everything that was washed, back up. She should be about done. Why don't all of you come in?" Rette asked.

They all agreed and, after ditching her gardening gear, Rette lead them inside. Inside, Thyme was just re-hanging the last of their curtains. Gajeel and Juvia, who had never been in her house, looked around, surprised at the kind of house Rette lived. While Juvia thought it would be smart not to voice her surprise, Gajeel didn't seem as inclined.

"I'm surprised this is your place." Gajeel remarked.

"Why?" Rette asked as she vanished into her kitchen to get drinks for everyone.

"I thought you woulda lived in a crystal or icy cave or somethin'." Gajeel retorted.

Rette reappeared from her kitchen with a tray of drinks. She raised an eye at him as she lead the way into the living room. Thyme, who was securing the living room curtains in place, lit up when she saw Lily. She finished her task and then joined her fellow exceeds. Rette sat the tray on the coffee table in the center of the room.

"I might be the crystal and ice Dragon Slayer, but that doesn't mean I live in places like that. Natsu's the fire Dragon Slayer and he doesn't live in a fire pit. Wendy is the sky Dragon Slayer and she doesn't live in the sky." Rette reasoned.

Seeing that she had a point, Gajeel just snorted and dropped to sit in an arm chair. Natsu took the other arm chair with Happy while Gray and Juvia sat on the love seat and Wendy, Erza, and Lucy sat on the couch. Juvia looked around at all of the framed photos that sat on the end tables and that lined the mantle of Rette's fireplace. She spotted one of herself on the mantle.

"You have so many pictures." Juvia remarked.

Rette, who was standing beside the fireplace, turned to look at the pictures on the mantle. She reached out and touched one.

"Yeah. I didn't have anything resembling normal growing up. Before Tundron and Chrysalis took me in, my room consisted of nothing but a little cot. No pictures, no decorations, nothing of the sort. Having these pictures makes me feel somewhat...normal. Not to mention that I feel like I'll wake up one morning and everything and everyone I know will turn out to have been a dream. I can't think that if the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning is all of the pictures around my house." Rette replied.

"You still haven't let any of that go?" Gray asked.

"It's not so simple, Gray. I was born in a life of hell, and my father...he's still out there. He has a nasty habit of showing up right when I'm starting to feel safe and happy. I can't let it go until I know for sure that my living nightmare is over." Rette told him.

"Living nightmare? Who is this guy?" Gajeel asked.

Rette tugged on her gloves, wondering what she should say, if she should say it. Erza's eyes caught on Rette's gloves and she remembered what Rette had told her, Mira, and Gildartz on the way to Tenrou Island.

"Rette, you don't have to say it." Erza told her quickly.

The others looked at Erza in questioning. Rette had told Erza and not them? Rette heaved a sigh and turned to face them. She gave her head a shake.

"No, Erza, I do, because the truth is...I've been keeping a lot of the truth from everyone. Even those who think they know everything, don't." Rette said.

With that, Rette tugged off her gloves. When they were removed, she turned her hands over to show everyone the brands on the back of her hands, the solid, multi colored, crystal bands still about her wrists. She could tell by looking at them that a few of them knew what the marks meant and a few-Natsu and Gajeel being the main ones-didn't.

"Rette, is that...!?"

Lucy couldn't finish her sentence. Of course a reader like Lucy would know what the marks meant. Rette rubbed at the brand on the back of one hand. As always, it ached. They had ached since the day they had been placed on her hands.

"This mark is the mark of the Banesbloud Clan...a clan of dark mages that served the dark mage, Zeref." Rette said.

Silence met her words, as she was sure it would. All eyes were focused on her and all eyes, except Erza's and Thyme's, were wide in shock.

"As I'm sure everyone in the guild knows by now, I was born and raised in an underground facility called the Compound. A facility that my birth father, who is a dark mage, ran. What I never told but a few people, is that...the Compound had been started by the Banesbloud Clan, a clan of Zeref followers. Through them, the Compound kidnapped, tortured, and raised children into being mindless servants of Zeref. My father was... **is** , a merciless man who would sooner gut his own flesh and blood than loose face and he worships the ground Zeref walked on. For him, I was nothing more than a tool, a pawn for him to move as he pleased. He doesn't like to lose face and he hates to be defied...and I did both. In more ways than one." Rette said.

"So this guys going to be hunting you down?" Gray asked.

"When he feels like getting back at me, he will. The thing about him is that he never does anything unless it's on his own time. When he's good and ready...he'll let the whole world know." Rette replied.

"It's been seven years. Maybe the guy's dead by now." Gajeel retorted.

"No. He's not. I don't know how to explain it, but I just **know** he's alive and out there." Rette said, turning to stare out the window, one hand gripping at her stomach. "I can **feel** it in my gut. There's no way I can mistake this burning, gut feel. If you knew him like I did, you'd know...he's too stubborn, too spiteful, to die. Making others suffer sustains him."

For a moment, Rette stared into the distance, one hand splayed across her stomach. Her expression was indifferent, if not taunt, but her eyes flashed with something dark, like she was lost in her memories. As if those memories were being played in her head like a horror movie.

"Rette?" Erza asked.

Rette snapped out of it, giving herself a shake. She turned to her friends, inwardly scolding herself for falling into the old memories once again. As much as she tried, it was hard to let go of and get over everything she had experienced as a child. She knew her friends would help her, but...that was a bit difficult when Rette was still hiding things from them. There was still a part of her, secrets and a part of her past, that she kept from them.

And for a good reason.

For all that they were accepting and generally didn't hold a person's past against them, there was a truth about Rette that she knew they would never accept, she couldn't accept it herself, and to tell them would drag them into the middle of her world. Looking at their faces as they looked at her, knowing how much they cared about her...Rette couldn't do that to them.

"I'm fine." Rette assured them.

"Are you sure? You kind of spaced out there for a moment." Lucy said.

"I'm sure. I was just caught up in my own head for a moment." Rette said. "My father and everything about him aside, what are all of you doing here? It's about to be dark out."

It was obvious that Rette wanted to drop the subject now. She had told them what she was willing to tell them and now she wanted to move on. Knowing how much it bothered her to talk about her father, they were willing to let it slide. So here, Natsu finally jumped in, all excited and rearing to go. He jumped up out of his seat, a big, goofy grin on his face.

"We've got a job lined up!" he declared.

"Okay. Well...have fun." Rette said idly.

"He means you too, idiot." Gajeel told her.

Rette shot him a sharp look. Gajeel didn't know why, but he instantly shrank in his seat. He didn't like that look on her face. When she looked at him like it, it was like an instinctive response to do as she said and keep his head down. Which, of course, pissed him off, but he knew better than to say anything to Rette.

"What's with the sudden desire to take a job?" Rette asked.

"Well, some of us need to pay off back rent, you know." Lucy told her.

"Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot." Rette replied.

But of course she did. Rette didn't have to worry about that kind of thing. She had managed to save up enough money to buy her own place, not rent, so she didn't have to worry about things like rent. She did, however, have her own bills and other things to worry about, but from what they had found out about Rette, Rette was really good about saving money and spreading it over an extended period of time. But rather she was set in the money department or not, they knew she would help them out in a sticky situation if she could.

"So, all of us are going?" Rette asked.

"Yeah. We thought we'd get the team back together and Gajeel and Juvia decided they would tag along." Gray told her. "You in?"

Rette shrugged her shoulders in a way that suggested she didn't really care. She looked at Thyme, silently asking what she thought. Since Lily was going to be going, Thyme was on board for anything. Rette really should have seen that one coming. Thyme's little crush on Lily had turned into full blown, puppy dog love. It was kind of cute, but then again, Rette felt bad for Thyme since Lily seemed oblivious to the whole thing.

"I guess we're in. When do we leave?" Rette asked.

"First thing tomorrow morning." Erza announced. "We'll meet up at the train station at dawn!"

"Dawn? Seriously? Good luck getting the boys out of bed." Rette retorted.

"Hey!" came the snapped reply from Gajeel, Gray, and Natsu.

"If the shoe fit, wear it." Rette told them.

The girls and Lily laughed at the three boys while Rette ignored their glares. The group, under Rette's instance, stuck around for dinner. Rette did all the cooking with a little help from Thyme and everyone crowded around Rette's kitchen table, which barely managed to fit all of them. The boys were hesitant at first, taking testing bites of the food and when they found that Rette was actually a good cook, they dug in. The girls followed suit.

"This is good!" Happy called out happily.

"Try not to sound too surprised. I have been feeding myself for quite some time." Rette told him.

"Where'd you learn to cook like this, Rette?" Lucy asked.

"Believe it or not...Tundron taught me." Rette replied.

"A dragon!? Really!?" Lucy asked shocked.

"Tundron, despite being a dragon, was really good with what plants, what spices, went well with meat. He taught me what he knew and I've just added onto it over the years. In the years I lived with him and Chrysalis, Tundron was my taste tester. You know, for a dragon, he was surprisingly a very picky eater. Pleasing him was difficult." Rette said, heaving a sigh at the end.

"With cooking this good, you must have managed it." Erza remarked.

"As good of a cook I might be now at eighteen, I was only half so back then. I didn't actually cook anything that satisfied him until I was almost eleven. By then, I had been living with him for about four years." Rette replied.

"Sounds like a real picky dragon." Natsu said, his mouth half full of food.

"You have no idea. And he was strict too. He didn't like it when I argued with him and he would punish me for it." Rette said.

"How so?" Wendy asked, wide eyed.

"Tundron, as an ice dragon, had these icy spikes on his back. When I argued with him, he would get annoyed with me very quickly and would pick me up by the back of my clothes and hang me from one of the spikes on his back. He would leave me there for a while, which always made me cold. Chrysalis thought it was funny. I wasn't so inclined to agree." Rette told her.

Lucy, Erza, and Juvia hid their laughter while the boys out right laughed. The image of a very annoyed and highly opinionated, little Rette hanging from the icy spike on the back of her dragon father's back, was hilarious. Rette frowned when she saw that basically all of her friends were laughing at her.

"It's not funny, you know. Sometimes he would forget I was there and would fall asleep. He almost rolled over on me once." Rette told them.

This only made them all laugh harder because of the nearly pouting look on Rette's face. Though they were laughing at her, Rette was just happy to see them smiling and laughing. No matter how difficult and hard everything got, as long as her friends were smiling and laughing along side her, Rette was sure she could get through it.

"What about Chrysalis? What was she like?" Lucy asked.

"She was, perhaps, the most patient being I've ever met. She never got mad or upset. She did get a little concerned when I went through a phase of using berries to paint my face like make-up." Rette remarked.

"Really?" Wendy asked.

"Yep. She would always gasp out my name when she saw me, but my reply always made her laugh." Rette told her.

"What did you say?" Juvia asked.

"'It's not a phase, Mom!' She always found it funny, no matter how many times I did it." Rette said.

Her friends laughed again, picturing a little Rette, her face painted with berry juice, staring at Chrysalis with a pouty look, declaring it wasn't a phase. They could see why Chrysalis had found it funny. The conversation steered away from Rette's dragons, to other subjects, like their job. Rette was glad to be back out on a job with her teammates.

If only she knew what they had planned for her with this little job.

-0-0-0-0-

"That was a sham of a job."

Rette's friends grinned as they watched her. Walking down the main street of Magnolia, dragging her over night bag behind her, Rette half sulked. Their so called job, this time, had been to provide entertainment for a rich man's party with his equally rich friends. Rette had been dressed up like a sexy rabbit girl and paraded around the party along side Juvia, Erza, and Lucy. That is, until one man had gotten a little to handsy and had grabbed Rette's butt when she had walked by. Rette had rounded on him with a dark glare before dumping her tray of food on his head.

Erza had quickly ushered Rette away before she could do anything worse.

Which she wanted to do.

Now they were back in Magnolia and Rette was upset with herself for losing her cool just because a guy grabbed her butt. She was more upset, though, because her little out burst lead to Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel causing their own out burst and that had nearly destroyed their client's fancy mansion. Needless to say, the repair of the damages was taken out of their payment.

"It's alright, Rette. He shouldn't have grabbed you like that." Wendy said, trying to cheer up Rette.

"You know, that's what gets me the most. I've had guys stare at me for years, but I've never had one be so bold as to actually touch me." Rette remarked.

"Well, since it was your fault things went south, we're going to your house and you can treat us." Gajeel declared.

Rette's shoulders sagged in defeat. She didn't normally like others in her house, though there had been several since she joined Fairy Tail, but she could see his point. It had been somewhat her fault. She gave into the demand and agreed, making Natsu and Happy cheer. Rette trudged off towards her house, her friends grinning at each other behind her back.

"I don't know why we have to go back to my house, when we can go to the guild hall." Rette remarked, leading the way up the winding stairs that led to her house.

"You're house is more comfy!" Natsu declared.

"I bet it is." Rette muttered.

When she reached her door, Rette unlocked it and let Thyme fly in ahead of her to turn on the lights. Natsu instantly demanded food and, heaving a sigh, Rette went to her kitchen to see what she could make to appease him.

"Honestly, though, Natsu. You ate less than an hour ago. Sometimes I wonder if you really are a bottomless pi-"

"Happy Birthday, Rette!"

Rette, shocked by the sudden and loud cheer the moment she turned on the light in the kitchen, stumbled backwards and tripped over her suitcase, which she had been dragging behind her. Having her feet knocked out from under her, she fell back onto her back.

"Rette! Are you alright!?"

Levy, Lisanna, and Wendy appeared above Rette, peering down at her with concerned faces. Rette, sprawled flat on her back, her legs still hooked over her bag, stared back up at them, her face unreadable.

"Rette?" Levy asked.

"...There are so many people in my house..." Rette replied.

Laughing, the three backed up, Lisanna helping Rette to her feet. Levy turned to were every member of their guild was gathered in Rette's kitchen. She assured everyone that Rette was alright and as Mira came towards Rette with a funny little birthday hat in her hands, Rette looked around her kitchen. The porch beyond the double doors was lit up with floating lights, tables sat up with food and presents. Everyone was wearing party hats and a floating banner declared "Happy Birthday, Rette" in big, bold, purple letters.

"What's going on?" Rette asked.

"It's a surprise birthday party!" Lisanna told her.

"It was the reason we took that silly job. So we could get you away while everyone else set up." Gray added.

"How did you get in my house?" Rette asked.

As if instantly answering her own question, Rette turned her eyes on Thyme. The exceed smiled brightly at her in a I'm-innocent-even-though-it's-obvious-that-I'm-not kind of way.

"How did I know." Rette muttered.

"So what do you think, Rette?" Lisanna asked, all smiles as she hugged Rette's neck.

"What if I didn't want a birthday party?" Rette asked.

"You mean, you don't like it?" Lisanna asked.

"Loud noises, food all over the place that can make a mess, and a lot of people crammed into my house...what's not to like?" Rette asked.

They were all pretty sure it was sarcasm, but they were all also pretty sure that she was just too shocked to process everything and that she was actually happier than she was letting on. It was easy to tell she was embarrassed, though, by the way she was avoiding looking at anyone and by the slight, red taint to her cheeks. Laughing, Mira and Lisanna dragged Rette outside and sat her down at the head table.

"We wanted to include an age on the banner, but...we weren't sure whether to put nineteen or twenty-"

"Don't even say it. Nineteen is fine." Rette said, holding up a hand to cut Lisanna off.

Laughter sounded all over the porch as the others laughed at her. Just like any party in the guild hall, the whole affair soon included dancing, singing, cheering, some rowdy fighting-which Rette broke up when Gray and Natsu broke several of her plates, ending in Rette knocking both of them over the head-and cheerful laughing. Rette lit up when she took a bite of the cake to find that it was made with dark chocolate icing.

A suggestion from Laxus.

When it came to presents, Rette received a lot of little trinkets, a new sword to continue her sword training with Erza, a few books to add to her home library, and, the present that Rette loved the most, a necklace. The silver chain was long enough that she could hide it under most of her tops. From the chain, hung a charm that was a mix of several small charms, each representing a different member of the guild, and even a few lockets. One locket held a picture of Rette with her teammates, another of her with Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman, a third with her and Thyme, a fourth of her behind the bar with Makarov perched on the bar top, and the last of the whole guild.

Rette removed the necklace from the box and hung it around her neck, her finger tips running over the charms and lockets. She loved the necklace, all the presents, the cake and, though she wouldn't admit it out loud...the whole party. She couldn't begin to tell her guild mates how much this simple, little party meant to someone who had never had a reason to celebrate their birthday.

"You guys...I-I..."

Rette swallowed, unable to get words out of her mouth. She looked up at her smiling friends and gave them the first, full blown smile they had ever seen on her face. Someone quickly snapped a picture, but Rette ignored it.

"Thank you." she told them.

"Aw! We're so glad you like it!" Lisanna said, hugging Rette's neck once more.

"I love it." Rette corrected.

If she hadn't been sure before, Rette was sure now...she absolutely loved her guild. And she would do whatever she could to help them. First on that list, was getting her guild out of the rut they had landed in, and that would take some work.

A lot of work.

END

Kyandi: Personally...I don't know how I would take it, waking up to find I'd missed seven years of my life.

Rette: It very disorienting, that's for sure.

Kyandi: It might be enough to make me rip my hair out.

Rette: Well...now I don't have enough hair to consider that.

Kyandi: True. Well, I'm off to work on the next chapters!

Rette: Because you're excited?

Kyandi: You betcha! Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	35. For The Guild

Kyandi: Hey, everyone.

Rette: We apologize that it took us a while to get this up.

Kyandi: I've been sick the last couple of days and haven't even touched my laptop.

Rette: She's just now feeling better.

Kyandi: Being sick, sucks!

Rette: That is why I never get sick.

Kyandi: Keep boasting and you will.

Rette:...

Kyandi: That's what I thought. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 35 For The Guild

And a lot of work it turned out to be.

With the unified thought that they needed to work to fix things for their guild, everyone got to work doing just that. The first issue to be handled, was Twilight Orge. Makarov gathered Mira, Erza, and Rette...his three most intimidating females. With the three behind him, Makarov had Wakaba and Macao showed them the way to the Twilight Ogre guild hall. He made the two men stay outside and went in with his three lovely "assistants". Inside, Makarov requested a meeting with the guild master, Banaboster. A man who reminded Rette a mob boss.

It was there, standing behind the lounger that Makarov now sat on, that Rette, Mira, and Erza found themselves.

"That's what I'm sayin', old man...as for right now, there's nothing to discuss here. Just pay us back the money we lent you, and everything will be fine." Banaboster said, a cigar in hand.

Makarov sat across a low coffee table from Banaboster. Rette stood directly behind him, Mira to her right and Erza to her left while members of Banaboster's guild stood behind them, listening and watching.

"Even if you say that...you know very well, we have so little money, it's amazing we're able to get by." Makarov said.

"Money's not going to magically appear just because you are taunting us." Mira asked.

"If there was magic out there to produce money, I would have learned it a long time ago." Rette mused.

"Are you tryin' to pick a fight with me!?" Banaboster demanded.

Makarov held up a hand, shaking his head. Where Banaboster was getting worked up, Makarov was as calm as ever. Rette had a feeling that that was what made Banaboster lose it even more.

"Not at all! We'll pay you back the money we borrowed plus the proper interest...someday." Makarov told him.

"Are you listening!? I told you I want you to pay me right now, geezer!" Banaboster said, flying to his feet.

"Watch that disrespect." Rette said lowly, her eyes meeting Banaboster's in a dark glare.

One wrong step or word and Rette wasn't going to be very pleasant of a guest for Banaboster to have and Banaboster, on some level, knew it. Rette wouldn't listen to someone disrespect Makarov like that in front of her. Makarov held up a hand, insuring, for the moment, that Rette would remain where she was.

"Come, come, now...first, why don't we go over those interest rates again." Makarov insisted.

"We've got five healthy young men here ready to cause some serious pain, damn it!" Banaboster snapped.

"Don't look healthy to me." Rette remarked, glancing at Teebo and his team.

"Beating up your debtors won't make the money you're owed come back! This is a matter of your guild's reputation, damnit!" Banaboster roared.

Exactly. It was a matter of their guild's pride and reputation and Banaboster and his members had walked all over Fairy Tail's. Another reason why Twilight Ogre now found themselves on Rette's "Must Damage" list. Currently, they ranked right under Acnologia.

"Huh? Didn't you come here today to talk about "money"? You wanna talk about that, too?" Makarov asked.

Banaboster kicked the table between him and Makarov, sending it and the cups on top of it, flying off to the side. Makarov didn't even flinch. Even Erza, Mira, and Rette didn't move.

"Don't play dumb, you know what I'm talking about, damn it!" Banaboster snapped.

Rette rolled her head to one side, a crack of her neck sounding, before rolling her head to the other side, another crack sounding. It was about to get to her favorite part.

"'Return whatever you borrow'. That's our guild's creed...that's what you're talking about, right?" Makarov asked.

"Seven years worth of damage to furniture in our guild from members rampaging." Erza said.

"Seven years worth of insult and injury to our members. You playing around with what's not your's." Rette added.

"We need to pay all of that back to you." Mira agreed.

"Seven years worth...of tears cried from the pain felt by these children," Makarov added, growing in size until he stood face-to-face with Banaboster. "Hey, child. Here's what we owe to war."

Erza requipped into one of her darker armors with spikes along the shoulders, Rette transformed into her Satan Crystallite form, and Mira transformed into her She-Devil form, the three of them making up an intimidating presence. Rette turned to face the members of Twilight Ogre behind her, flexing her fingers to make the knuckles crack. Several of the members flinched back from her when her crystal sharpened claws flashed in the light.

"Time to pay up, boys." Rette declared.

Between Rette, Mira, Erza, and Makarov, they wrecked the same havoc as what had been wrecked in their guild hall. Rette smashed and wrecked, easily fending off all of those who tried to fight her. Most though...ran from her.

With this encounter, one of their guild's biggest issues was settled.

It was handled in a rather violent and straight-forward way, but Rette was fine with it.

From there, in the next two weeks, rumors spread about their return and soon they were paid a visit by Sorceror Weekly's Jason. Of course, this meant that everyone tried to out do others for spotlight in Jason's article. Rette didn't have to try. Her new hair style and her always, forever indifferent air, drew Jason to her like a moth to flames, ending in him taking pictures of her.

As if to make up for seven years of lost time, everyone in the guild partied their hearts out, everyday. Drinking, cheering, rowdiness abundant. Rette, in that time, was introduced to Biska's and Alzack's daughter, Asuka. To say the child scared Rette, was no exaggeration. Rette had no idea how to handle little children and, though Asuka was a well behaved child, she still made Rette uneasy. Much to the amusement of her guild mates.

Things pretty much settled back into the flow of how they had been before, with Rette helping Mira around the guild hall, Natsu and the others causing noise, Cana getting drunk day in and day out, and the over all guild being the old, noisy place it had been. Today found Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and Romeo sitting at a table with Biska, Alzack, Asuka, and Erza standing nearby, listening. They were all discussing the new number one guild in Fiore, Rette listening as she delivered drinks to tables.

"Sabertooth?" Natsu asked as Rette sat a plate before him.

"A tiger with sabers for teeth...Sabertooth, get it?" Romeo replied.

"Sounds pretty weird looking." Rette remarked.

"Maybe, but Blue Pegasus and Lamia even disregard them...they're currently the strongest mage guild in Fiore." Romeo replied.

"I've never heard of them." Gray said.

"They weren't anything special seven years ago." Alzack explained.

"So they've grown into something special in the last seven years?" Rette asked.

"It started when their guild master recruited five very strange, but very capable mages." Max remarked, turning in his chair to face their table.

"Five people alone made that much of a difference?" Lucy asked.

"Why not? Natsu, Erza, Gray, and a few others in our guild could carry Fairy Tail on their own." Rette remarked, bracing a hand on the back of Lucy's chair.

Lucy saw her point in this and couldn't really argue. Between their S-class mages, Natsu, Gray, and a few others, their core members could carry the whole guild on their own.

"So what rank does that leave our guild in now?" Wendy asked.

"You really wanna know?" Happy asked.

"You haven't heard yet?" Carla added.

"Absolute last place." Romeo answered.

"A super tiny weak little guild." Alzack added.

"The weakest guild in Fiore." Biska agreed.

Wendy dropped her head into her hands, crying that she was sorry she had asked. Rette shook her head at the nonsense.

"Who cares? Personally, I don't see the point in ranks. It's a load of bull." Rette remarked.

Natsu didn't share Rette's opinion. He was fired up that that meant they now had the chance to climb their way back up. He thrilled in the challenge. Of course, by getting fired up, he got the others fired up as well. Of course, this whole line of conversation led to Natsu picking a fight with those who had been left behind, to see how they had improved. Rette claimed a seat on a barrel to watch as Natsu faced off against Max. The first round went to Max, but Natsu refused to give up and charged in once more. The whole time, Rette watched them.

Max had definitely grown in the seven years they were gone, but the moment Natsu switched into his Lightening Fire Dragon Slayer mode, Max couldn't stand up to him. Once again, Rette found herself feeling a little annoyed that Natsu was kind of, sort of, stepping on her toes in the magic mixing department. The Roar Natsu let loose was strong enough to cut a path across the landscape, though it only barely skimmed Max, taking off a few strands of hair in the process.

"Damn it! It's not as powerful as it was." Natsu muttered.

"When did you steal this?!" Lucy asked.

"Just now." was Natsu's reply.

He was about to find out something Rette had known for the better part of her life...that an attack like that that mixed magic, drained a lot of magic energy in the process. Natsu was about to find out what the term, "running on empty" meant.

"Natsu, don't laugh and boast. You're about to hit rock bottom." Rette called out to him.

"What do you mean? I'm still the strongest!" Natsu said, laughing.

A sweat broke out on his forehead then and he, as Rette had said, hit rock bottom. Or, in this case, rocky ground. Natsu fell face first onto the ground, his strength gone. Rette heaved a sigh and shook her head. She hopped down from her perch and walked over to Natsu, nudging him with a booted toe.

"I told you. That kind of magic cost you a lot of magical energy. It's best you put in a lot more training first." Rette told him.

"Natsu...you'd better not fight with this in real combat." Happy added, agreeing with Rette.

"How do you manage it, Rette?" Lucy asked.

"A lot of hard work and practice. Not to mention that I know how to delicately mix the magic so there's no excess energy wasted. Natsu's all brute force and no tact." Rette replied, nudging the side of Natsu's head again.

"Well, Max is marvelous too." Wendy said.

"You are flattering me, Wendy." Max replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"You are strong enough to fight with the Orge's, why didn't you beat them and shut them up?" Carla asked.

"But we owed them so much money." Warren said.

"It can't be solved by violence." Nab added.

"Hate to break it to you...but it was solved with violence. Wrecking their guild hall was actually kind of fun." Rette remarked.

Nab, Warren, and Bijiter took a step away from Rette. Lucy, though, agreed that it had pretty much been solved with violence.

"We are facing a really serious problem." Gray called out suddenlly from where he sat on a boulder over their heads. "Apart from those monster-like powerful guys like Gildartz, Laxus, we are too weak in this world now."

"Speak for yourself." Rette retorted.

Rette held firm to the belief that one didn't need brute strength if they had good evasion skills and aim to kill. No one argued with her, but it was mostly because her teammates were sure there was a lot about Rette's magical abilities that she hadn't shown them yet.

And then there was that dark arua she refused to explain to them.

Gray, Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, Happy, and Carla decided to go see Porlyusica about a possible potion or something that could increase their magical level. Rette decided, knowing Porlyusica's dislike of other humans, that she didn't need to be rejected and chased with a broom and stayed behind.

She was kind of glad she did decide to stick around. She was helping Mira bust tables when Makarov returned with Gildartz in tow. Makarov instantly called a meeting with all members of the guild currently in the guild hall. While he was gathering the others up, Rette noticed Gildartz slip something to Mira and sneak out of the guild hall. Deciding not to say anything, Rette turned her attention to Makarov as he spoke.

"...my point is that I've decided to retire. And now I'd like to introduce the next master to you all. The fifth master of Fairy Tail is...Gildartz Clive!" Makarov gestured to the spot behind him where Gildartz had been when they returned to the guild hall.

Instead of Gildartz, Mira stood there with a smile on her face. She held out a letter to Makarov that Gildartz had left behind. Makarov opened it and read it aloud.

"'To Master, and all friends here, to be the master...sorry to say I'm not suitable.'" Makarov read, his jaw dropping.

Laughter rang out through the guild hall. Rette shook her head, though she couldn't help the slight twitching of her lips. Makarov really should have seen something like this coming. Gildartz wasn't really the type to be held down in a single place for long. He was like a leaf caught in the wind...just going wherever the wind took him.

"'Well, anyway, selected as the fifth master, I'd like to do two things for you. First is to acknowledge Laxus as a member of Fairy Tail.' Dare you...!" Makarov read, yelling the last bit in frustration.

Bixlow, Evergreen, and Freed lit up, and, all at once, jumped at Laxus, cheering and calling Gildartz a good man. Rette turned and looked at Laxus.

"About time you managed to wiggle your way back." she teased.

Laxus shot her a look, but wasn't really able to say anything with his three friends hanging off his neck like they were. The sight was enough to drive Rette to cover her mouth with one hand, fighting back a laugh. Makarov continued reading the letter, the last part making him freeze like a statue in horror.

"'Second is to nominate Makarov Dreyar to be the sixth master of Fairy Tail.'. Me again...!?"

"Well everything returns to the way it was." Alzack remarked.

"As it should be." Rette agreed.

While she liked Macao, it just didn't feel like Fairy Tail without Makarov at the helm. And, of course, she was glad to see Laxus back. She knew it meant a lot to him and to the Thunder Legion. Despite what he had done, Laxus would always be family.

"'I'll travel around for some time, and will come back someday. Take care, all of you. And Cana...sorry to leave you again. You can always pray to the card when you miss me and your feeling will reach to my card so that I will fly to you'." Makarov read on.

Mira gave Cana an enevelope containing a card that she could use to call him if she ever needed him. With a smile, Cana ripped up the card.

"I don't need it! I told you that I like the life I have, damn father." Cana said.

"'Fairy Tail is my home. I will be back. Until the day I'm home, I hope that Fairy Tail would be the number one guild of Fiore again. But it's not my duty to do so, but yours, Master. This is your last job...to lead Fairy Tail to be the number one guild of Fiore'." Makarov read, finishing the letter.

For a moment, he stood there, arms crossed, barely containing his shaking. And then he exploded, jumping up and down on the spot.

"My last job? Dare you! Ok, then I will never retire again! I'll be the master for a lifetime! Wine! I need wine!" Makarov yelled.

Chatter began to fill the guild hall, Makarov downing wine faster than Rette could down water. She really hoped there never came a day when she had that kind of tolerance. She feared what that would mean for her poor liver. A line of conversation caught Rette's ears then.

"Gildartz said to be number one of Fiore." Warren said in disbelief.

"It's really too greedy, don't you think so?" Max asked.

"Nope. I think being positive is great." Erza said.

"It might be possible seven years ago." Warren told her.

"Now everything has changed." Max agreed.

"Besides Sabertooth..." Alzack remarked, trailing off.

"Lamia and Blue Pegasus have both grown to mighty guilds, so much stronger than seven years ago." Bisca finished, little Asuka adding in, "Large guilds" cheerfully.

"And look at us. Although our core members have come back." Bijiter said, sourly.

"Tenrou team has made no progress since seven years ago." Laki agreed.

"We have no way to fill up the vacant seven years. It's really difficult to be the number one of Fiore, in terms of either individual magic or the sum power of the guild...you get the point...it will take some time to regain what we had before." Erza said.

"But we can't and don't want to afford seven year as "some time"." Romeo said, jumping up onto a table.

Rette really didn't want to have to take seven years to grow in strength. Perhaps now was a time for her to put aside her issues with her Dragon Slayer magic. The thought alone made Rette groan lowly to herself. That was a can of worms that she wasn't sure she wanted to open.

"There's only one way for us to become number one in a short time!" Romeo declared.

Rette, intrigued by this statement, looked up at Romeo. Exactly what was he talking about? Those who had lived out the seven years, freaked out as they figured out what he meant. Which only made Rette even more interested.

"No way! We have decided never to participate in that, haven't we!?" Macao said.

"What are you talking about, Fourth Master?" Makarov asked.

"Would you please stop calling me that, Sixth Master?" Macao asked.

Rette rubbed at one temple as Macao and Romeo got into an argument from there, the two fiercely at odds about what to do. During this argument, Natsu and his group came back.

"We've got to do it! Let's do it! Let's do it!" Romeo yelled.

"No way, no way, no way, no way! I absolutely disapprove of this! We decided we'd never participate in that again!" Macao yelled back.

"You don't have any authority to decide anymore, Dad! You're not the master anymore!" Romeo yelled.

"I'm saying this as a member of the guild!" Macao said.

"What's the problem, now?" Gray asked.

"It looks like some father-son dispute." Carla replied.

"I've been here the whole time and even I'm confused on what's going on." Rette chimed in, tilting her head to one side.

They were ignored by the others as Macao called for all of those who didn't want to participate, to raise their hand. All of those who had lived out the seven years, save Romeo, raised their hands. Even Asuka followed her parents and raised her little hand in the air.

"But we've got the Tenrou guys here this time! There's no way Fairy Tail can lose!" Romeo declared.

Rette was still confused. Exactly what were they talking about?

"Going? Not going? What are they talking about?" Natsu asked.

"While you were gone, an annual festival was created to decide the number one guild in Fiore, Natsu! All the guild of Fiore get together and compete with their magic power. It's called the Grand Magic Games!" Romeo told him.

Of course, Natsu and his team were instantly fired up for the idea. Rette didn't really care about the title or rank, but the idea of being able to compete in friendly competition with other guilds, sounded interesting. Though she was sure it wasn't usually friendly. When Romeo mentioned that the winning guild got thirty million jewel as a reward, Makarov signed onto the idea as well.

"It's impossible! There's Blue Pegasus and Lamia." Droy said.

"And Sabertooth is gonna be there, too!" Warren added.

"And in the past, we've always taken last place!" Jet added.

"Don't go boasting that." Elfman insisted.

"Don't let that bother you, we'll be fine!" Makarov declared.

Natsu, in his excitement, had completely lost it and Rette made sure to put a good distance between herself and his fire-happy self.

"When is this event happening!?" Natsu asked, turning to Romeo.

"In three months!" Romeo answered.

"That's plenty of time! We'll get ourselves in shape by then! Fairy Tail will once again be the number one guild in Fiore!" Natsu declared.

Many of the others agreed with this, claiming that if they worked together there was nothing they couldn't accomplish.

"Count me in, too."

All eyes turned to Rette in surprise. Usually Rette didn't want anything to do with anything involving ranks, titles, or anything of the sort.

"The whole rank thing aside, it sounds interesting." Rette said. "Besides...anything for the guild, right?"

"Right!" her teammates agreed.

Those who had been to the event before, though, insisted that it was a bad idea. Makarov over ruled them all, insisting they would go. Rette knew it was only because of the big cash prize that went to the winner of the whole thing.

With that, it was decided that Fairy Tail would take part in the Grand Magic Games.

Rette looked down at Thyme, who smiled back at her. Rette knew she had a lot of work she had to do before she could comfortably put her name forth for taking part in the Games. While she had been someone of decent skill before the seven years she spent frozen in time, she was probably at the bottom of the barrel now. Perhaps now really was the time to begin setting aside issues with her Dragon Slayer magic. But even then, she was sure she was going to be lacking in power.

Then she remembered something she had over heard Bisca telling Erza.

Maybe...

One corner of Rette's mouth curled up slightly as she thought the thought that came across her mind. Yes, she definitely had a plan of action now.

Now she just had to act on it.

-0-0-0-0-

"You sure you want to come with me?"

Rette glanced at Thyme as the two stood on the outskirts of Magnolia. The sun hadn't even risen yet and they were already packed and about to head off on their own training. Thyme, at Rette's question, nodded firmly. While she liked being around Lily, she wanted to be with Rette for training, to watch her back and make sure she was alright.

Rette had a bad habit of over doing it with training.

"Alright then. I don't know how long it'll take, but we'll be back before the Games start, one way or the other." Rette told Thyme.

Thyme gave a curt nod. Rette wasn't sure where she would end up, but she had a good idea where to start. Casting her Sun Wings spell, Rette took off, Thyme flying just to her side. It was at times like this that Rette was really grateful for her heightened ability to sense magic. Mixing that with last known sightings and she was sure she could manage. She hadn't told anyone what she was setting off to do, had only left a note to Mira telling her that she was heading off to train.

In a sense, she was.

Just not on her existing magic.

Lunch came and passed and by the time the sun started to sink in the sky, she finally found what she had been looking for. A magical trail that she knew, stood out plain as day to her senses. With a glance at Thyme, they took off, following the trail. Rette had no idea where she was, only that it was one of the various mountain ranges in Fiore. When she neared the end of the magical trail, Rette landed, finding herself on an almost completely hidden trail.

Thyme landed on her shoulder and they set off, following the trail. Now and then, Rette had to push low hanging tree branches out of her way. Tree branches became thick over head, blocking out the sun. Rette pulled out a crystal she had trapped her light magic in, letting it's bright glow light her way. Just when she came to the end of the magical trail, Rette's senses alerted her to an incoming attack. Thinking on her feet, she cast a shield, the incoming spell hitting the crystal shield before being absorbed and dispersed over the surface.

The shield shattered, leaving Rette and Thyme untouched. Peering into the trees in the direction the spell came from, Rette tried to make out the person.

"You know, that's a fine way to greet an old acquaintance...Jellal." Rette called out.

There was a rustling of leaves and then, from between two trees, Jellal appeared, surprise written on his face. Behind him came two women. Though they were older, Rette recognized them from the descriptions Gray and Juvia had given her. These two would be Ultear and Meledy.

"Rette?" Jellal asked in surprise.

"Long time, no see." Rette greeted.

Knowing he face no danger from her, Jellal slid down the incline between them and approached her. Thyme held up a paw in greeting as well, Jellal smiling at the small cat. He held a hand out to Rette, letting her take it in greeting. Rette's eyes traveled over his form, a flash of anger and sadness lighting up her eyes for a moment.

"It's good to see an old face, but...you look worn out." Rette remarked.

"A life on the run can do that to a person." he told her.

"Believe me...I know. Speaking of that...a prison break, huh...good for you." Rette told him.

"Wasn't exactly my idea." Jellal replied, glancing over his shoulder at his two companions.

"I see. I'm glad either way." Rette told him.

"How did you find me, Rette?" Jellal asked.

"Heightened sense for tracking magical energy. Still haven't found a person better at tracking magical energies than me. I just mixed that with last known sightings of you. Didn't take me that long." Rette replied.

"If the Magic Council had had her when we broke you out, we would have been in trouble." Ultear remarked.

"I wouldn't have helped them. Not a big fan of the Council. You must be Ultear and Meledy. Gray and Juvia told me about you two." Rette remarked.

"And you're Rette Starrilia, the Nexus Mage." Ultear replied.

"So they call me." Rette confirmed.

"Why were you looking for me, Rette?" Jellal asked, getting to the point.

"Yeah...that. We got a lot of catching up to do, if it's alright with you." Rette told him.

Jellal nodded. Leading the way, he lead her to a cave deep in the trees where Ultear, Meledy, and him were currently camped out. Sitting deep in the cave, around a fire, Rette and Jellal exchanged information.

"You recovered all of your memories?" Rette asked, somewhat surprised.

"I did...I'm sorry about trying to strangle you." Jellal told her.

"It was my fault he did it." Ultear instantly added.

Rette let out a curt laugh. She easily waved it off, not really caring that he had tried to do such a thing, or that Ultear had been the one messing with his head, driving him to do it. She had forgotten, for the moment, that he had ever attempted such a thing.

"You weren't the first and you weren't the last to attempt such a thing. To be honest, I had already forgotten all about it." Rette assured him.

"You really are too forgiving." Jellal told her, a smile on his face.

Thyme's paws went into the air as if she was saying, "I know, right!?". Rette pat her head, scratching behind her ears before focusing on Jellal again.

"It's not that. I've already told you...sometimes forgiveness is the only thing standing between a person destroying everything and that same person saving the world. I would rather save than destroy. Life isn't always easy. In fact, it rarely ever is. The fact of the matter is...I probably understand the three of you better than anyone else does. I've had just as much torment and connection to dark mages as you have." Rette said.

"I had heard rumors that your father was a dark mage." Jellal remarked careful.

Rette heaved a sigh, crossing her arms over her stomach. She wasn't surprised that rumors like that had reached his ears. He had once aligned himself with the darker side of the magical world. Rumors like that were bound to find their way to him.

"He was. He ran a place called the Compound." Rette admitted

Ultear's eyes widened, as if she knew what Rette was talking about. Her eyes focused on Rette with a new understanding.

"You were raised The Compound!?" she asked.

"You know it?" Rette asked in replied.

"It was an underground facility ran by dark mages devoted to Zeref himself. It's sole purpose was to raise children into mindless minions for Zeref's use. There were several around the world and all have been started by the Banesbloud Clan's leader, Lachlan Banesbloud. Your father ran one of the Compounds?" Ultear asked.

"Yeah. Of course, my team knows of this and they accept me despite knowing what my life was like. That alone has probably been my saving grace. The point is, I know how much a horrible childhood can mess with people and twist them into something they aren't. Especially when it involves Zeref. There are things even I have to atone for. So, as far as I'm concerned, what happened in that tower is over and done with. Just forget it. I have." Rette assured them.

Jellal smiled. Rette wasn't the type to pity people, having grown up with enough pity in her life to make her sick of the emotion. When she said it was forgiven, it was forgiven. With that, that line of conversation was set aside.

"We had heard all of you had returned. I'm glad." Jellal told her.

"Yeah. It's kind of strange. Seven years...gone. So much has changed and the reality of the whole thing is quite shaking. And now, to help the guild pull itself out of the rut it's in, we're going to be competing in the Grand Magic Games in three month's time." Rette replied.

"You are?" Jellal asked.

He and Ultear shared a look between them that caught Rette's interest. She raised an eyebrow at Jellal when he looked back at her.

"In that case, there is something I would ask of you." Jellal said.

"Go ahead, because I came here to ask something of you too." Rette told him.

Curious about what she wanted from him, he explained to her about the dark presence at the Games that they had sensed over the last few years. Since they were wanted felons, they couldn't approach the arena where the Games were held to find out what the presence was. When he mentioned that it felt like that of Zeref, he could tell that he had fully snagged Rette's attention. Her lavender-magenta eyes flashed in the flicking light of the fire and Thyme tensed from where she sat on a log next to Rette.

"You want me and my team to investigate?" Rette asked when he was done.

"Yes."

Rette stared at him, her expression never changing, but her steady and carefully blank gaze made him a little uneasy. Rette just had a stare like that. She could make you squirm in your seat if you weren't use to it.

"I have no problem with it. I'm nosy by nature. But I will ask something of you in return, if you don't mind. It's part of the reason I came looking for you." Rette told him.

"What is it?" Jellal asked.

"I want you to teach me Heavenly Body magic."

"You want me to...what?" Jellal asked.

"I want you to teach me Heavenly Body magic." Rette repeated.

"Why?" Ultear asked.

"I'm the Nexus Mage. My magic requires me to learn several different types of magic so I can weave them together into new, unheard of magics. The general concept and make-up of Heavenly Body magic is compatible with both my Light of Creation magic and my Crystallization magic. The possibilities are vast." Rette explained. "I've always had my eye on his magic."

"That's not the only reason, though, is it?" Jellal asked.

Rette's eyes flashed again and she shifted in her seat. She really hated it when people managed to see through her like that. It could be rather annoying.

"You know, just once, I would like it if people weren't always looking for an alternative motive in what I do. Why can't anyone ever take what I say at face value and leave it at that?" Rette asked.

"Because you wouldn't be Rette Starrilia if everything was as it seemed." Jellal replied.

"You sound like Erza." Rette retorted.

Jellal smiled to himself. But Rette knew he was right. She heaved a sigh and ran a hand through her short hair.

"I'm only saying this once, but...I kind of owe my guild mates. For seven years they've suffered and all because I and the others vanished. I'll do anything I can to make it up to them and winning the Games is important to them. To be of any help, I need a serious boost in power. Learning new spells would go a long way to doing that. I'm willing to take the risks involved. So please." Rette said.

And **that** he could believe. He didn't know a lot about Rette, but in the time he had known her, he had come to realize that Rette didn't throw around convictions like that easily. If she said it, she meant it. But she was right. There were risks involved. If the Magic Council found out she had been meeting up with him, a convicted felon, she could end up in prison too.

"You're really willing to take the risks?" he asked.

"What part of "anything" do you not get? This is my family, Jellal. If I could do it on my own, I wouldn't even consider risking you or your comrades here, but I need someone to teach me. I just want to be able to give them back everything that they should of had in those seven years." Rette insisted.

Jellal met her eyes and was able to see the determination in her eyes. It was a trait he had found to be forefront in most members of Fairy Tail. She felt that this was something she had to do and Rette wasn't the one to back down in a situation like that.

"Alright." Jellal agreed.

He was surprised when a smile, though tiny and not noticeable to those who didn't know Rette, curled her lips up at the corners. A look of relief passed through her eyes before her expression was back to it's aloof indifference.

"Thank you, Jellal." Rette told him. "You do realize that that means that for the next three months...I'll be sticking to you like glue."

Jellal had a feeling that that was the case. Ultear chose this moment to jump into their conversation, snagging Rette's attention.

"You said you needed power, right?" she asked.

"Yes." Rette replied.

"I think I can be of help to you." Ultear said, a smile curling her lips.

Rette wasn't sure she liked that way she had said that, but she wasn't about to pass up on at least finding out what Ultear was talking about. Surely she couldn't regret it.

-0-0-0-0-

"So let me get this straight...this is going to increase the amount of magical energy I can use?"

After tracking down Jellal and his two companions, Ultear had insisted they get a good night of sleep before she told Rette exactly what the technique was that she would use to increase Rette's power. The breaking of the next day, found them in a clearing high in the mountains where an abandoned cabin sat, Rette dressed in a bikini. Rette stood in front of Ultear, staring at the orb in Ultear's hand.

Basically Ultear had explained to her that she could use her Arc of Time magic to give Rette access to her Second Origin, something that would increase the amount of magical energy at her disposal. Rette had agreed to it but Ultear had warned her that the process came with pain. Rette was no stranger to pain. She could deal with it.

"Exactly. Are you ready?" Ultear asked.

"As ready as I'm going to be."

Rette took a deep breath, readying herself for something that Ultear had assured her would hurt like hell. Ultear held up her glass orb in both hands. Rette glanced down at her body as the ruins of a magic circle appeared on her very skin. The moment it was complete, the pain was almost instant. Rette grit her teeth as her knees gave, driving her to the ground. She put her hands out to catch herself before she face plant the stone riddled ground. She gasped in pain, pressing her forehead to the ground as her body shook all over, her very throat feeling like it was about to close. It felt like something was trying to rip her body apart.

The worst thing was...it wasn't the worst pain she had ever felt.

Rette forced herself to breathe deeply, even when her body protested and her throat burned. She remained in that position, on all fours, fingers digging into the ground. Jellal, Ultear, and Meledy watched her from the steps of the cabin.

"There's nothing we can do to help her with the pain?" Meledy asked.

"No. She's actually handling it quite well." Ultear said, watching as Rette gasped again, balling up one fist and slamming it into the ground.

Rette wasn't sure how long she remained like that. All she knew was that it hurt. Just keeping from screaming was a trial. But she could feel the shift in her magical power, a new depth to how much energy she could call to her use. By the time the pain finally begin to ebb and fade away, Rette was exhausted. She flopped onto her side, a deep ache in every single muscle in her body. Her body was covered in sweat and she was sure that she wasn't going to be moving anytime soon. Rette opened her eyes when Jellal crouched down next to her.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"I've been better...but I've also been worse. I'll live." Rette replied.

She shifted onto her back and laid there, sprawled out. Groaning lowly, she noticed that it was already night out. A cool breeze blew through the clearing, cooling her heated body.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to kill me, Ultear." Rette called.

"If I was, you'd be dead." Ultear replied.

"No, I wouldn't. Several people have tried and failed. I have a feeling you would too." Rette said, forcing herself into a sitting position. "I'm too stubborn to die. A trait I'm actually glad I acquired from my father."

Jellal hooked an arm under one of Rette's and helped her to her feet. He made sure she was steady before he released her. Rette's whole body screamed at her to lay the hell back down, but Rette pushed that aside. She couldn't afford down time right now. Not when she was on the clock. She had three months and if she wanted to weave Heavenly Body magic into her arsenal of Nexus magic, she would have to use every bit of those three months.

"Alright...time to move on." Rette said.

"Are you sure? You really should re-"

Jellal cut off in the middle of a word when Rette turned towards him. Her expression was impassive as always, as blank as a slate, but her eyes...her eyes burned with fierce determination. Aching, tired, and ready for bed she might be, but she wasn't going to give into those urges.

"No. If I let the soreness and stiffness set in now, I'll be unable to move for a few days. I don't have the time to spare." Rette insisted.

Jellal couldn't help but smile. Sometimes, with how stubborn she could be, Rette reminded him of Erza. It was almost as if the two had been raised together their whole lives instead of only knowing each other for a short time. He also knew that, if she was anything like Erza, she wasn't going to be swayed from doing what she wanted.

"Alright. Lets get started."

END

Kyandi: Personally...I'd probably be tempted to just deal with what I have.

Rette: You don't like pain?

Kyandi: NO! I get hurt on accident too much to go willingly seeking out pain.

Rette: You would never survive a fight.

Kyandi: Yes I would.

Rette: How?

Kyandi: The way my uncle taught me...if it's a girl, break their nose, if it's a guy, kick them in the groin!

Rette: That's a lovely thing to say when there are possible kids reading this.

Kyandi: O.O...Kids, do not take that advice!

Rette: You're a bad influence.

Kyandi: I'm sorry! I'm going to wrap this up before I say something else bad. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: But don't take her advice. We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye!


	36. Second Origin

Kyandi: Greetings, lovelies!

Rette: We have returned...and with an announcement.

Kyandi: Yep! As a sort of Christmas present for all of you, I am going to be posting several pictures, hand drawn by your's truly, of Rette on my deviantart account.

Rette: She's been going crazy drawing all my changes in hair style.

Kyandi: Kind of, yeah. I'll post my account name when I have them up!

Rette: With that said, shouldn't we jump into the chapter.

Kyandi: Right! Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 36 Second Origin

"Yhay!"

With three months until the Grand Magic Games, Natsu and his team, plus Juvia, Levy, Jet, and Droy, found themselves having a training camp by the sea. Dressed in bathing suits, the girls, Gray, and Natsu, instantly fell into playing mode.

"You guys! We didn't come here to play!" Carla scolded, but she too was dressed for fun with a snorkle mask and flippers.

"That's right!" Happy agreed.

"Dressed like that...even if you say that..." Droy voiced, doubtful that they had room to talk.

"Of course we understand. Having some variety is key. Playing well, eating well, sleeping well..." Erza declared, already in the water.

"You totally left out the main point of training." Jet remarked. "At the very least, we'll have you be able to defeat those of our level."

Jet and Droy were ignored and knocked out of the way as Natsu and Gray went about challenging each other to beach related battles. First it was a swimming battle, then a sand castle building battle, followed by a face stuffing battle, and finally a sun-tanning battle. All of which had nothing to do with the training they were suppose to be doing.

"They're totally enjoying themselves." Jet remarked.

"Ahh, well...let's be lenient for the first day, at least." Droy said.

They completely agreed with that line of thought when they turned to watch the girls, splashing and playing in the water. The revealing swim suits was enough to get their go ahead.

"Huh? Now that you mention it...of the Tenrou group that came to the training camp, this is it?" Lucy asked, finally realizing who all had come with them.

"It seems like the others are having their own training camp somewhere else." Levy said. "It seems like Mira's group went to the mountains. Laxus and his crew went somewhere else as well."

"And Rette and Thyme?" Lucy asked.

"Mira found a note from her saying that she and Thyme were heading off on their own." Erza called to her.

"Seriously? Even after everything we've been through together, she's still insisting on doing this by herself?" Lucy asked.

"You know Rette. She works hard, but she does it on her own." Levy remarked.

Lucy heaved a sigh. Rette really could be such a hand full at times. When it came to herself, she insisted on taking matters into her own hands, solving her problems by herself. At least it was just training this time.

"Hmm...I feel like we're forgetting someone..." Lucy remarked.

"Gajeel and Lily." Happy supplied.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen them lately." Carla added.

"They said it was some sort of secret training! I tried to go along with them, but they turned me down." Levy said.

"You tried to go along? Oh...Levy..." Lucy teased.

"N-no! It's not like that at all!" Levy insisted.

The group played and got their playfulness out of their system. When they had it all out, they went into serious mode, each of them doing their own thing for training. Lucy focused on trying to increase her magic capacity with the help of Capricorn. Gray focused on his molding speed, Levy helped Wendy decode the notes her dragon had left for some new techniques, Juvia worked on her water magic, Erza trained with her sword, and Natsu worked on his strength.

At the end of the day, they all went to the outdoor baths. While, on one side of the fence, Lucy tried to get Juvia to hurry, on the other side, Natsu led the boys to peek in on the girls.

"As expected...the bath after moving your body around is on a whole different level." Erza said, gratefully sinking into the water.

"It can take away all the fatigue, huh." Wendy agreed.

"It's said that the water here beautifies the skin." Carla remarked.

"Uh...by the way, why is Happy here?" Levy asked.

"It's because I'm a cat!" Happy announced.

Juvia, embarrassed about bathing with others, hid behind a rock. Lucy laughed lowly to herself. She had a feeling that if Rette had been there, she would have just boldly walked into the bath without a care of who saw.

Or maybe not.

Lucy remembered how, back on Tenrou Island, when Hades had almost caused her to lose her top, she had been horribly embarrassed and scandalized despite having offered to let Natsu see her naked back in Edolas. Though Lucy had a feeling that the latter was just to make her Edolas self embarrassed. And while Rette walked around in next to no clothes, perhaps being fully and truly naked, was embarrassing to Rette.

Who knew.

Something caught Lucy's attention then.

"Look! The stars are beautiful." Lucy said.

All of the girls looked up at the star filled sky above them. Away from the lights of the city, the stars shined brightly in the sky.

"I wonder if everyone else is hard at work training right now." Levy remarked.

"They might be watching the stars like us." Wendy added.

Unknown to them, spread out over Fiore, the others were watching the stars. In the mountains, Mira, Lisanna, Elfman, and Cana were looking up at the stars as they enjoyed their dinner. In another town, Laxus and the Thunder Legion were watching as a shooting star shot across the sky. Somewhere else, Gajeel and Lily lay on the ground, exhausted, grinning up at the stars. And finally, somewhere high in a mountain range, Rette lay half draped over the wooden steps of a cabin, watching the stars with Thyme, Jellal, Ultear, and Meledy.

Despite being apart, spread out all over the place, they could all see the same stars and it was that, knowing that their friends could possibly be looking at the same stars, that made them all feel close. If her friends were trying hard, Lucy knew she had to try harder too.

Suddenly Erza whipped around, throwing daggers at the wall surrounding their bath. The sudden action surprised the other girls and had Lucy pulling a towel to her to cover herself.

"What's wrong, Erza?" Lucy asked.

"No...I thought I felt some suspicious aura...was it my imagination?" Erza mused.

"Maybe they came to peep on us?" Levy asked.

"They're the worst!" Wendy exclaimed, embarrassed.

"Gray wouldn't do something like that!" Juvia insisted.

She was completely unaware that Gray had, indeed, being trying to do just that and had, just like Jet and Natus, received a knife to the forehead, while poor Droy received a knife right to the butt.

"Natsu and the others? I wouldn't mind...let's call them...why don't we get in together?" Erza asked, standing to go invite the boys in.

"No way!" Lucy shot down.

There was no way any of them were going to let Erza bring the boys into the bath. Erza might have bathed with Natsu and Gray when they were younger, but the rest of them didn't want to bathe with them now.

With that, day one of training ended peacefully.

-0-0-0-0-

Day two of training dawned with a good start.

"Wow! I'm feeling so good!" Natsu cheered.

"As long as we take the training seriously," Gray started.

"We can upgrade our magic power so fast in two day." Wendy finished.

"Then three months is quite enough for us to catch up with this world." Erza agreed.

Natsu, full of himself, started boasting that he would show the other guilds' their overwhelming power. The others just ignored him, letting him go on his little rant.

"I was worried about the time, and doubted if three months is too short. Now seeing us going so effectively like this, I would say "oh, we still have three months"." Lucy remarked.

Happy agreed with her. Suddenly, Virgo popped up out of the sand, right under Lucy's bottom. A highly unwanted and inappropriate place to pop up.

"Princess! Emergency." Virgo declared.

"Why are you here!?" Lucy asked.

"I'm ready for the punishment." Virgo assured her.

"Lucy has been in the Fairy Sphere for seven years...which means that all the celestial spirits who made contracts with her were staying in the celestial realm." Gray remarked.

"Oh poor spirit! Because of Lucy's fault...Lucy's fault..." Juvia said, in sympathy.

"No...that's not a big problem for us." Virgo assured them.

Virgo explained to them that the celestial realm was in danger of extermination and that they needed Lucy and her friends' help. She assured them that as long as they wore clothes from the celestial realm, they could enter the realm. With that explained, she transported them to the realm, leaving behind Droy and Jet. When they appeared in the celestial realm, they were wearing new clothes and they found out that Virgo had tricked them and she had only lured them to the realm for a party.

Thinking it would just be for one day, they agreed to stay for the party, all of them getting dragged into the celebration. Juvia chatted with Aquarius, Levy was drawn to Crux's library, Gray greeted Loki, and Happy and Carla were over run by several little dog spirits like Plue. Natsu stuffed his face and Lyra played music for them all. In the end, they all had fun and celebrated friends being home with their friends where they belonged.

"My old friends, we are always by your side." the spirit king told them.

"Yes!" Lucy agreed.

"We'll be your excellent partners." Scorpio said.

"Call us anytime." Capricorn agreed.

"I'll go to the guild to see you." Loki promised.

"Everybody, please take care of Lucy!" Aries called.

"Great! All the stars bless you on your way, my dear friends!" The spirit king announced.

With that, all spirits, save Virgo, who would take them home, vanished. Lucy was happy to have seen all of her spirit friends again.

"You are truly loved by all of them." Erza remarked.

"They are all my precious friends." Lucy agreed.

"Okay! We've enjoyed a good time, let's go back to continue training!" Natsu declared.

"Sure! We must be strong enough to beat other guilds in three months!" Gray agreed.

"By the way, there's one thing that I forgot to tell you." Virgo chimed in.

All of them turned to the spirit, wondering what she could have forgotten to tell them before now.

"Time goes at a different pace in the celestial realm." Virgo told them.

"Do you mean...that one year here equals a one day in the human realm?" Natsu asked.

"Then it is a dream zone for training!" Gray added.

"Actually it's the opposite. One day in the celestial realm equals three months in the human world."

Three months...in the human world...

Virgo returned them home only for them to find that they only had five days left before the Grand Magic Games would start. Depressed that they had lost all of their precious training time, the whole group sulked around, wondering what they were going to do now.

"The Grand Magic Games are in just five days!" Droy remarked.

"We haven't increased our magic power at all!" Jet added.

"I guess we have no choice but to let other people compete this time." Levy said.

Both she and Juvia sighed in disappointment. Happy was depressed that now, the gap in power between him and Lily had grown. Erza wasn't ready to let it go just yet.

"We can still make it if we start now! We're gonna have a five day crash training from hell! Every one of you better get ready! There won't even be time to sleep!" Erza declared.

Before she could get anymore worked up than she already was, a bird with a note attached to its leg, swooped down from the sky and landed on her head, the leg with the note, extended. They removed the note and read it aloud.

"'To Fairy Tail..come to the suspension bridge deep in the west woods.'."

It was a short and direct note and though they had their suspicions about doing as it said, they followed the notes directions, finding themselves at one end of a destroyed bridge. Natsu, thinking it was a trap of some kind, was already gearing up for a fight, pounding one fist into the palm of another.

"Why are you getting ready to fight?" Wendy asked.

"Nobody's here...what the hell?" Natsu asked.

"Was it a prank?" Gray asked.

"I told you we shouldn't have come." Lucy remarked.

They looked around, not seeing anyone around. Who could have called them there, was beyond them. Then, right before their eyes, the bridge begin to repair itself until it was as good as new. It connected to the cliff opposite of them, forming a sturdy path for them.

"This must be our invitation." Erza remarked.

"This might be a trap, after all." Levy said.

"I don't know who it would be, but let's go for it!" Natsu declared.

Agreeing with him, the others followed as Natsu headed across the bridge and into the forest beyond. They didn't walk too far before four cloaked figures appeared ahead of them. They approached cautiously, wondering who these people were. As they did near them, they picked up on a magic energy they knew well.

"Wait a minute...this is..."

As Erza voiced this, one figure broke away from the others and approached them. Natsu tensed up but then a hand came out from under the hood to swipe it back. Staring back at him was a pair of magenta-lavender eyes he knew well.

"Rette!" they all exclaimed.

"Hey." Rette greeted.

Thyme popped up out of the cloak, greeting them all with a wave of a paw. They all stared at Rette. The magic they sensed from her...had changed. It was stronger, deeper than what they had ever felt from her before.

"What are you doing here?" Gray asked.

"Training. What else?" Rette replied. "With some help, though."

Rette turned towards the other three figures behind her. She nodded, gesturing towards the three, making her friends look at them.

"I believe you know my helpers." Rette told them.

The three stepped forward, pulling their hoods down as the middle person, Jellal, thanked the others for coming. They all stared in surprise, finding themselves standing before Jellal, Ultear, and Meledy. But only half as shocked as they were to find out that Rette had not only found them, but had been training with them for the last three months.

"Jellal..." Erza voiced.

"Just like Rette, you haven't changed a bit, Erza...So, I'm sure you've all heard about my jail break by now?" Jellal asked. "Rette said she over heard one of your guild mates tell you, Erza."

Erza looked at Rette, who shrugged her shoulders. Rette over heard a lot of things she shouldn't. She had a knack for it and thus, was nosy quite a bit.

"Though, to be honest...it's not what I had planned." Jellal remarked.

"Meledy and I broke him out." Ultear explained.

"I didn't do anything. You did it all by yourself, mostly, Ultear." Meledy replied.

Erza turned to Rette then, staring at her.

"How did you find them?" Erza asked.

Rette folded her arms behind her back, rocking back on her heels. There was a faint smile on her face as Thyme giggled behind one paw.

"My heightened sense for magic allows me to track magical energy without the need of casting a tracking spell. Using that and last known sightings of Jellal...it was actually kind of easy for me." Rette replied.

"And you've been training with them for the last three months?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah. I think it was time well spent, too." Rette confirmed.

"Why Jellal?" Erza asked.

"You'll see." was all Rette said in reply.

She turned away from Erza before she could insist on an answer. Instead, she turned to Gray as he refused to let any of them get near Ultear and Meledy because they had once been apart of Grimoire Heart.

"That makes them our enemies...isn't that right?" Gray asked, looking at Ultear.

"Yes. The sins I've committed throughout my life are many...Even if I spent my entire life atoning, it wouldn't be enough. So...I want to at least save as many people as I can, that I encounter throughout my life. For example, Jellal." Ultear said.

"It's fine. You and I both wrestle with the darkness...this is an old story." Jellal told her.

"A lot of people "wrestle with darkness", Jellal. You aren't the only ones that have to atone for something in your lives." Rette reminded him.

Jellal looked up at her and nodded. Curious as to what exactly had passed between the group of three and Rette in the last three months, Natsu and the others looked between them, but Rette didn't bother to explain and Jellal, Ultear, and Meledy weren't talking either. Erza knew she couldn't make Rette talk if she didn't want to and she had a more pressing question in her mind.

"Jellal...how's your memory?" Erza asked.

"It's all there. Every last detail. Six years ago...when I was still in prison, my memory came back. Erza...I don't know what I'm suppose to say." Jellal told her.

"I was responsible for what happened to you on that paradise island. Jellal was controlling me, though...so please, don't blame me too much." Ultear added.

"I thought I was going to die in prison...the death penalty...that's what I received. Up until Ultear broke me out, that is." Jellal said.

"So, does that mean you've found some reason to live now?" Wendy asked.

Jellal looked down at Wendy, remembering that she had once mistaken him for another man she had known when she was younger.

"Wendy...I should tell you...the Jellal that you know and me...aren't the same people." Jellal told her.

"Ah...yes! I've already figured that out." Wendy assured him.

Jellal nodded and turned to address the question she had asked him about finding a reason to live.

"A reason to live...it's not something so wonderful as that. We created a guild. It's not a legitimate guild, nor is it a dark guild...we are an independent guild...Crime Sorciere." Jellal answered.

"An independent guild?" Levy asked.

"What does that mean?" Happy asked.

"So, they're not part of the federation?" Carla asked.

"I've heard of Crime Sorciere." Droy said.

"They've destroyed many, many dark guilds over the years." Jet added.

"Our guild is here to drive away all of the evil brought into this world by dark guilds and Zeref. So that never again will dark mages like us be born and never again...will an innocent be forced to suffer at their hands." Jellal said.

When he said this last part, he glanced in Rette's direction. Rette acted like she didn't notice, but her friends knew she did. So Rette had told Jellal of her father? They couldn't ask her because she waved it off.

"But then why don't you become an official guild through the council?" Gray asked.

"Really? Are you really that dense?" Rette asked, looking at him.

"What?" Gray asked.

"She means because I'm a fugitive." Jellal answered.

"And because we're former Grimoire Heart members." Meledy added.

Honestly though, the answer had been pretty obvious in Rette's opinion. Sometimes she wondered if Gray had been dropped on his head as a baby. But then again, at other times, he could be pretty smart. The question was...why couldn't he always be smart?

"Besides that, they can't go after dark guilds if they're an official guild. We are prohibited from doing so." Rette added.

"She's right. Our guild is fine the way it it." Jellal agreed.

"...So...the reason we summoned you here was not just to introduce ourselves. We've heard from Rette here, that you're entering the Grand Magic Games." Ultear said.

"Y...yeah..."

Rette looked at her friends. Something about the way that was said made her wonder if they were able to get any effective training in over the last three months. She had a feeling that they hadn't.

"We can't come near the event grounds...so it would appear we have a favor to ask of you." Ultear told them.

"Do you want us to sign one of you up?" Natsu asked. "We could do that for you."

"No. We've already asked Rette and she has agreed to what we want to ask." Jellal said.

All eyes turned to Rette who spread her arms and shrugged. What could she say? She was a nosy person and the trade off had been fair in her opinion.

"Every year, during the event...I've felt a strange magical force. I want to identify the source of that magic." Jellal said.

"I'm nosy by nature and the trade off between us was too promising to pass up, so I agreed." Rette added.

"What the heck?" Natsu asked.

"Fiore guilds are going to be there, correct? There's surely gonna be one or two suspicious magical forces." Lucy added.

"I thought that at first as well...but this magic had an evil presence to it, like Zeref's. Perhaps the presence is coming from us, since we've been so close to Zeref." Jellal remarked.

"I would have sensed it from you, if that was the case and I don't." Rette assured him.

"We want to know the true source of this magical force." Ultear insisted.

"From that, we might be able to track down where Zeref is." Jellal told them.

"Of course, winning or losing is a different story. We're going to be cheering on Fairy Tail from the shadows. But meanwhile, please search for the mysterious magic." Meledy asked of them.

"It sounds like you're on a wild goose chase, but we'll help you out." Erza promised.

"We appreciate it." Ultear replied.

"You sure, Erza?" Gray asked. "I feel uneasy about a mysterious magical force in a gathering of Fiore guilds."

"Rette's sure, and I trust her." Erza replied.

Rette was a little embarrassed to hear Erza say that, but she covered the slight reddening of her cheeks by bowing her head to run her hand through her hair.

"We'll give you compensation up front." Ultear promised.

"Food money!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Rent money!" Lucy added.

"Err...I didn't mean money. With my new improved Arc of Time...I can raise the level of your ability." Ultear told them.

"Oh, this is going to be fun to watch." Rette remarked.

When her friends turned questioning looks on her, one corner of her mouth curled slightly. She walked up behind Ultear, laying her hands on Ultear's shoulders and leaned a little around her too look at her friends.

"I've already gone through what she's talking about. You'll see." Rette told them. "She'll explain."

"A power up...I guess it's fine to think of it that way, but it's a bit different. Every mage has something like a container inside them that determines the limits of their magical power. In the case that the container becomes emptied, the eternano comes from the atmosphere and enters the body...after a while, the container is returned to normal. But...recent studies have identified a part of that container inside each mage that isn't normally used. A dormant potential power inside of everyone...Second Origin." Ultear explained.

That would explain the new depth and power to Rette's magic that they sensed. She had already had Ultear give her access to her Second Origin.

"My Arc of Time can evolve your containers so that they're capable of using Second Origin. As I did for Rette. In other words, it will give a giant boost to your magical power, even more than any of the training you've done until now." Ultear finished.

The others cheered, happy to have some kind of boost considering their three months had been snatched from them. They happily accepted the offer. Ultear and Rette looked at each other and an evil grin curled Ultear's lips while there was a definite air of amusement to Rette. The two looked at them.

"But...you're going to have to endure pain greater than your wildest imagination." Ultear said.

"It'll make you feel like something is trying to rip you apart from the inside out." Rette added.

While the comment scared Levy and Wendy, Natsu tackled Ultear, over joyed as he hugged her. Rette stepped out of the way so she wouldn't be knocked over.

"I don't care! Thank you! Thank you! How can I thank you!? You're starting to look like a real woman!" Natsu said.

"I **am** a woman." Ultear replied.

With that decided, they all returned to the beach, finding a little cabin far away from anyone else. Natsu agreed to go first and let Ultear start the process. Rette perched herself on a boulder, crossing her legs and watched as the pain from the process caused Natsu to writhe on the ground, bending his body, gripping his throat, and rolling all over the place. Gray and Lucy stood off to one side, staring in horror and shock.

"You handled this with much more grace, Rette." Ultear remarked.

"Well, rolling all over the place like that, isn't going to do him any good. It'll just make him even more tired when it's all over with." Rette remarked.

"Well said." Ultear said before turning to the others. "Come on. It's not so easy to bring out someone's true potential."

"Hey...you sure it's okay?" Lucy asked.

"Exactly how painful is it?" Gray asked.

"I'd say it's the most painful thing I've ever felt, but as you can tell by this scar," Rette said, touching the scar on the stomach. "I've almost had my guts ripped out. But it's a close second."

"Wanna try a sense link?" Meledy offered.

"Hell no!" Gray snapped.

"Do we...have to go through that, too?" Levy asked.

"I wanna cry." Wendy added.

"Wendy...you're already crying." Rette remarked looking at the crying girl. "But as they say, the best path in life is narrow and difficult. You'll live."

That did nothing to make them feel better about the whole mess. Droy and Jet bowed out of the whole affair, heading back to their lodgings on the main beach. By the time the moon had risen in the sky, Erza and Jellal had returned from their little "chat" and all the rest of Rette's friends had been rendered incapacitated for the time being. Only Erza and Rette had remained standing. Of course, Rette had gone through hers months before.

"No one can move now, thanks to you." Erza remarked as they stood outside the cabin.

"How come you don't feel anything?" Ultear asked, a little disappointed.

"It's Erza. She's strong." Rette insisted.

None of them could argue with her even if Erza wanted to.

"We can't stay in one place for too long due to the nature of our guild. We're leaving now and leaving Rette with you." Jellal said.

"Thanks for the training." Rette told him.

"If you get any information about the mysterious magical force in the Grand Magic Games, let me know by carrier." Meledy said.

"No problem." Erza agreed.

Erza and Rette, with Thyme on her shoulder, saw the three off, Rette raising a hand to wave back to Meledy. When they vanished from sight, Erza heaved a sigh. Rette glanced at her before looking back off down the trail.

"You know he was lying, right?" Rette asked.

Erza turned to her in surprise, raising a questioning eyebrow at her. Rette turned towards her, a sly look to her face.

"Thyme went to check on you and I know everything she knows." Rette told her.

Erza chuckled as she turned to look back down at the ground. She smiled, leaning slightly into Rette.

"Yeah, I know. He's such a clumsy liar. Just like before. It's not bad. This is our answer." Erza told her.

"Maybe, one day, that answer will change. You both deserve happiness." Rette replied.

"And you? What about you, Rette?" Erza asked.

"I still have a lot of work to do in my life before I can think about bringing someone else into it." Rette told her.

Erza was just glad it wasn't a flat out denial. Rette had changed a lot, and Erza was sure it was for the better. Then again, a lot of them had changed. Lucy, Gajeel, Laxus, even Erza, herself. But that was life, wasn't it? Ever changing. The moment was ruined by Happy when the little blue cat called out to Erza and drew a heart in the sand with a break down the middle. It was in poor taste and Rette didn't blame Erza when she kicked the cat as far as she could.

"That done...we should get some rest. We'll need to head back to the guild as soon as we can." Rette called to Erza.

"You're right." Erza agreed.

The two settled in for sleep. Though she wouldn't say anything, Rette was actually pretty excited about this tournament thing. She was looking forward to seeing what the strongest guilds in Fiore had to offer.

With that thought, she went to sleep.

-0-0-0-0-

Grand Magic Games...once a year, this festival for mages is held. The royal capital of Crocas bustles, full with the mages of Fiore and the citizens who come to watch the tournaments. In the center of the city is the king of Fiore's palace, Mercurias, and in the mountains to the west, the Grand Magic Games is held in the Domus Flau.

Rette currently found herself in the middle of the city, all members of her team, save herself and Erza, collapsed on the ground, groaning and complaining.

"H...hey...I still don't feel so great about all this. We don't know for sure if that spell worked." Gray commented.

"Yeah, but I do feel like my magic power has increased. All my joints are still totally sore though." Lucy complained.

"Jeez, don't you guys feel embarrassed for yourselves?" Erza asked.

"I feel embarrassed being associated with them." Rette remarked.

Natsu and the others looked up at Rette where she sat on the very top of Erza's luggage cart, a book open in her hands. Thyme read along from where she sat on Rette's shoulder. Either looked at the others as Rette flipped the page.

"I understand Rette, since she went through it months ago, but why are you completely fine, Erza?" Lucy asked.

"She probably had her second wind from the start." Gray supplied

"That actually makes a lot of sense, even to me." Rette called down.

They all agreed that Erza was more of a monster than she really should be. Rette glanced up from her book long enough to look around them. A few people were staring at them, looking from Erza, to Natsu, to Rette, who were all pretty well known. Rette, though, knew she was only well known as her alias, the Nexus Mage. The fact that she could do something most people couldn't, was what made people talk about her.

"So, you guys finally made it."

Rette and Thyme turned their eyes to the side as Makarov, with Asuka on his shoulders, Bisca, Alzack, Levy, Jet, and Droy came walking towards them. Jet waved to them, Thyme raising a paw in a returned greeting.

"Let's get on with this event already! Kahahaha! We'll show 'em the power of Fairy Tail!" Makarov said, seemingly in high spirits.

Rette's attention, though, just like that of Natsu, was snagged as people nearby begun to talk about them. Rette heard comments about them being weak, as well as laughter.

"Who laughed just now!?" Natsu growled, angered by the laughter.

"Knock it off." Erza told him.

Two men laughed at them again, asking if they were going to come in last again and claiming that Sabertooth would dominate them. Rette leaned back on a hand.

"Ignore them, Natsu. It's not like they could do any better. Only those too afraid to try, or unable to do so, can laugh like idiots." Rette remarked.

The men stopped laughing, the people around them laughing at them instead. Rette's words had effectively painted them as idiots and, with a huff of anger, the two stormed off. Rette gave them a little mocking, farewell wave, wagging fingers at them as they retreated.

"She's right, Natsu. Whoever wants to laugh, let 'em go ahead and laugh." Makarov told Natsu, who wasn't pleased with that.

"M'kay...so I don't have to hold it in any longer." Happy said.

With that, the blue exceed turned to Jet and Droy and laughed. Rette shook her head at him and his ridiculousness.

"Give every last bit of your strength, we're aiming for the number one guild in Fiore! So we can face Mavis, who saved our lives!" Makarov declared.

Every year, each guild picked five mages to form a team to represent the guild as a whole. When they had returned to the guild after their training, Makarov had picked Erza, Natsu, and Gray, naturally, and had finish the team off with Wendy and Lucy. The last two had been surprised and had demanded to know why Laxus and Gajeel, or even Rette, hadn't been added to the team over them. Makarov had told them that Laxus and Gajeel hadn't returned yet.

He hadn't given a reason why he didn't pick Rette.

Rette wasn't really surprised he had picked Lucy over her. Lucy had worked with Natsu, Gray, and Erza longer than Rette had, and, therefore, had better team chemistry with them. And when it came to rounding out a team, Rette knew that Wendy was a better choice too, because of her healing magic. But Rette had to admit...she was a little disappointed. She was still sulking a bit because of that. She had really been looking forward to taking part. Makarov looked up at Rette, who was staring intently at the words in her book.

"Are you still upset, Rette?" he asked.

"I'm not upset, Master. Just finishing a book." Rette replied.

Every single one of them knew...that was a bald face lie.

But none of them said anything to her. Rette could be a bit immature with how stubborn she could be. If they said anything about it, she would just dig her heels in even more.

"Well...the matches will begin tomorrow. Unfortunately, we don't know anything about the rules." Makarov said.

"The competition changes every year." Alzack said, bending to pick up Asuka.

"Sharpshooting popped up the year we didn't come." Bisca said.

"The year I didn't come, it was a race." Jet added.

"Victory is based on who can dominate across several different kinds of competitions." Droy said.

"I've read up on all the competitions of the past years, but they're always completely different." Levy agreed.

Which was why most of them didn't understand why Makarov hadn't picked Rette to be on the team. Rette's magic covered a wide set of skills. She was good with tracking, with defense, evasion, hiding, and even sneak attacks. But they were all sure that Makarov had a reason.

"Who cares! We'll just take on whatever comes up! Though I hope it's a battle!" Natsu said.

Of course he hoped it was a battle. Natsu lived to fight. Rette swore the boy loved getting beat up just as much as he loved beating up others. But they had a second reason for being there. Rette had been asked to keep her heightened sense peeled for any sign of the mysterious magic that Jellal had told them about. So far, she had yet to sense anything resembling what he had described.

"Erza, read the event rule book by tomorrow, okay?" Makarov said, shoving a thick book into Erza's hand.

"R-read this!?" Erza asked.

"Leave it to me! I brought wind reading glasses." Levy said, pulling her glassed out.

She put them on and took the book from Erza. With the glasses, she quickly read through the book. Rette had a pair of the glasses as well, but she didn't really like using them unless she was in a pinch for time. Which they were.

"If I were to summarize things, there are three really important points. First of all, each guild's master cannot participate." Levy read.

Rette could understand why. For the most part, the masters of the guilds were the strongest. In some cases, to put the master out there would completely tip the scales and then it would just be a one-sided battle and therefore no fun for the crowd to watch.

"Anyone without the guild's insignia cannot participate either, and must simply observe." Levy added.

"Well that's to be expected." Gray remarked.

"Each event will remain a secret up until right before they begin, at which point the rules will be explained. Ah! There's a warning written at the end...all participants must return to the lodgings by midnight." Levy added.

"So they're talking about tonight, right?" Gray asked.

"This is just like the story of Cinderella." Wendy added.

"Who's Cinderella?" Rette asked, peering down.

"You don't know that story? It's a fairy tale for children." Wendy told her.

"Yeah, well...I didn't hear children's stories growing up." Rette replied.

Right.

Wendy decided she would have to get the book and show it to Rette some time.

"We've still got plenty of time, though!" Natsu said, peering up at a clock built into a nearby building.

With that, he, Lucy, and Happy took off, suddenly all full of energy they hadn't had previously.

"We've come all the way to this huge city, we may as well hit the town!" Natsu cheered.

"Hey! Do you even know where the lodgings are!?" Erza called.

"Honeybone, right?!" Lucy called back.

"We'll be there by twelve, for sure!" Natsu added.

Erza was curious about the curfew thing. She glanced up at Rette, who shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea what to make of it either. With that, Erza, Rette, and Thyme, went on ahead to the lodgings. Rette helped Erza carrying her bags up to room that Erza would share with Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Wendy. When they walked into the room, they found six bed laid out, along with a little sitting area.

"I guess this is our room." Erza remarked.

"Since I'm not apart of the team for the Games, I'll be down the hall, sharing a room with Lisanna, Thyme, Cana, and Levy." Rette told her.

"Well, you can hang out in here, for now." Erza told her.

Rette nodded. They set down the bags and Erza began to look around the room. Erza searched the place, suspicious about this enforced curfew thing. Rette and Thyme helped her and somehow, along the way, Erza coaxed Rette and Thyme into taking a bath with her. Rette found it strange to bathe with anyone other than Thyme, but it was another girl, so she wasn't too embarrassed. Even in the bath, Erza noticed that Rette didn't take off her choker. Or her new charm necklace, either. And the strange crystal bands remained around her wrists.

When they were done, Erza continued her search for a little bit, fiddled with her swords for a while, and finally sat on the bed, pulling her hair back, still wrapped only in a towel, just like Rette.

"There doesn't seem to be anything suspicious about it." Erza remarked.

"No. And I can't sense any magic either." Rette added, glancing around the room.

"Oh well...hey, Rette. Come over here and let me mess with your hair." Erza called.

Rette looked over at Erza, one hand going to her hair. Mira and Lisanna had insisted on messing with her hair before, but that was when she actually had hair to mess with. And it had ended with a lot of bows and silk ribbons being tied into Rette's hair. It had begun to grow back slightly since she had cut it three months go, but it was still short.

"But there's not much hair there." Rette said.

"It doesn't matter. Come on." Erza called.

Rette shrugged and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the floor in front of Erza and let her fiddle with her short hair. Rette sat there, liking the feeling of Erza's fingers moving through her hair.

"Your hair is so soft." Erza remarked.

"I guess..."

Erza shifted her eyes from the silky strands of pale silver hair in her hands to what part of Rette's face she could see from her angle. Rette sounded distracted and distant.

"Is something wrong, Rette?" Erza asked.

"Not really."

"You sound distant, more than usual. You only sound like that when you're lost in your head. Something's wrong." Erza remarked.

Rette let out a curt laugh. Since when had Erza become such an expert at reading her?

"In my head, you say...truly a fearsome place to be." Rette muttered.

Rette stiffened up for a moment when Erza leaned forward, resting her chin on the top of Rette's head. Her arms snaked around Rette's neck in a loose hug. Rette relaxed into the hug, leaning back against Erza.

"What's wrong, Rette?" Erza asked.

"You really want me to list off everything?" Rette asked.

"You know what I mean. What's wrong right now."

Rette heaved a sigh. She reached up, latching onto Erza's arms, but she didn't try to pull away, just sat there.

"Nothing's wrong. Not really. Just thinking too much." Rette told her.

Thinking too much...something that Rette had found herself doing a lot of since returning from Tenrou Island. The seven year gap had really made Rette think about a lot of things. Usually, she lived a day at a time, just taking things as they came, never really planning ahead. But now...now she realized that by doing that, she would never accomplish anything and that one day, something like what happened on Tenrou Island, could happen again. And this time, she might not return from it.

And then there was the wondering. Wondering what the future held, wondering how long she could go on keeping secrets from her friends...wondering where her father was and when he would pop back into her life again. Because she knew he would. He was too stubborn to let her defy him as she had and let her get away with it. Just like Rette didn't let people get away for messing with what, and who, she claimed as hers, her father didn't let people get away with defying him.

"Hey, Erza."

"Yes?" Erza asked.

"If you found out that someone close to you wasn't who you thought they were...wasn't **what** you thought they were...what would you do?" Rette asked.

Erza shifted, looking down at Rette's head as Rette pulled her knees up to her chest and hid her face in Erza's arms. Was Rette implying that she didn't think she was who or what Erza thought her to be? Whatever the case was, Erza could tell that the answer meant a lot to Rette and could possibly lead to Rette shutting them all out completely. Erza tightened her arms around Rette.

"We'd love you still. No matter what you're still hiding from us, Rette...you will always be our Rette. We'll love you no matter what, because you're apart of our family." Erza told her.

"What makes you think I'm hiding anything else?" Rette asked.

"Anyone who takes the time to watch you would know, despite how much you've opened up since joining Fairy Tail, that you are still guarding a part of yourself from everyone around you. And it's alright." Erza said, adding the last part when Rette opened her mouth to explain. "Everyone, when they first come to Fairy Tail, have secrets they keep. I did, Lucy did, even Gray and Natsu. But we'll always be here, waiting for the day when you believe you can tell us. We'll listen, but only when you're ready."

Rette grit her teeth. How could Erza be so sure they would accept everything that Rette still kept hidden? Then again, they had accepted everything so far. Maybe...one day...she could tell them. Maybe not. There were so many reasons why she couldn't. She loved her guild, loved every member in it, and would do anything for them. That was why...she couldn't tell them. She couldn't drag them into the dark world that Rette still had one foot in. But she couldn't tell Erza that.

"Thanks, Erza." Rette told her.

Whatever Rette may think, Erza knew she battled with herself. Whatever it was that Rette held back, it was something that her nightmares were made of. Erza didn't want to push her, so she simply hugged her. For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then, suddenly, Rette stiffened again, this time her muscles tensed so much, she shook slightly.

"Rette?" Erza asked.

"It's nothing. Just a cramp...I need to get up." Rette said.

Erza released her, letting Rette get to her feet. For a moment, Rette stumbled and Erza was sure she was going to fall, but Rette caught herself and steadied herself. Erza watched her as she stumbled over to her bag and started pulling out clothes.

"I'm going to walk the cramp off and get something to drink. Do you want anything?" Rette asked, as she started dressing.

Erza had a feeling that Rette was making an excuse to cover a lie, but she couldn't really call Rette out on it without proof. She simply told Rette what she wanted to drink and watched as Rette left the room, somewhat in a hurry. Something wasn't right.

But what?

Outside the room, Rette leaned against the wall, pressing a hand to her chest. For a moment she fought to calm her heart and steadily her breathing. What had just happened...had been happening a lot lately. It had started after Ultear had given her access to her Second Origin.

Fits.

Bouts of pain in her chest that stole her breath from her. They were short, but had grown in intensity lately, making her whole body shake. Rette knew what they were. She had had a few smaller ones over the years since she was four.

Rette also knew the cause.

One hand went to Rette's throat, her fingers brushing over the stone in her choker. As if the mere touch calmed her, her heart slowed to normal and her breathing evened out. Taking a deep breath, Rette straightened herself. She forced herself to appear normal as she went down to the pub built into the inn and got drinks before returning to Erza's room. She couldn't let anyone know there was anything wrong. They would want to know why and Rette couldn't tell them that. She couldn't worry them either.

No.

She would just keep it to herself.

For now.

END

Kyandi: I'm getting antsy.

Rette: You just want to reveal everything about my past right now, don't you.

Kyandi: Yes. But it's not time for that just yet.

Rette: But that time is coming up soon, right?

Kyandi: Oh yeah. And when everything is revealed, a lot of things are going to click into place.

Rette: Odds and ends will make sense.

Kyandi: Yep. So everyone, enjoy and review. And look forward to the pictures of Rette.

Rette: We'll return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	37. Day One

Kyandi: Holiday greetings, my dear readers.

Rette: We return with chapters and pictures for you all.

Kyandi: That's right! Everyone go to tezzymoon. deviantart. com to see pictures of Rette, all hand drawn by your's truly.

Rette: And for those of you who go to look at the pictures, there is a spoiler.

Kyandi: Right! All of you know, by now, that in A Different Choice, Rette's love interest is Laxus, but I have yet to reveal her love interest for this story line. One of the pictures I posted will reveal who her love interest is. Enjoy them!

Rette: With that said, let's move on.

Kyandi: Right. Everyone enjoy and review, and check out the pictures.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 37 Day One

"You guys...where have you been wandering around up till now!?"

Rette could have told her teammates, the moment they walked into the room, that they were going to be in trouble. Erza had given them a certain time to be back and they had come back way after that. So while Natsu, Lucy, and Gray sat on the floor in front of Erza, Rette sat in a chair with Thyme, watching in amusement.

"Just another boring dinner..." Gray answered, looking off to the side.

"Well...it's complicated...well...I mean...err..." Lucy said, also looking to the side.

Natsu didn't say anything, but he was shaking slightly. Both him and Happy were letting off an air of being highly annoyed. It made her wonder what had happened while they were out. Finally, the two could hold their annoyance in, no more.

"I'm gonna get those guys back, no matter what!" they shouted together.

Rette was curious as to who they were talking about. Had they run into another member of another team? Or was it locals laughing at them again?

"Anyway, where's Wendy?" Erza asked.

"She's late." Gray agreed.

"She should be with Carla, so I don't think they're lost." Happy remarked.

"It's almost midnight, though...that little girl is out there all alone...aaahhhh...what should we do..." Lucy remarked, her imagination getting away from her.

"Do all writers have this overactive imagination?" Gray asked.

"It's Wendy, Lucy. She has Carla with her and she's a pretty smart girl. I doubt she's doing anything bad." Rette remarked from where she sat.

Just then the door to the room opened and Lisanna and Elfman walked in, bringing drinks and snacks with them. In the time they had been gone for training, Elfman had considerably bulked up and now had to duck and turn side ways to fit through the door.

"Yo! We brought snacks." Elfman said in greeting.

"Tomorrow's almost here." Lisanna added.

"Are you back from you mountain stay?" Natsu asked.

"We planned on it increasing our strength a lot...but we made a bad choice..." Elfman said, complaining about how he had wanted to show off in the games for his little sister.

Rette shook her head. She didn't see the point in wanting to show off for a certain person. Yes, Rette, herself, like to do things big and flashy, but she mostly did that to prove that she couldn't be so easily pushed over or when she was sure she could shine just as brightly as the person next to her. It was merely a means to an end. Lucy turned to Lisanna then.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you a favor?" Lucy asked.

"What?" Lisanna asked as she sat the bag of snacks down.

"Well...Wendy hasn't come back to our lodging yet..." Lucy told her.

"We probably shouldn't go anywhere after twelve." Gray added.

"What happens at twelve?" Lisanna asked.

"I'm not really sure, but the rule said to "be here at twelve"." Gray replied.

The clock chimed then, signalling that it was midnight. Everyone turned to look at the clock on the wall. Rette got to her feet, holding Thyme in her arms.

"Looks like we're about to find out what happens." Rette remarked.

For a moment, nothing happened. The city beyond the room's window, was silent. Then suddenly a loud voice filled the room, driving them all out onto the balcony. From there they could see spotlights lighting up the sky where a large, pumpkin headed mascot stood.

"To all the guilds here for the Grand Magic Games! Good morning! In order to reduce the participating teams from one hundred and thirteen down to eight...we will now begin a "preliminary event"." the mascot announced.

"Preliminary!?" Gray asked.

"No one said anything about that!" Erza added.

Rette, personally, couldn't believe the amount of guilds that had signed up for the Grand Magic Games. She hadn't even known that there was that many guilds in Fiore.

"Every year more and more guilds come. That's a sign that this event was starting to be taken too lightly. This year, we've brought the number of final competing teams down to eight. The preliminary rules are simple!" the mascot said.

Rette and her friends were suddenly tossed about as the building began to shake. Their lodgings, just like those of every guild taking part, suddenly rose into the air, above the rest of the city. Stairs formed, leading from the balconies of all the competing guilds' rooms. Those stairs all joined together to form a large sphere of pathways, half of which were side ways or upside down.

"You will all now compete with each other. The goal is the event grounds, Domus Flau. The first eight to make it will participate in the event. Your lodgings will be the starting line for this preliminary event. Feel free to use any magic you like. There are no restrictions. As long as you're one of the first eight teams to make it. But if all five of your members don't make it there, you still lose. And one more thing...we take no responsibility for anyone who loses their life in the labyrinth." the mascot announced. "The Grand Magic Game's preliminary event! Sky Labyrinth has begun!"

All of them stared up at the large sphere shaped labyrinth in the sky.

"What is that?" Natsu asked.

"So we're trying to make it up there to the goal?" Lucy asked.

"If this is a competition, we'd better hurry." Gray agreed.

"Wait. The rules are that "five members" need to be at the goal. Wendy is still missing." Erza said.

That could be a problem. Rette was just about to offer to take her place, but Elfman scooped up Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Erza and charged up the stairs, declaring that he would take Wendy's place. Erza twisted to look back at the balcony.

"Lisanna! Rette! Happy, Thyme! Go look for Wendy! And try to stay out of trouble!" Erza called back.

"Okay! We'll go see who all of the guild members are here." Lisanna called back.

"Good luck, everybody!" Happy added.

When the five were out of sight, Lisanna and Rette turned to look at each other. They nodded before turning on their heels and heading out of the room.

"Thyme and I will go track Wendy, you and Happy tell the others." Rette told Lisanna.

Lisanna nodded and the four of them split up into two teams. Rette took off out an open window, her wings of light sprouting from her back. Together, she and Thyme flew through the air in search of their friend. She followed the trail of Wendy's and Carla's magical energies. She had just traced it to the gardens of the king's palace when Lisanna and Happy caught up to her.

"Rette!"

Rette turned to see the two heading her way.

"Have you found them?" Lisanna asked.

"No, but they're somewhere around here. I just don't know where. Their magical trail just suddenly died." Rette told her.

"What does that mean?" Lisanna asked worried.

"It could be various of things. She could have drained herself of magic by using it, someone else could have drained her magic, and several other things." Rette told her.

"Then we best get to looking." Lisanna said.

With a nod, the four head off, searching on foot. Rette knew Wendy and Carla were somewhere in the gardens, it was just a matter of finding where. She just hoped the two were alright.

"Where did Wendy and Carla get off to?" Lisanna voiced after a while.

"Ah! Over there!" Happy, spotting something, pointed off down a side path.

They all turned and looked. Half way down the path lay the bag that Wendy had been carrying when she had split off from the others. Rette and Lisanna looked at each other before hurrying down the path, the exceeds following behind them. They picked up the bag as they passed it. Rette was starting to worry, but they found both Wendy and Carla passed out by a bush just a little further down the path. Rette crouched down next to them, checking them out.

"Are they alright?" Lisanna asked.

"That I can tell, yeah. Lets get them to the infirmary to make sure." Rette said, glancing around.

She felt a different, unknown magical energy that didn't feel too friendly. She had a feeling that it might have been the cause behind Wendy's and Carla's sudden collapse.

With some help from Lisanna, they draped Wendy over Rette's back and Lisanna picked up Carla. Together they carted the two to the infirmary where they could be looked after. When they were safely tucked into bed, Rette sent Thyme to inform the others of the current situation and then to go find one other person. It wasn't long before Natsu, Lucy, Elfman, Erza, and Gray came bursting in through the door.

"Wendy!" Natsu shouted.

"She was passed out by some bushes." Happy told him.

"There's no signs of external wounds." Lisanna added.

"Might not be any signs of external wounds, but I can't feel their magic at all." Rette remarked, a hand hovering over Wendy's form. "If Wendy had used all her magic, herself, there would still be some sign of magic in them, but I'm not getting a thing. Someone else did this to them."

Rette didn't like the feeling. She couldn't think of it meaning anything good. Just then Wendy cracked open her eyes and called Natsu lowly. Everyone turned to her, Natsu demanding to know what happened.

"I'm sorry...I can't remember very well..." Wendy said, wincing as she tried to move.

Rette pushed her back into the pillow, settling the blanket back around her.

"This must be magic power deficiency. Losing such a huge amount of magical power at once causes the entire body's physical strength to suffer."

Everyone turned as Porlyusica walked into the room.

"If she rest for a while, she should recover." Porlyusica told them.

"I see Thyme was successful in finding you." Rette said in greeting to the woman.

"Yes. Quite the persistent little feline." Porlyusica said, turning her eyes to the little silver cat.

"What are you doing here!?" Lisanna asked the old woman.

"Am I not allowed to come cheer you on?" Porlyusica asked.

"Of course you are." Lisanna replied.

"A huge amount of magical power?" Erza asked.

"What could have happened..." Elfman mused.

"I can't remember too clearly...but I seem to recall some black creature..." Wendy said lowly.

"I did sense a strange magical energy in the area around them and, as I said, for that much magical power to vanish so suddenly and completely, it had to be the work of an outside source." Rette remarked.

"Could you place it?" Erza asked.

Rette shook her head. It wasn't a magical energy she knew, therefore she couldn't tell them who or what it had been. Wendy grit her teeth, her tiny fist curling under the blanket. She felt like she was letting them all down and had tears in her eyes when she turned her head to look at them.

"Everyone...I'm sorry...Even after...everything with the training...I can't be a part of the team." Wendy said, teary eyed. "Elfman...please go in my place."

"Of course! Just leave it to me." Elfman agreed.

With that Porlyusica kicked them out of the room, insisting that Wendy needed her sleep. The old woman turned her eyes on Rette when she was the last one in the room. Rette held up her hands, showing she would go willingly. Before she left, she turned her eyes to Wendy.

"Just do as Porlyusica tells you, Wendy. She knows what she's doing. And don't worry. The event last for seven days. I have no doubt she'll have you fixed up before the end of the Games. Just rest." Rette told the girl.

Wendy gave her a smile and nodded. Rette pat her head, gave Porlyusica a grateful bow of her head and left the room. Rette joined the rest of her guild mates in the small section of the stands they occupied. She slipped in beside Lisanna, turning her eyes towards the arena below as the roar of the crowd filled her ears.

"The time has finally come, this year! The annual festival of magic! The Grand Magic Games! I'm your announcer, Chapati Lola. And former council member Mr. Yajima has joined us as commentator. Thank you for being here, Mr. Yajima." the announcer called out.

"My pleasure." Yajima replied.

"For day one's guest, we've invited the sparkling Miss Fiore, Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus." Chapati added.

"We're gonna win this year, so look out!" came the cheerful voice of the young woman.

"The team members have finally entered. First off is the preliminary round's eight place. Will they be able to reclaim their past glory? Contrary to their name, they're the wild, rowdy Fairy Tail!" Chapati announced.

Rette looked below as Natsu lead his team of Gray, Lucy, Erza, and Elfman, onto the feild. Instantly boos filled the arena, people giving them a thumbs down.

"Even though they've gotten last place every single year, Fairy Tail managed to claw their way through the preliminaries. Though of course, they made it in eighth place. With the return of "Team Tenrou" who have been causing trouble all over the place, can they possibly become the top of Fiore!?" Chapati announced.

"I'm so glad to see you all..congratulations Fairy Tail." Yajima called, giving a thumbs up.

At least one person was on their side.

To make it better, all of Rette's guild mates around her screamed their cheers for their guild mates below. Makarov climbed onto the guard wall in front of Rette yelling out a loud cheer, Happy doing the same thing next to him. Thyme, from where she sat on Rette's shoulder, even threw her paws up in a little cheer for her friends. But about that time, Rette's attention snagged on one thing that had her eyes widening slightly.

Sitting on the guard wall at the end of their line of members, kicking her bare feet in the air and calling her own chanting cheer in support...was Mavis.

"Master Mavis!"

Shock ran through the members of the guild, Rette simply blinking in surprise. She hadn't expected to see Mavis again. And most certainly not away from Tenrou Island.

"I came to cheer you on." Mavis said simply.

"You came to cheer us on?...But you..."

Makarov trailed off, unable to find the right words to say.

"It's fine, don't worry. Only people with the guild crest on them can see me." Mavis assured them.

"I don't think that's exactly what he's worried about." Rette remarked from the other side of Makarov.

"Well...being stuck on Tenrou Island forever is really boring." Mavis replied cheerfully.

Rette turned to Lisanna on her other side.

"Is it me or have all of our masters been a little childish?" Rette asked.

Lisanna laughed and simply pat her shoulder. It had been an honest question but apparently, Lisanna hadn't taken it as such. Rette turned her attention back to the arena as Chapati announced the next team.

"Next up..is seventh place in the preliminaries...The hounds of Hell's army, Quatro Cerberus."

Down below, a group of all men dress in dog related accessories, like spiked collars around their necks, walked onto the field. Behind them came the team in sixth place which, on the opposite end of things, was pure female.

"Coming in sixth place, we have the all-female guild. The dancers of the deep blue seas, Mermaid Heel."

"A guild like that existed?!" Happy asked in surprise.

Rette didn't know how she would have done in an all-female guild. She was so use to the general rowdiness that came with her male guild mates.

"Fifth place is the azure wings that sparkle in the darkness, Blue Pegasus." Chapati called.

Ichiya lead Hibiki, Ren, Eve, and someone dressed in a large bunny costume, onto the feild. Women all over the crowd, called out squealing cheers for their favorite Blue Pegasus boy on the team and Jenny, in the announcer's box, called a cheer to her guild mates.

"Fourth place...the goddess of love and war's sacred destroyers. Lamia Scale."

Lyon lead his team, made up of Toby, Yuka, Jura, and a little girl who looked a little like Cherie, onto the field, Jura currying their team's flag on one shoulder. Their guild master yelled at them about coming in fourth, claiming they hadn't been trying hard. The girl turned around to call something back and tripped over her own feet.

"Moving on, coming in third place we have...now this is quite a surprise, in third place we have a first time-competing guild! The midnight raiders, Raven Tail!"

Rette leaned forward to get a closer look at the members of this team. It was four men and one woman. Just looking at them made Rette uneasy. They didn't look like a bunch that often played fair. Not to mention that Rette had heard of them before. Raven Tail was suppose to be a dark guild...and one lead by Makarov's son, Ivan.

"A dark guild! The Grand Magic Games is okay with letting a guild like that participate!?" Makarov yelled.

"Master, calm down!" Macao said, trying to get him to settle down.

"I do feel a malicious force." Mavis said.

"Not only that...I feel the same magic as that that was present where we found Wendy." Rette added, her voice dropping in tone as her anger started to flicker to life.

From this distance and with so many other mages in the area, Rette couldn't tell exactly which member of the team it was that the magic energy was coming from, but she knew it was the same magic energy she had sensed in the area where they had found Wendy.

"Are you sure, Rette?" Lisanna asked as their guild mates all turned to look at Rette.

"I'm never mistaken about magical energies. It's the same slimy energy alright." Rette replied.

Lisanna laid a hand on Rette's shoulder, silently trying to calm Rette before her temper could get the best of her. Rette wasn't known for being too awfully reasonable when her anger got a hold of her.

"Well, according to our official information, Raven Tail existed over seven years ago. But had only been approved as an official guild recently." Chapati announced.

"If they're approved by the Magician's League, then that means they're not a dark guild, right?" Yajima added.

Makarov growled lowly to himself.

"Damn that Ivan...He's messing with me. How did he pull this off..." Makarov growled lowly.

Rette was going to have to keep her eyes on that guild. She didn't like the feeling she got from them and she had a feeling that they were up to no good.

"There's only two teams left that made it through the preliminaries. Here we go! The team who came in second in the preliminaries...Well, now..this is definitely unexpected! Could the flapping of their fallen wings really carry them all the way here?! It's the least expected..the unbelievable...Fairy Tail B team!"

Rette blinked once as Gajeel lead Mira, Laxus, Juvia, and, to Rette's surprise...Jellal dressed as Mystogan, onto the field. The crowd seemed just as confused as the members of Fairy Tail A.

"Well, it seems as though there's a lot of people still confused over the new revisions to the rules this year, don't you think, Mr. Yajima." Chapati said.

"That's right...this year, each guild can have not just one, but two teams enter into the tournament." Yajima explained.

Makarov cheered, claiming that that was how they did it in Fairy Tail. Rette didn't put it past Makarov to pull the two teams card, but that wasn't what concerned her. Rette reached out, laying a hand on Makarov's shoulder.

"Master...what is **he** doing here?" Rette asked.

Of course Rette wouldn't be concerned with how they had managed to end up with two teams. She had latched onto the fact that Jellal was pretending to be Mystogan. Makarov gave her a sheepish smile, but was reduced to apologizing over and over when Mavis pointed out that Jellal wasn't a member of the guild, which was against the rules.

"But, he's not "evil". It's strange, but he has the same "heart" as everyone else with the guild crest." Mavis said.

"It's kind of a long story, but I guess you could say he is a guild member." Happy said.

"For all tends and purposes, Jellal and Mystogan are the same person, so I suppose Happy is right in that account. I just wish he wouldn't put himself in danger's way like that." Rette said, her hands going to her hips.

"Is he strong?" Mavis asked.

"O...of course! That's the man who once held the celestial title!" Makarov assured her.

"I'll allow it." Mavis said. "For Fairy Tail's victory!"

Rette heaved a sigh, running a hand through her short hair.

"She's definitely a master of our guild." Rette muttered, Jet, Droy, and Levy chiming in their agreement from behind her.

"Now, for the last team that made it through the preliminary round...that's right! You all know who they are! The strongest! The invincible! The complete dominators! Sabertooth!"

The last team to walk out was a group of four males and one female, lead by two guys about Rette's age. One, a blonde with a scar over his right eyebrow, raised his hands in the air as the crowd began screaming with delight. The other, a solemn looking guy with dark hair, stalked proudly at his side. It was an interesting looking bunch but that wasn't what caught Rette's attention. The magic she felt from the two in front...felt just like the same magic Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, and even Rette, used.

They were Dragon Slayers.

The blonde gave Natsu a little mocking wave while Gajeel and the dark haired male had a staring contest. Rette turned around to look at Jet and Droy.

"The two in front, the blonde and the dark haired one...who are they?" Rette asked.

"The blonde is Sting and the other is Rogue. They're known as the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth." Jet replied.

"So they are Dragon Slayers. I thought so." Rette remarked, turning back.

Her eyes locked on the two. It was strange how life played out. She went from being the only Dragon Slayer she knew to meeting first Natsu, then Laxus and Gajeel, then Wendy followed by Cobra, and now Sting and Rogue. By her count, that made eight Dragon Slayers, including herself. Rette was pulled out of her thoughts as Chapati moved on to the line-up of events.

"Thank you for waiting, here is your line-up!" Chapati called.

In the center of the arena field, a stone tablet appeared from the ground. Written upon it was all five days of events. Each day, except for the last day, was divided into a contest, or a game-like event, and a battle. Day one through three had normal, one-on-one battles, with a tag team battle taking place on day four. Day five had all question marks for that would be when the big, group event took place. All the contest parts, except for the first one, were still blank.

"As far as the matches go, this is how the points will be distributed amongst first through eighth place. As the rankings fall, the amount of points received decreases." Chapati announced, a second tablet appearing.

Going down from first, the points went from ten points for first, eight points for second, six for third, four for fourth, three for fifth, two for sixth, one for seventh, and, of course, zero points for eighth place.

"For the contest part, you can select anyone from your guild to participate. For the following battle part, the organizers will pair up cards selected from the fans' votes." Chapati explained.

It was a pretty risky set up, in Rette's opinion. If the members of the teams weren't careful, they could have the bad luck of doing the contest and using up all of their magical energy, only to turn around and get picked for the battle portion. And the battle portion was pretty simple. The fighting pair had a certain time limit in which to beat their opponent. If they won, they got ten points for their team, if they lost, they got zero. But if they were unable to determine a winner in the time limit, both teams got five points.

"Without further ado, I bring you the Grand Magic Games' opening game! Let's begin, "Hidden"! Each team will have one participant. After each team submits their player, I'll explain the rules." Chapati called out.

Quatro Cerberos sent out a big guy name Yeager while Mermaid Heel went with a country looking girl named Beth. Raven Tail sent a short, pudgy looking guy named Narpuding and Blue Pegasus cheered on Eve as he stepped up to the plate. Sabertooth went with a mask guy named Rufus, who had a sort of Renaissance theme to his dress style. Lamia Scale sent Lyon, which meant Gray stepped up for Fairy Tail A which lead to Juvia stepping up for Fairy Tail B.

Rette had a feeling that this wouldn't end well for either Fairy Tail team.

All participants were called to step forward for the game. With all of them gathered, the game was started. Instantly the field was transformed into an entire city in which the participants were placed. Doubles of the participants were then spread throughout the city. The point of the game was for the participants to locate each other among the countless doubles and then attack them. If they hit an actual person, it was a point towards their score. If they hit a double, missed contact, or were hit themselves, it was minus a point.

It was an automatic point deduction for Fairy Tail B when Juvia couldn't contain herself around the various Gray doubles and hugged one from behind. She was instantly zapped for her troubles. Rette heaved a sigh.

"This is going to be a very long contest for Juvia. She simply can't contain herself." Rette remarked, some of her guild mates agreeing.

The game moved on with Gray accidentally attacking a double thinking it was Nurpuding from Raven Tail. As the game went on, it became obvious that Raven Tail was aiming for Fairy Tail. Nurpuding took every chance to attack Gray. Several of the members of Fairy Tail ended up thinking that, in the case of a game like this, it would have been best to have someone like Rette in play. She could have located the other participants quickly and easily. Not to mention that she was hard to catch or hit if she wanted to avoid something.

Rette, though she didn't say anything, gave Makarov a pointed look.

Makarov refused to look at her.

As the game went on, Juvia took out Lyon before he could get Gray and it was revealed that Makarov had offered Team B a deal. Between the two teams of Fairy Tail, at the end of the tournament, the losing team had to do whatever the members of the winning team wanted for an entire day. Rette was suddenly grateful that she wasn't apart of that. She didn't even want to start wondering what the others would make her do.

At this point, Eve stepped in to turn the playing field into a winter wonderland, hoping to freeze his competition out. This, of course, didn't work on Lyon and Gray, who were ice mages and, therefore, use to the cold. But with the drop in temperature, Eve was able to easily locate three other participants and steal a three point lead, only to lose a point when Lyon attacked him from behind. Points were exchanged, back and forth, but there was one player Rette had yet to see on the screens.

Where was Rufus?

He soon showed himself, standing on a tall roof top in the very center of the arena. He claimed he had no reason to hide and using his magic, a magic called Memory Make, he attacked all seven of the other participants at once, only missing Nurpuding, who turned around and attacked him, only to find that what he had attacked, was an after image of Rufus who had already moved out of the way. Rufus then attacked him, gaining a seven point lead for Sabertooth in almost one fell swoop.

Rette couldn't help but think that this Rufus man was a rather arrogant individual. His whole team was probably that way.

The game ended soon after with Sabertooth in first, Raven Tail in second, Lamia Scale in third, Blue Pegasus in fourth, Mermaid Heel in fifth, Quatro Cerberus in sixth, Fairy Tail B in seventh, and Fairy Tail A in eighth. Rette knew it wasn't wan't going to end well for their teams. Especially not with Juvia on the field, surrounded by a mass of Gray look-alikes. Now it was on to the battle portion of the day.

Gray, depressed with his lost, retreated, the crowd jeering at them. Natsu, angered by their mocking and taunts, got angry but Erza was able to rein him in. Gray, though, retreated to the locker rooms and the battle portion started with Lucy verses Raven Tail's Flare. Lucy went into the fight with a determined spirit that made Rette proud to be her friend.

The moment the match started, Lucy called out Taurus. Flare dodged his attack and Lucy switched Taurus out for Scorpio. Flare unraveled her braided back hair which then acted as shield for her. Apparently her magic involved her long, blood red hair. Lucy called Taurus back out, the two spirits combining their attacks to attack Flare, who barely got away. Flare's hair turned into a wolf which then attacked Lucy. Since it was hair, Lucy summoned Cancer to cut the wolf to shreds.

Which only angered Flare.

Letting her hair dig its way into the ground, Flare attacked Lucy from underneath, her hair wrapping around Lucy's ankles to twist her feet out from under her. Lucy hit the ground, but she wouldn't be taken down so easily. She pulled her Fleuve D'etoiles whip from her belt, lashing it out at Flare to wrap it around Flare's wrist. With that grip, Lucy flipped, spinning them back in the air. They both hit the ground hard, Lucy's boots torn to shreds, but at least Lucy was free. Flare, angered by the damage she had received, dug her hair into the ground again.

Lucy looked around for where the hair would pop back up, but Flare merely pointed towards the stands where the rest of the Fairy Tail guild stood cheering. From where she stood, Lucy could see a wiggling strand of Flare's hair threatening to attack poor, little Asuka. Lucy tried to call a warning, but Flare wrapped her hair around Lucy's mouth and slammed her into the ground.

"Don't make a sound. This is an order." Flare told her. "I don't know what might happen if you disobey...no matter how much of a dimwitted blonde you are."

Lucy knew it was dirty. It was a low blow and completely unfair.

"Don't make a sound. Don't make a move. Don't use magic. If you disobey me, who knows what'll happen?" Flare said.

Lucy didn't know what she could do to save Asuka and, therefore...took the beating. Flare attacked her again and again, knocking Lucy around. Fearing for Asuka, Lucy didn't say a word, didn't fight back. Rette knew something was up. Lucy, though not the strongest member of their guild, was not this big of a push over. When Flare completely tied Lucy up and threatened to brand Raven Tail's emblem over Lucy's Fairy Tail emblem, Rette started searching for the cause for why Lucy would allow herself to be pushed around.

Rette locked onto it just as Natsu came flying toward them across the stands, yelling.

"Rette...it's Asuka!" Natsu yelled.

Rette's eyes found the red stand of hair. With a snap of her teeth in anger, Rette surged forward, grabbing the strand. She yanked it into her right hand, the strand instantly crystallizing. How dare she attack a child who couldn't even defend herself! Her anger flaring, Rette's fingers flexed around the crystallized hair. It shattered and crumbled away in her hand. Everyone turned to Rette in shock as she stomped one booted foot down on the pieces of crystallized hair, grinding it under her heel.

"Why is that in a place like this!?" Makarov asked.

"Lowly, underhanded..." Rette growled, her muttering low as she shot a glare down towards Flare.

Rette had never been one to fight fair in a fight when it was just her and no one else on her side to get hurt, but even she wouldn't stoop as low as to attack a defenseless child or to hold such a threat of another's head. It was lower than low, and Rette could hit pretty low.

Flare was shocked that they had caught on to her. Natsu, on the other hand, turned to Lucy now that Asuka was safe.

"Lucy! Now's your chance!" he yelled.

Lucy summoned Gemini to break free and had Gemini transform into her. Since the last time they copied her, Lucy had been about to get into the bath, the two transformed into Lucy dressed in nothing but a towel. Of course, the males in the crowd loved it.

"If Gemini changes into Erza or Laxus, it'd be unbeatable, right?" Jet asked.

"They can only copy someone with magical power close to their own." Rette told him.

"What's she trying to do, turning herself into two people?" Max asked.

Nab got annoyed as Bijiter started dancing his "Dance of Excitement". Rette waved her right hand and a fist sized chunk of crystal fell on Bijiter's head, effectively cutting off his dance. She turned her attention back to the match.

"I have a feeling we're about to find out what she has planned." Rette remarked.

Below, Lucy and Gemini joined hands, chanting the same spell.

"Measure the heavens, open them wide, all the stars of heaven. Overflowing with light, make thyself known to me. O Tetrabiblos...for I hold dominion over the stars. Complete thy aspect...Release thy malevolent gate. Eighty-eight of all the heavens...shine. Urano Metria!"

It was the ultimate spell of the stars and heavens. It was a spell that, even with Lucy's current magic level, could completely end this match in one blow. And Lucy would have succeed, if it wasn't for outside interference. Rette's head whipped towards the members of Raven Tail. She could feel a voiding magic coming from one of it's members. A magic that completely nullified Lucy's spell, leaving her with no more magic energy to use. Completely wiped of magic energy, Lucy's legs gave and she hit the ground.

"Ohh...Lucy is down! The match is over! The victor is Raven Tail's Flare Corona!" Chapati announced.

Rette turned to look at Makarov, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Master...one of her teammates nullified Lucy's magic. I could sense it." Rette told him.

"Those guys are dirty!" Romeo snapped.

"Ivan...are you hoping for a brawl outside!?" Makarov growled.

Laughter and jeering cheers sounded from the crowd, the people mocking Fairy Tail A for their complete failure on the first day. Natsu got Lucy, helping her up and carting her off the field. The second match of the day featured Blue Pegasus' Ren verses Mermaid Heel's Arania. Ren won the match, claiming that he couldn't stand to look uncool in front of his girlfriend. The third match was Quatro Cerberus' War Cry verses Sabertooth's Orga. It only took Orga one hit in less than a minute, to put War Cry out of the fight. And afterward, he sang a horrible song that, for some odd reason, the crowd loved.

The last match, had Rette heaving a sigh.

Jellal verses Jura.

Once again, Rette had a feeling of foreboding. She knew this was going to end badly. She had learned, in three months, that Jellal could go a little over board when in front of Erza. Mavis made a doubtful look.

"You don't have to make a face like that, First!" Makarov assured her. "That man also held the same title in the past...so it'd be fair to say that their abilities are on par."

"I...I need to go to the restroom..."

Rette turned to look at Mavis as she said this, blinking. Just when she thought her guild couldn't get any stranger, they now had a spirit that apparently felt the need to pee. Would the strangeness ever end? Down in the arena, the match started. Jellal unbuckled the strap that currently held several magic staffs on his back, and attacked with those staffs just as Mystogan would have. Rette was only slightly surprised that Jellal was able to perfectly copy Mystogan's magic.

Jura countered the attack by making pillars of earth shot up at Jellal's feet. Jellal moved quickly to avoid them and Jura had more come at him when he jumped into the air. Jellal twisted, avoiding the collision with the pillars of earth. He tossed his staffs, the five forming a circle around Jura.

"Five layered magic circle: Sacred Song!"

Jura saved himself and countered with a fist of earth. Jellal used a spell to reverse the fist's path back at Jura, who reversed it back. The attack landed, sending Jellal flying back. He caught himself and just as Rette thought, Jellal could no longer stick to just Mystogan's magic. He used his Meteor spell to move fast, bouncing off walls before coming straight for Jura. Jura tried to block but Jellal was too fast and he managed to land a hit on Jura. Jura tried to pin Jellal down and almost succeed, but couldn't quite land a blow. In all his evasive maneuvers, Jellal revealed that he had been laying his Grand Chariot spell.

Jura countered with his Rock Mountain spell. Rette was pretty sure that Jura, at least, had figure out who Jellal was. It was then that Jellal moved into a stance she knew. He had taught it to her when she was mixing Heavenly Body magic with her Light of Creation magic. He was going to cast his greatest spell; Sema. This would really reveal him to the everyone present. Just as the clouds started to spiral over head, Jellal suddenly snapped both hands over his mouth, as if his tongue was on fire, and then he started laughing, as if someone was tickling him.

Rette had a pretty good idea on what was going on. She was pretty sure that Ultear and Meledy with her Sensory Link, were involved. Whatever Ultear was doing to Meledy, it put Jellal out of the match, leaving Jura to win by default. Just when she was sure the opinion of Fairy Tail couldn't get any lower, Rette was proven wrong. She heaved a sigh as all of her guild mates stared in horror. With this lost, both Fairy Tail team occupied the last two spots on the score board.

Day One ended in nothing but pure disaster.

-0-0-0-0-

"So pathetic...we've lined up everyone in Fairy Tail...and what losers you all are!"

"Cana...you're in Fairy Tail, too."

Cana, already half way to be drunker than she should be, looked up at Rette who sat across the table from her. The whole guild had retreated to a pub near to their lodgings and now sat in there, drinking and eating. Despite having lost Day one, everyone seemed in pretty good spirits.

"Yeah. You're talking awfully big for someone that was too busy touring the bars around here to come cheer for us." Elfman said.

"I was watching! All the bars have lacrimavision installed, you know." Cana replied.

"That really doesn't make the fact that you were drinking instead of being at the event, any better, Cana." Rette told her.

"Oh, shut up and have a drink!" Cana replied, shoving a mug towards Rette.

"No thanks." Rette replied, pushing the mug away.

"You're too stiff, Rette! You need to loosen up!" Cana insisted.

"I don't need to drink to loosen up. Besides...I'm not a big fan of the person I become when drunk." Rette told her.

"I am! You're hilarious!" Cana declared.

"Gee...thanks."

Rette had found out a long time back after Cana had insisted she had at least one drink with her, that she was what Cana called, an "emotional drunk". Meaning that Rette spilled every little emotion when drunk. If she wasn't hanging off someone's neck telling them every emotion that she felt, she was throwing herself at others, telling them how much she loved them. Rette hated it and had decided that alcohol wasn't for her.

Who knew what someone could talk her into when she was drunk.

"But it was quite the first day, huh." Erza remarked.

"Yeah...we both have to try our best starting tomorrow." Mira agreed.

"It's going to be my turn tomorrow! I'll definitely turn things around!" Natsu yelled.

Rette decided to focus on her food and making sure that Cana didn't try to slip her any alcohol. Given Cana's fascination with Rette's drunken state, she didn't put it past Cana to slip her something. Soon Gray and Lucy, all better after their defeat, joined the others.

"Listen up, brats. Today's defeat is the seed for tomorrow's victory! We'll rise up and show them all, won't we! We don't know the meaning of giving up! Our goal is number one in Fiore!" Makarov announced, the others cheering along.

After that, it was just as any other day back in their guild hall. People ate and drank, Gray stripped naked and got into an argument with Gajeel, and everyone enjoyed their time together. Natsu got into a fight with Max, and won, leaving Max on the floor, his pants around his knees. Natsu challenged the others.

"Interesting...I'll be your opponent." Gajeel offered.

"Leave it be...if it's you and Natsu, it won't be fun anymore." Laxus told him.

Gajeel turned to Laxus and, in a mocking way, started patting Laxus on the head.

"Oh oh...you've become such a peace loving guy, Laxus." Gajeel mocked.

Levy grabbed Gajeel around the waist trying, and failing, to pull Gajeel away before he got himself hurt. Freed tried to jump to Laxus' defense, not that he needed it, but both Evergreen and Bixlow had already been rendered unconscious in a drinking contest against Cana. Cana, already drunk off her ass, was then approached by a member of Quatro Cerberus who challenged her to a drinking contest. Already being too drunk to see straight, Cana lost and the guy, who was revealed to be Bacchus, took her top as a prize. Macoa and Wakaba tried to get it back and ended up getting laid out by Bacchus' drunken movements.

Rette decided that then was the best time to bow out. Leaving the others at the pub, Rette decided to go and see how Wendy and Carla were fairing. When she reached the infirmary, she knocked on the door.

"Come in." came Porlyusica's voice.

Rette pushed the door open and stepped into the room, Thyme on her shoulder as always.

"Excuse me. I just wanted to check and see how Wendy and Carla are faring." Rette said, before spotting Carla awake. "Oh, Carla, you're awake. I'm glad."

Thyme jumped off Rette's shoulder and rushed over to the stool where Carla sat. She climbed up, happily taking Carla's paws in her, relieved to see the other exceed alright.

"They are doing fine." Porlyusica told Rette.

"I see. Thank you very much for your help." Rette said politely, bowing her head to the old woman.

Rette then turned to Carla. She could tell instantly that something was wrong with her.

"What's wrong, Carla? You looked worried." Rette remarked.

Carla glanced up at her. For someone who was usually oblivious, Rette had her moments when she was as sharp as a whip. But Carla really didn't want to worry anyone. Especially not Rette who took any possible threats to her guild mates as her mission to exterminate the possible cause.

"It's nothing. I'm still tired." Carla told her.

Rette's eyebrow furrowed in a sign that she didn't completely buy that, but she didn't say anything. Carla was grateful for that. Instead Rette's eyes turned to Wendy, who was asleep, before turning to Porlyusica.

"How's Wendy doing?" Rette asked.

"She'll be fine. She just needs rest." Porlyusica told her.

"I knew you would be the perfect person to look after her. Thank you so much for your assistance." Rette told her.

"It's nothing to thank me for." Porlyusica said sourly.

Unlike with most people, Porlyusica didn't feel the need to be snippy with Rette. She had done so the first few times meeting Rette, but Rette simply didn't react to it and refused to be budged just because someone was being sour. Not to mention that Rette was nothing but polite to Porlyusica, treating her with respect. It was a little hard to keep up the act when the other person didn't notice it in the first place. Porlyusica looked over at Rette as she watched Wendy, her arms crossed lightly over her stomach. Upon looking closely at the girl, Porlyusica noticed something that everyone had been over looking.

"Have you been sleeping properly?" Porlyusica demanded suddenly.

Rette's eyebrows went up as she turned her head towards Porlyusica. Though it wasn't noticeable to most people, the old woman could tell there were dark circles under Rette's eyes. Not to mention, there was a strain to the set of her mouth that wasn't usually there.

"I don't sleep well in different places and I didn't really get sleep last night. It's nothing. I'll probably fall right to sleep tonight." Rette replied.

Something about that smelled like a lie to Porlyusica, but because of the natural indifferent look that Rette always boosted, she couldn't nail it down for sure. Rette wasn't giving any hints either. Porlyusica made a "hmp" noise before turning back to mixing whatever potion she was mixing. Rette turned to Carla and Thyme.

"As I said, I simply wanted to check in. I am pleased to see you up and better, Carla. Please keep an eye on Wendy." Rette said.

Carla nodded. Thyme gave Carla a smile and squeezed her paws once before hopping off the stool and running over to Rette. Rette bent over, letting the little silver exceed jump up onto her shoulder.

"We'll take our leave now. Rest up, Carla and thank you again, Porlyusica."

With that, Rette turned and headed for the door. She stopped when Thyme tugged on a strand of her hair. Rette turned her head to look at the little cat. Thyme pressed a paw to her chest before gesturing back towards Carla and Wendy. Rette turned her eyes to Porlyusica.

"Thyme would like to know if you would allow her to stay here with Carla." Rette told the old woman.

Porlyusica looked at Thyme. While she wasn't a big fan of humans, she didn't mind the exceeds. Thyme was just as polite as Rette could be and she was quiet. Porlyusica nodded her head once, giving her permission. Rette sat Thyme on the ground, wished her good night and turned to leave again. She closed the door behind her and started off down the hall, only her own footsteps echoing off the walls to accompany her. Rette actually felt pretty good about leaving Thyme with Carla and Wendy. She would let Rette know when Wendy woke up.

As Rette headed out onto the streets of the city, walking her way back to Honeybone, cheers and celebrations for the end of the first day, rang out around her. People passed her, laughing and chatting, others sharing drinks at outdoor cafes. It was a peaceful scene, but, nonetheless...Rette felt uneasy. She had learned, a while back, that in her guild, peace like this didn't last long before there was some grand adventure or enemy for them to endure.

Whatever it was that made Rette uneasy, she was sure they would deal with it. Fairy Tail never gave in, right? Just like she knew the sun would rise the next day, she knew, without a doubt in her mind, that somehow, someway, they would find a way to win the tournament and regain the glory their guild mates deserved.

And Rette would play her part.

END

Kyandi: Another chapter done.

Rette: And she has a few more waiting for final editing before she post them.

Kyandi: Yeah. I got a little ahead of myself and already had half of the Games planned out.

Rette: And don't forget, everyone, to go check out Kyandi-sama's drawings.

Kyandi: Please do, and please let me know what you think of them. And don't forget that there is a spoiler for who Rette's love interest in this story line is going to be.

Rette: With that, we'll be wrapping up.

Kyandi: Everyone enjoy and review and go view the pictures.

Rette: We'll be back shortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	38. Day Two

Kyandi: Hey everyone. So sorry it took me so long to get this up.

Rette: Kyandi-sama has had a long, tough week.

Kyandi: Yeah. First I was sick and now I'm laid up with an injured ankle.

Rette: You have worst luck than I do.

Kyandi: Your's isn't bad luck...it's being apart of Fairy Tail.

Rette:...Yeah...sounds about right.

Kyandi: Anyway, let's move on. Everyone please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 38 Day Two

Day two found Rette, once more, standing among her guild mates, watching as the contest portion of the day started.

Chariot.

Rette, upon hearing the name of the contest, knew it probably had something to do with moving chariots. Something she would avoid like the plague. Despite the assumption being something of common logic, both Natsu and Gajeel stepped forward to take part in the competition, along side Sting from Sabertooth. Rette soon became convinced that her ailment was common place for strong Dragon Slayer. A marker of strength, per say.

"This competition consist of reaching the goal without falling off from the interconnected chariots." Chapati announced.

"But this isn't just some regular race!" Yajima added.

Today's guest announcer was Jason from Sorcerer Weekly and he seemed to be over excited for the contest. Rette, knowing what kind of person Jason was, was sure he would be even more so before the end of the day.

"The chariots underfoot are constantly in motion, so even a moment of carelessness will prove to be your undoing. They pass through the major sightseeing locales of Crocus. Which team will be the first to arrive at the goal, here at the Domus Flau!?" Chapati added. "We will be transmitting images from the race to everyone here at the arena through lacrimavision."

Rette, like all of her guild mates, was horrified with the display her two competing guild mates were putting on. While the others stared in wide eyed horror, Rette dropped her face into one hand with a sigh and shook her head. It was so unslightly. Through the lacrimavision screens provided for the audience, they could see Natsu running, very slowly and sluggishly, looking like he was about to be sick. Just ahead of him, suffering from the same motion sickness, was Gajeel and, to everyone's surprise, Sting.

"Trailing at the back, far, far from the lead, Fairy Tail A's Natsu is in a groggy state! And that's not all. Right next to him, Fairy Tail B's Gajeel and even Sabertooth's Sting are in the same condition." Chapati announced.

"What's happening? Why is Gajeel..." Lily trailed off.

"Stop taking Natsu's character!" Happy cried.

"Even the guy from Sabertooth..." Levy mused.

"It has to be a Dragon Slayer thing. A strength marker perhaps." Rette remarked, heaving a sigh. "At least I can somewhat function and appear unfazed."

"Maybe Natsu and Gajeel are just stronger." Levy said.

"No. That's not it. I just know how to keep a poker face on." Rette told her simply.

Everyone turned to look at Rette with her look of indifference. Poker face was an understatement. Rette ignored them, focusing on the lacrima screens. Raven Tail's Kurohebi was in the lead and had already made it almost to the arena while the three Dragon Slayers of the group of participants where still close to the starting point. Behind Kurohebi, in a little pack, came Ichiya, Yuka, Risley from Mermaid Heel, and just behind them was a hiccuping Bacchus. Yuka, using his magic to boost him into second place, also managed to cut off any use of offensive magic in those just behind him.

Risley avoided it by using her gravity transportation magic to run along the side of the chariot, leaving Ichiya to deal with the effects of Yuka's magic. Rette frowned slightly when Ichiya, to counter the nullifying effects, stuck vials of his perfume magic straight into his nose, giving himself a boost of speed that allowed him to passed Yuka. Rette was impressed when Bacchus, to even the playing field, stomped a foot down on the chariot that he stood on...destroying it.

The chain reaction sent connected chariots flying into the air, knocking about Ichiya, Rinsley, and Yuka. With the three thrown about, Bacchus, laughing like a loon, took the lead, even shooting past Kurohebi. With a slide, Bacchus broke through the finish line, earning Quatro Cerberus first place and ten points. Kurohebi came in second, just behind him with Risley in third, Yuka in fourth, and Ichiya in fifth. That just left Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting. The three, despite their condition, traded verbal blows, Natsu and Gajeel refusing to lose while Sting insisted that even if they finished before him, Sabertooth could win back the points easily.

Gajeel and Natsu pulled ahead of Sting, surprising him with their determination to finish. Rette watched the screens as they zeroed in on the three.

"Can I ask you just one thing?" Sting asked. "Why did you guys enter the Games? This would have been unthinkable for the Fairy Tail of the past. Worrying about the strength of the guild, or worldly things like this. The Fairy Tail I know...well...how to say it...does things at its own pace. Without worrying about how others might think."

"It's for our comrades. For seven years...always...they were waiting for us...no matter how tough it was. No matter how sad. Even if they were made fools of, they endured and endured and protected the guild. For our comrades we'll show you. The proof that Fairy Tail has kept going! And that's why we'll keep moving forward!" Natsu declared, sending their guild mates into a fit of tears.

"Well said, Natsu...well said." Rette said lowly.

Pushing themselves, Natsu and Gajeel finished in sixth and seventh place, earning two points for Fairy Tail A and one point for Fairy Tail B, tying them in last place with two points each. With this display of determination, the crowd turned in favor of Fairy Tail, impressed with the lengths they were willing to go to. It even reduced Makarov to tears. Because of Sting coming in last and Kurohebi coming in second, Raven Tail passed Sabertooth to take first, dropping Sabertooth to second place.

Lucy took Natsu to Porlyusica and the day moved on to the battle portion of the events. First match of the day featured Kurohebi against Toby. Even not knowing the strength or Kurohebi first hand, just sensing his magic verses Toby's was enough for Rette to know they were poorly matched. Toby attacked, but no matter how he tried to hit Kurohebi, the other man was just too slippery. With another swing of his paralyzing claws, Kurohebi let himself fall backwards onto the ground, only to seemingly vanished. Toby was surprised, Jura calling out to him that it was mimicry magic.

Rette whistled lowly, her guild mates wincing, as Kurohebi popped up out of the sand, using Max's own Sand Rebellion magic to attack Toby.

"That's my magic!" Max complained.

"He can use individual magic abilities with mimicry, huh." Laki remarked.

"Mimicry. That's a rare magic." Mavis said lowly from where she sat beside Rette.

"Copying one individual spell without learning the whole magic...it's difficult. If I could have gotten by with just that...my life would have been easier and my list of magic spells longer." Rette mused, her eyes fixed on the match.

On the other side of Mavis, Makarov and Romeo were cheering on Toby, telling him to smash Kurohebi if for no other reason than he was from Ivan's guild. In the arena, Toby, a person so easily angered, found out that Kurohebi wasn't his real name and demanded that, if he won, Kurohebi tell him his real name. In return, if Kurohebi won, Toby had to tell him his big secret. Rette had a feeling that it would be a ridiculous secret. Toby didn't seem like the deep kind of person. Almost instantly after this wager was struck, Kurohebi won the match.

When asked what his secret was, Toby replied that it was his socks, that he couldn't find one of them and hadn't been able to for three months. Rette couldn't believe how idiotic Toby could be considering he was wearing one of the socks on his foot and the other around his neck, clipped to a necklace. Toby, though, was so choked up about it, that he was reduced to a slobbering mess of tears. Kurohebi simply tapped his chest, gesturing for Toby to look down at his own. Toby was happy to have found his sock...until Kurohebi took it from him and ripped it to shreds.

Though it was a stupid thing to have gotten choked up over, it had been important to Toby. For Kurohebi to have simply shredded it, knowing how bad Toby had felt about simply losing it...it was a bit cruel. The only sound in the stadium was the laughter of Kurohebi's teammates.

"That was needlessly cruel." Rette remarked. "Which about sums up that guild."

Makarov and Mavis agreed with Rette.

"Well...let's compose ourselves and move on to the second match of the day. Quatro Cerberus-Bacchus!" Chapati announced. "Against Fairy Tail A's...Elfman"

"It's all over!" Wakaba and Macao said together.

"Don't say mean things like that!" Lisanna yelled at them.

"She's right. Elfman may not be strongest or brightest of us all, but he has a lot of heart and the same determination as everyone else competing. He can do it if he persist." Rette told them.

Lisanna jumped at her, hugging her in thanks for standing up for Elfman. What could Rette say? She had a soft spot for the Strauss siblings. They had taken her in and treated her like one of them since she had joined the guild. Though her surname was different, they had adopted her as their sister and Rette was always happy to back up her sort-of adopted brother.

Elfman met Bacchus, who was laying on the ground, down in the arena. When he neared Bacchus, the drunkard spoke.

"Hey...why don't we make a bet like those guys just now?" Bacchus asked, catching Elfman's attention. "Your big sister and little sister are some real beauties. I heard that you have a newly adopted sister, too, that's a beauty as well...If I win, lend them to me for a night. All three of them at once."

Elfman was instantly pissed off. There was no quicker way to spark his temper than to have someone be so disrespectful about his sisters, Rette included. Lisanna made a disgusted face, while Rette blinked. She wasn't quite sure how to react to that one, but why, exactly, had she been dragged into it? Yes, she was basically their adopted sister, but this man was crazy if he thought the three of them would let him do as he pleased even if he did win.

"And if you win...let's see..." Bacchus mused, sitting his alcohol gourd aside.

"Man..."

Bacchus looked up at Elfman in questioning when the word left his mouth. Elfman's fist clenched tightly at his side.

"As a man, there are things I can't forgive, you hunting dog. I'll tear you apart." Elfman declared.

"I'm glad we could come to an agreement. My soul is shaking." Bacchus replied.

The match started out so one-sided that it was hard to believe that Elfman was going to win. Rette, at this point, wasn't too pleased.

"If Elfman loses, not only am I going to beat and castrate that dog, I'm going to knock the crap out of Elfman." Rette remarked.

Those of her guild mates around her, stepped back. None of them wanted to step in the way of Rette's war path. Especially not the guys if she was looking to castrate someone.

"Do you really think he'll lose?" Lisanna asked Rette.

Rette glanced at Lisanna who stood beside her, watching her brother with a worried expression on her face. Rette's annoyance drained away when she saw the look on Lisanna's face. She heaved a sigh before reaching out to lay a hand on Lisanna's shoulder. Lisanna looked at Rette.

"I meant what I said earlier, Lisanna. Elfman will prevail, I promise. If there's one thing I know about him, it's that he cannot abide disrespect to his sisters. You and Mira mean the world to him. He'll win this match, even if he has to go down doing so." Rette told her.

Lisanna smiled brightly, nodding at Rette's words.

"He cares about you, too, Rette" Lisanna assured her.

"Oh, I'm not worried about myself. That Bacchus would be dog meat if he tried to approach me. Deal or no deal." Rette replied.

They turned back, watching the fight. From the looks of it, Bacchus felt like he had the match in the bag and would get to spend a night of dreams with Mira, Lisanna, and Rette. Lisanna gripped her hands together, watching in concern for her brother. Rette's mouth twisted slightly as she watched. While she trusted Elfman, this match was a little more one-sided than she'd like it to be.

"It'll be fine. He's a guy that comes through when it counts." Evergreen assured Lisanna and Rette.

"Yeah!" Lisanna agreed.

"I know." Rette said with a nod.

They watched as Elfman transformed into Weretiger, which was a speed-type takeover. But even with the added speed, he wasn't able to lay a claw on Bacchus. Rette, who had heard about Bacchus from Erza, knew why.

"What's with him!?" Jet asked.

"His attacks aren't hitting at all!" Droy added.

"It's Bacchus. Erza told me about him. His magic is a type that focuses his magical energy into his palms. Erza said it was a relatively orthodox magic, but you wouldn't see me trying to learn it. He mastered a martial art that allowed him to use this magic to its fullest potential...the Hanging-Chop Fist. It's a martial art that specialized in stances that make effective use of mostly palm strikes. Bacchus has added improvements to the style and created a drunken Hanging-Chop Fist." Rette remarked.

"Improvements?" Max asked.

"When you're drunk, your muscles have a flexibility, a fluidity, that they don't normally have. If you've ever watched a drunken man walking down the road, you'll noticed that no matter how much they may sway one way or the other, you can't predict which way they'll fall. Not to mention that you lose that limiter that your brain naturally puts on your strength so you don't injure yourself. By being drunk, Bacchus has increased his unpredictability and his power. So far though...he hasn't touched his alcohol gourd." Rette pointed out.

"So you mean..."

"Bacchus isn't even trying right now." Rette said, when Macao trailed off. "But he will. Elfman will make him work for his victory before snatching it away. That's how strong Elfman's will and determination is."

Despite Rette's confident declaration, Elfman hit the ground after another attack from Bacchus. Rette would put her faith in Elfman because she knew, without a doubt, that if the tables had been reversed, he would have put his in her. Elfman got back to his feet, a grin on his face as he faced Bacchus.

"It hasn't been decided yet, hunting dog. The wager...in the event that I win." Elfman said.

"It's absolutely hopeless already...fine, say whatever you want." Bacchus replied.

"If I win...the name of your guild...will be Quatro Puppy for the rest of the Games." Elfman replied.

A small, cut off laugh escaped Rette before she clamped down on it. Even Bacchus laughed and it was his own guild. It was so funny that Bacchus readily agreed with Elfman and bent to pick up his alcohol gourd. He took a large drink, draining it, deciding it was time to end the whole thing. Just as Bacchus attacked, Elfman transformed. Bacchus, sure he had taken Elfman down with that attack, turned and stopped in surprise. Elfman still stood, now in his Beast Soul: Lizardman form, blood decorating his scales from where Bacchus had cut up his hands from attacking him.

"That's...an interesting, if not foolish, strategy. He's going to have Bacchus hurt himself by attacking him. It's now a battle to see with gives out first...Bacchus' hands or Elfman's body. While it's clever considering Lizardman's scales have various spikes, Bacchus' attacks are strong enough to break those hard scales." Rette remarked.

Lisanna latched onto Rette's arm, gripping tightly as they watched. Elfman basically grit his teeth and bore with it as Bacchus repeatedly attacked him. The others of their guild cheered on Elfman. Evergreen even got carried away with her cheering, wrapping an arm around Freed's neck, choking him as she yelled. Rette stood quietly, reaching up to grip one of Lisanna's hands that was wrapped around her arm. Minutes ticked by until both men were exhausted, bloody, and drenched in sweat. Elfman had even reverted back to his normal form.

They both fell to their knees and a hush fell over the crowd as they waited to see who would get back to their feet first. Tears came to Lisanna's eyes as Bacchus was the one that got up.

"Hold on. Don't give up just yet." Rette told them. "Come on...come on..."

Rette could see the wobbling of Bacchus' legs and then, with a grin on his face, Bacchus hit the ground, down for the count. With that, Elfman was declared the victor. With a cheer, Lisanna threw her arms around Rette's neck. Together, along with Cana and Evergreen, they raised a loud cheer for Elfman who threw his arms in the air with a yell of victory.

"Is this cry the beacon of Fairy Tail's rebirth!?" Chapati cheered into the microphone.

Rette took Lisanna's hand and the two and Thyme hurried down to the tunnel leading to the arena. They were allowed to cart Elfman off to their team's medical adviser, Porlyusica. Supporting the big man between them, Freed, Evergreen, and Bicklow behind them, they took him to the medical bay. Natsu, Wendy, Carla, and Porlyusica met them there. While Lisanna and Rette helped the old woman clean and bandaged Elfman's wounds, Natsu told them about what had happened with a group of men hired to kidnap Lucy, but had failed and had kidnapped Wendy, Carla, and Porlyusica.

Erza, Lucy, and Gray soon joined them.

"It seems I underestimated Elfman a little bit. But his endurance and strength of will might be unrivaled in our guild. We'll definitely build upon his hard-won victory." Erza remarked.

"To think that Erza would acknowledge him like this." Lucy said.

"Why wouldn't she? Elfman did splendidly. And now I don't have to castrate anyone." Rette said, arms crossed over stomach.

Everyone looked at her, the image of her castrating Bacchus making them all shiver in horror and disgust. None of them had a doubt in their mind that if Elfman had lost, Rette would have done it.

"You were totally rocking, Elfman!" Natsu said, changing the subject.

"Stop it...you guys sound like you're mourning the dead." Elfman remarked from where he lay in bed, bandaged nearly from head to toe.

"Well, being strong has always been his only redeeming feature." Lisanna remarked.

"That's kind of a sad redeeming feature, huh." Natsu said with a laugh.

"Natsu, you don't have room to talk since you're the same." Rette told Natsu as she swatted him in the head.

"But you were really amazing." Wendy assured Elfman.

"It's pathetic, but since I'm in this condition now...the rest is up to you, Wendy!" Elfman told her.

"Well...the next match is starting already, so get going. Observing the enemy is part of the key to victory, you know." Porlyusica said.

"Relax. We, the Thunder Legion, will protect this place." Bicklow said.

"My runes will prevent outsiders from coming in or out." Freed agreed.

"We won't let this place get attacked a second time." Evergreen promised.

"While I highly doubt anyone would be stupid enough to do it a second time, I feel better that the three of you will see to this place's safety." Rette remarked.

With that, Lisanna, Rette, Thyme, and Carla joined Natsu and his team as they left the infirmary.

"At any rate...those guys from Raven Tail..their tactics are just so openly dirty." Gray remarked.

"Are they hoping to reduce our battle power one person at a time?" Erza asked.

"Whatever their aim is, they are really starting to spark my temper." Rette said.

"About this incident..some questions still remain." Carla remarked, making them turn to look at her.

"What is it, Carla?" Wendy asked.

"I've already heard the gist of what happened, but...Raven Tail was using some bandit guild to try to capture Lucy. However, they mistook their target, and failed doubly after Natsu went after them." Erza said.

"Doesn't everything make sense?" Lisanna asked.

"Not exactly. Now that Carla mentions it...their method of capture was strange." Rette said, a finger going to lips for her to bite on the nail.

"What do you mean, Rette?" Lucy asked.

"Among Raven Tail's team, there is a mage that can completely reduce his opponent's magic to zero in an instant. In fact, I'm sure it was him that nullified Lucy's magic in her fight with Flare. I've yet to mistaken a magical energy." Rette said.

"That's right. Master believes that to be the case too." Erza said.

Rette nodded.

"That kind of mage is most suitable for the capture of another mage. With such a guy in their ranks, then why send those bandits without him?" Rette asked.

"Exactly." Carla agreed.

"Isn't that because according to the battle portion's rules, all participants need to be near the battle grounds?" Gray asked.

"According to the rules, the ones selected for battle are unknown until right beforehand." Lisanna agreed.

"It still doesn't make sense to me. If they're so openly dirty with their tactics, why do things in such a round about way?" Rette asked.

"You're over-thinking things, Rette. You and Carla both." Wendy assured her.

"Yeah...as we know, those guys value results over the "methods" that they use to achieve them." Lucy said.

"If you say so..." Rette remarked lowly.

"Well, regardless, if they're trying to target us outside of the arena, for the sake of vigilance, let's try our best that no one be left alone at any given time." Erza ordered.

Rette nodded, though she still didn't feel right. Thyme reached out and pat her cheek, giving her a smile when Rette looked at her. Rette reached up and scratched her ears. She was just glad she had swung by to pick Thyme up that morning before heading to the arena. With that said, they all returned to the arena as the third match was announced.

Fairy Tail B's Mirajane verse Blue Pegasus' Jenny.

While Rette usually looked up to Mira for her power as the She-Devil, what she found...made her embarrassed to call herself a woman.

Instead of a battle, Mira and Jenny had agreed to a battle of modeling swimsuits with the judges picking who won each theme. While all of the men in the crowd were eating it up, Rette dropped her face into one hand. The first couple of rounds involved nothing but bikinis. Then things got worse.

"Not so fast. You don't expect us to just let these bubble headed bimbos, hog all the attention?"

Rette heaved a sigh as three members of the Mermaid Heel team joined Mirajane and Jenny in the arena. Behind them came Cherie and Chelia. All, of course, were wearing bikinis, sending the males of the audience into an uproar.

"Wow. That takes guts, I guess." Levy remarked.

"Why are you ladies just watching from the side lines?" Mavis asked, turning to Rette, Levy, Lisanna, and Cana.

"What do you mean by that?" Levy asked.

"I really don't want to know, because I have the bad feeling that I do know." Rette said, already groaning on the inside.

"Do you think that we should go down there?" Lisanna asked.

"Are we suppose to just always have a swimsuit ready?" Cana asked.

"Cana...your tops always look like swimsuits." Rette told her.

In agreement, Lisanna and Levy looked down at the red, bikini top-like top that Cana was currently wearing.

"No silly! But you never know what might happen. So you should be ready for anything. I have one for all of you!" Mavis said.

Rette flinched, a very subtle twitch taking over the corner of her left eye as bikinis began to rain from the air over their heads, one landing right on Rette. Trying to remain indifferent, Rette removed the swimsuit from her head.

"Do I really have to?" Rette asked.

"Oh, come on, Rette! It's not like your usual outfits are any less revealing!" Cana said, pushing Rette ahead of her to go change.

Rette hung her head, letting Cana push her ahead of her. This was going to be horrible. While Rette was usually very comfortable in her own skin, that didn't mean she liked going out in front of people and purposely posing in next to nothing, just for their entertainment. Cana, though, wasn't going to let her off the hook. So, along side every present female in her guild, Rette ended up in the arena, dressed in a gold bikini with purple swirl designs that had low slung, barely there bottoms and a strapless top.

Even little Asuka had come down with her mother in an adorable pink swimsuit.

As the fans went wild, Rette drove the fingers of one hand into her hair, shoving it back from her face. She heaved a sigh as she propped the other hand on her hip. This was ridiculous, but Mira and Jenny didn't seem to have a problem with everyone butting in on their limelight. Chapati called for a wardrobe change, leaving Rette and every other female in school girl swimsuits. Rette didn't know how girls normally wore them, they were so tight around her chest.

The next theme put Rette back in her bikini with sheer white, mess thigh-high stockings edged with gold lace. Rette had only to glance towards the stands and see that pretty much every male in her guild was wide eyed and staring. Some even had bloody noses. Even though it wasn't any less than she normally wore, Rette felt even more exposed. The next theme had her putting on a pair of glasses, tilting the frames down on her nose to peer over the lenses.

As the theme switched again, Rette was about ready to throw something at Chapati for the themes he was suggesting. This theme put her in dark grey cat ears and tail with a little belled collar around her neck. This was only getting worse. Especially when Erza couldn't contain herself at the sight of Rette and had to hug her and pet her head.

"That look actually suits you, Rette!" Lisanna told her.

"No, it doesn't!" Rette protested.

The next theme was bondage, putting Rette in leather, fish net stockings, and heels that would have broken her neck if she tried to run in them with a whip in hand. A glance up at the males on the two Fairy Tail teams, showed all of them staring down at the arena with wide eyes as if they couldn't quite believe what they were seeing. Rette wanted to stick her head in the sand. The way the leather hugged her curves made Rette feel like one wrong move would send everything she had bursting free.

"I never noticed before, Rette, but...you've got one hell of a body." Cana remarked, sneaking up behind Rette to grab her breast from behind, as she sometimes did to Lucy.

Rette whipped around, cracking the whip in her hand, but Cana easily dodged, a grin on her face when she saw the light blush starting to turn Rette's cheeks pink.

"That isn't funny, Cana!" Rette called after her.

The next theme really about did Rette in.

The blushing bride.

Rette was going to die. That was all there was to it. She found herself dressed in a white, strapless dress with a sweetheart bodice and an A-line skirt with a delicate layer of lace over top. A short, sheer veil was pinned in her short hair and mid-bicep length, white gloves graced her hands. They were suppose to pair up with a guy. Rette glanced towards the male members of her guild. Laxus had long since turned his back on the whole affair. Pretty much every other male, except for a few, were already paired up. That pretty much left Romeo, Macao, Wakaba, Max, Nab, Warren, and Reedis.

Thyme had even joined in, wearing a puffy, white dress and currently had her paw in Lily's, smiling like she couldn't be any happier. Rette decided she would for go having a male companion. To which Gajeel mocked her, saying she couldn't get a guy and therefore, lame.

Rette's sharp look shut him up.

She was thankful when the announcers decided to switch back to swimsuits. They were just about to start when the old master of Lamia Scale, a woman who liked to spin people when angry or annoyed, called that the whole affair was an outrage. Everyone looked up to find her standing on a high perch on one of the statues ringing the arena. She jumped from her perch, claiming she would show all of the females in the arena, what it meant to be a real woman. When she landed in the ring, she threw off her cape, revealing the pink, one piece swimsuit and wrinkled skin beneath.

Everyone stared in horror, the whole stadium going silent. Rette clapped a hand over her eyes as Thyme buried her face in Lily's chest so she didn't have to look. That was one way to ruin the mood of the moment.

"And with that crash course in reality, the mood in the arena has been brought back down to Earthland. Party's over folks. The other teams on the field have begun to clear out." Chapati announced, the crowd groaning.

Rette was just glad to get off the field and back into her own clothes. She was glad that was over. While she didn't mind posing for pictures for Sorcerer Weekly, doing that in front of a huge crowd and with some of the themes they had gone through, was embarrassing.

Some of the themes had been alright, but others were things no one would ever normally find in Rette's closet. She was doubly ashamed when Mira and Jenny, after everyone else had cleared out struck their own deal and decided that the loser would have to appear in a spread of Weekly Sorcerer, naked. The last theme would decide the victor.

The last theme...battle form.

Rette knew, the moment that left Jenny's mouth, that Mira was going to win. Mira used her Sitri form which was the strongest in her arsenal of Takeover forms. Mira claimed that since they had stuck to the theme of the day and had made a deal, they should continue to stick to the theme and end the match in a display of power. With that, she ended the match with one strike.

The event moved on to the last match of the day. Mermaid Heel's Kagura verses Sabertooth's Yukino. Yukino was the only female member of the Sabertooth team and seemed to be a serious young girl, but Rette didn't get a great feeling of power from her. Kagura on the other hand...just the way she walked out, as if this was nothing more than something to be handle swiftly made Rette feel like she was the strongest of the two.

"Everyone is already well-aware of Kagura's strength. She is the strongest mage in Mermaid Heel and presently a female mage highly favored by Weekly Sorcerer. This is her opponent, Yukino's first appearance here. However by virtue of belonging to the strongest guild Sabertooth, we should be able to look forward to her strength as well." Chapati announced, starting the match.

Rette watched as Yukino bowed respectfully in greeting, Kagura returning it. Yukino started the match off by asking if they, too, should make a bet, but Kagura turned it down, insisting she had no interest and that it was just a form of frivolous entertainment. Yukino offered to make it serious then, by wagering their lives. Kagura accepted the wager then.

With a surprise to Rette, Yukino pulled out a gate key, revealing that she was a celestial mage like Lucy. She summoned the Paired Fish, Pisces. Rette grabbed Happy as he went crazy over the sight of the two large fish that came forth. They attacked Kagura, who jumped out of the way. Yukino quickly followed up the attack by summoning her next spirit, Libra. Those two keys would finish the whole set of golden keys for Lucy, if she had them.

Rette watched as Yukino had Libra alter gravity, bringing a heavy force down on Kagura's shoulders. Pisces then circle back around to attack. Kagura, who had been the one to teach Risley gravity magic, broke free of Libra and dodged the attack. Yukino pulled out a third key. Every key Rette had ever seen had been either silver or gold, but this one...this one was black. She used it to open the gate of the Snake Charmer, the thirteenth door, Ophiuchus. A large, dark colored serpent with a metal lower jaw, came forth and attacked Kagura head on.

Kagura gripped the hilt of her still sheathed blade and met the creature head on. She was able to, without drawing her sword, cut the serpent and beat it, sending it back to the celestial realm before getting up close and personal with Yukino. One strike was all it took to bring Yukino down, winning Kagura the match and leaving Sabertooth with a total of zero points for the day. And with that, Day Two ended.

Rette was going to slip away, to avoid the fanfair of a night of celebration, but Erza caught and insisted she go with Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Carla, and Wendy. Rette had insisted that she didn't have to worry since she wasn't competing, but Erza insisted. Heaving a sigh, Rette did as asked and went to the pub with the group. After a lot of food and happy celebration, they finally left.

"Puha! I sure ate." Natsu said as they walked down the street.

"You eat too much." Carla told him.

"Oh you have no idea. He's been this way as long as I've known him." Rette told her.

Carla made a disgusted face and Rette turned forward to where Wendy was asking Lucy where the lodgings were since she had been in the infirmary the last two nights.

"Is everyone in the same room?" Wendy asked.

"This is worst. Natsu snores so loudly...Gray ends up naked before you know it...Erza always crawls into my bed..." Lucy said.

"So glad I'm bunking in another room." Rette remarked.

"Now that you mention it, where are Gray and Erza?" Happy asked.

"Poor Gray..." Carla said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Let me guess...Lyon showed up to challenge him for Juvia again, didn't he?" Rette asked.

"Yes." Carla replied.

Rette shook her head, Thyme silently laughing behind her paws. She didn't know what was suddenly going on with Lyon, but she kind of felt bad for Gray.

"And Erza?" Natsu asked.

"I haven't seen her, now that you mention it." Lucy said. "She herself was the one that told us not to end up alone, though."

"I highly doubt she's alone. She went to meet up with our masked friend." Rette remarked.

Understanding that she meant Jellal, they dropped that line of conversation. Natsu faced forward as their lodgings came into sight.

"Huh? There's someone in front of our lodgings." Natsu said.

Rette peered through the dark, her eyes locking on the figure standing on the front step of Honeybone.

"There is." Rette said.

"That person is..." Wendy trailed off as Lucy tried to peer through the darkness to see what they were seeing.

"You guys have such good eyes." she remarked.

"It's a Dragon Slayer thing." Rette assured her.

As they neared, Lucy finally saw who it was. Rette was surprised to find Yukino from Sabertooth waiting for them, a suitcase at her side. Yukino asked to speak with them. Unsure what she wanted, they took her back to the room that Natsu and his team shared where she revealed that she had business with Lucy.

"Business? With me?" Lucy asked.

"Yes. I have important business with you." Yukino replied.

"What is Saber trying to pull?" Natsu demanded.

"Natsu...why don't we at least listen to what she has to say?" Wendy asked.

Rette, curious about what this was about, agreed with Wendy, shutting Natsu up. Yukino, as she started to speak again, leaned forward to place something on the table between her and Lucy.

"This may be a rather bold request, but...these," Yukino set down her two zodiac keys. "the key of the Paired Fish and the key of the Heavenly Scales...I'd like for you to take the two of these."

"That's...impossible. I can't take them." Lucy told her, shocked.

"When I saw you on the first day, I decided...that after the Games had ended, I would give you these keys." Yukino told them.

"The Games haven't ended yet, have they?" Natsu asked.

"My Games have ended. Lady Minerva will probably be added in my place. With this, the "Strongest Five" that changed Sabertooth have been gathered." Yukino replied.

"You weren't part of them, huh." Carla voiced.

"I had just entered...I was nothing more than a substitute for Lady Minerva, who was in the middle of a job." Yukino answered.

"But why? These are you precious celestial spirits, aren't they?" Wendy asked.

"Precisely for that reason...These celestial spirits will be happier, as well, if they're entrusted to Miss Lucy, who's a far more outstanding celestial spirit mage than me." Yukino said.

"I don't think their happiness could be measured simply by who is the best mage. If they're contracted to you, than it's going to be you who they want to be with." Rette remarked.

Lucy agreed with her, feeling awkward in a situation like this. But Yukino wasn't really taking no for an answer.

"You've already gathered ten of the twelve golden keys of the zodiac. With these two added...the twelve keys will have all been gathered. The gateway that changes the world will open." Yukino said.

"The gateway that changes the world?" Lucy asked.

"It's just an old legend. I don't understand the meaning of it, either. You might have noticed this already, but...over the past several year, the number of celestial spirit mages has dropped precipitously. There was that Zentopia incident some time ago, as well. We might be the only celestial spirit mages left, now. You're one that loves and is loved by celestial spirits. You should carry the twelve keys and walk together with the spirits." Yukino said.

"I can't accept them, after all...celestial spirit magic is a magic of bonds and trust...there's no way that owners can be switched quite so easily." Lucy told her.

"This wasn't...an easy resolution to come by." Yukino said, before standing. "No...I figured you would say that. When the times comes...the twelve keys will naturally be reunited again. It'd be nice if we could meet again." Yukino said, smiling at Lucy.

Lucy nodded in reply. With that, Yukino left. Shortly after that, Natsu decided to chase after her and, to make sure he stayed out of trouble, Rette followed him.

"O-i! Wait up! Wait!" Natsu yelled, waving his arms, as they caught up with Yukino.

Yukino turned to look at them, as Natsu ran up to her, Happy and Thyme flying behind him and Rette following.

"Ah...sorry, sorry. You're not a bad person." Natsu said.

When Yukino stared at him in confusion at the blunt remark, Rette heaved a sigh.

"Clarify when you speak, Natsu." she told him.

"You see...Natsu had made up his mind that you were a bad person just because you were in Sabertooth. That's why he came here like this to apologize." Happy told Yukino.

"Apologize?" Yukino asked.

"My bad."

"Natsu, even I think that was too light of an apology. If you're going to apologize, do it properly." Rette told him.

Natsu just grinned.

"Sorry. But even with this, Natsu's grown up a little bit." Happy remarked.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Natsu demanded.

"It does seem as if his maturity has grown." Rette agreed.

"You too!?" Natsu asked, turning to her.

Thyme nodded, making Natsu's jaw drop. All three of his friends, even his best buddy, had all just agreed that he was childish and immature.

"You went to all the trouble of chasing after me for that...?" Yukino asked.

"It's because you looked so gloomy. I thought...that maybe I had made you feel bad." Natsu admitted.

"No...I'm sorry."

Even Rette could tell that Yukino was about to cry and that it had nothing to do with Natsu making her feel bad.

"No no no no...you're putting me on the spot if you're going to apologize." Natsu said.

"Natsu."

Natsu turned to look at Rette when she called his name. Rette shook her head and jerked her head towards Yukino. Natsu turned to look at her and froze when he saw the tears spilling down Yukino's face.

"It's even worse if you're going to cry...!" Natsu said.

"What...what's wrong!?" Happy asked.

Rette jolted forward to catching Yukino as her knees gave. She carefully eased the crying girl down to the ground and crouched next to her.

"I can't...I can't take it anymore. I...no one's ever treated me like this before." Yukino sobbed into her hands. "I...always looked up to Sabertooth. Last year, I finally got in, but...I'm...not allowed to go back anymore."

"What do you mean?" Rette asked, a bad feeling falling into the pit of her stomach.

"Just from that one loss...I was forced out. I was forced to be naked in front of a lot of people...and I had to erase the guild stamp with my own hand." Yukino sobbed.

Rette and Natsu both froze. Not only had Yukino been forced out of her home and forced to remove the symbol of that home herself, she had been forced to strip out of her clothes in front of several people to do so. Rette couldn't imagine the humiliation she had to have felt.

"It was so bitter and humiliating...my self-respect and my memories of the guild were completely destroyed. And despite all of that, I don't have a place to return to!" Yukino cried.

Rette, despite not knowing this girl and therefore having no reason to feel that way, felt her anger begin to well up in her chest. Who in the world could be so cruel as to do such a thing to a girl like this? Rette quickly calmed herself. She had to remind herself that even if she liked Yukino, what went on in Sabertooth was none of her concern. After all, it wasn't her guild. While she could help Yukino now, it wouldn't be her place to do anything about the previous incident.

"Sorry, I don't know how things are at other guilds, but..." Natsu said, trailing off.

"Yes...I'm sorry...I...just..."

"No. Don't apologize to us, Yukino. There is nothing for you to apologize for." Rette assured her, reaching back to pull a tissue out of one of the pouches on her belt.

She swiped Yukino's hair back to wipe her tears away. Natsu watched them, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

"Though it may be another guild, if you say that "we're both mages" then I understand...I understand the bitterness of being humiliated and having your guild stamp erased. A guild that would make it's family cry...that's not a guild at all." Natsu growled.

Rette wheeled around as Natsu turned on his heel and ran off. Rette made a "tch" noise under her breath before looking at Happy.

"Go after him." Rette told him.

Happy nodded and took off. Rette turned back to Yukino. With Yukino still crying, Rette got her up off the ground and sat her on a bench before perching on the bench next to her, Thyme leaning forward on her shoulder to look at Yukino. Rette wiped Yukino's tears away, gently doing so until they tapered off.

"I'm sorry." Yukino apologized, sniffling.

"As I said, there's no need to apologize. You were hurt and deserved to cry. Personally...I don't have any tears left, but I definitely know what it's like to be humiliated by those that should have protected you from such a thing. If you need to cry, then you cry." Rette told her.

Yukino was surprised. When she had first saw Rette, all she had seen was the indifferent, almost cold mask that Rette wore all the time. Now that she was up close and Rette was was extending a helping hand, she could see that that first impression was wrong.

"You do know?" Yukino asked.

The smile that Rette gave her was small. Just the barest of up lifts to the corners of her mouth. She took a tissue offered by Thyme and handed it to Yukino.

"Yes. My life wasn't the best of lives when I was younger. But now...now I have Fairy Tail and Thyme, here. My family. They protect me and I protect them. We fight for each other, laugh with each other, cry with each other. That is what a guild is suppose to be. To see a guild treat it's members with so little care and respect...even I feel angry and anger can be very rare for me." Rette told her.

Yukino stared at Rette's honest eyes, seeing the flash of anger in their depths. She hung her head, wondeing what she could have done to deserve the kindness and fierceness of these people who were her enemies until a few hours ago.

"Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?"

Yukino looked up at Rette in confusion. Her eyebrows furrowed leading to Rette clarifying her words.

"It might be a little crowded, but if you don't, you could stay with me and few other guild mates at our lodgings." Rette offered.

"Oh! No, I have somewhere to stay for tonight." Yukino promised her.

"Good. You've had a rough day, so I suggest you get some rest. I just have one more question for you." Rette said.

Yukino gave her a questioning look. The look Rette leveled back at her was serious, straight, if not aloof, but her eyes blazed with an emotion that Yukino couldn't place. Thyme's were just as bright as she peered at Yukino from Rette's shoulder.

"Where is Sabertooth lodged?"

-0-0-0-0-

The peaceful night around Corcus Garden's found the members of Sabertooth asleep, only to be rudely awaken as an intruder crashed into the build, blowing out windows and beating up members of the guild in his search for the guild's master. Sting, Rouge, Lector, and Forsch came into the foyer of the inn to find Natsu, in an angered state, plowing his way through their members, demanding to know where their master was.

"Do you have some business with me, brat?" Jiemma asked as he stepped forward.

"You're the master, huh? Kicked out just because of one loss? I'm all fired up." Natsu remarked. "If that's the case...if you lose to me, you quit the guild, too, then."

He was angry, his temper getting the best of him. Sting and his fellow teammates were surprised that Natsu had come to pick a fight with their master. To them, it was suicide to consider doing such a thing. But Natsu was perfectly serious. Jiemma carefully considered Natsu.

"Are you serious? Brat." Jiemma asked.

"People who take their family for granted...unforgivable." Natsu replied.

Was he talking about Yukino? Sting couldn't see where it was any of his business. After all, it was a matter of their guild, not Natsu's. And who would come barging into another guild's lodgings over something that didn't even concern them?

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you're acting out of you own sense of justice, huh?" Jiemma asked.

"You say that you don't know what I'm talking about?" Natsu asked, his anger kicking up a notch.

"Dobengal...be a reasonable opponent for him." Jiemma ordered of one of his members.

"Are you running away?" Natsu asked.

"It's one hundred years too early for the likes of a common guild soldier like you. If you want to fight with those on top, show me that you're qualified to do so." Jiemma replied.

Natsu, annoyed with Jiemma's refusal to fight him, plowed straight into the fight and downed his opponent with one hit, clearing the way to Jiemma. Sting stepped forward, asking his master to let him be the one to deal with Natsu.

"Stay back." Jiemma told him. "We don't have any brats like this here...amusing."

Jiemma blocked Natsu' first attack, sending him skidding back with just a flex of his arm. Natsu stopped himself quickly, aiming a punch up and under Jiemma's guard, landing it to his gut. His next punch hit right across Jiemma's left cheek, a hail of punches following quickly after. The last punch, aimed straight for Jiemma's face, was fire laced with lightning and was strong enough to smash through the walls. Smoke filled the room and when it cleared...Minerva stood between Natsu and her father, blocking attacks from both sides.

"The young lady..." Sting voiced in surprise.

"Have tonight's festivities extended to this vicinity as well?" Minerva asked, locking her eyes on Natsu.

"Minerva, you...who told you to..."

"Of course, even if the present state of affairs were to continue, Father would surely triumph." Minevra added, cutting off her father. "But there is such a thing as "maintaining appearances", after all. Putting aside the fact that you were the one that attacked us...if our master were to eliminate a participant in the Grand Magic Games...that would put us in a bind, as well."

Natsu was sure if Rette had been there, she would have told Minerva to shove her "appearances". While Fairy Tail didn't generally care what others thought about them, Rette really couldn't give two jewels what others thought about her. Natsu didn't care anymore than she did.

"Father got fired up in front of his subordinates, so it was clear that it was challenging for him to back down, as well. How about it? Will you allow me to save some face here?" Minerva asked Natsu.

She waved her hands in front of herself, the air distorting until Happy, tied up tightly, appeared in Minerva's arms, crying as she caressed his head.

"If so, then I can return this kitten to you, unharmed." Minerva said.

"Happy!" Natsu cried. "Damn it..."

"What I am saying is...even though you did in so many of our subordinates, we'll simply overlook this incident. I'm asking you to act in a mature fashion." Minerva said.

Natsu grit his teeth. As much as he still wanted to punch in Jiemma's face for what he had done to Yukino, he couldn't do that with Happy's well being on the line. He was about to bend to Minerva's will when Happy suddenly cracked. Surprised, Minerva, and everyone else, focused on Happy, watching as his body cracked again, his whole body turning into a blue-purple crystal which then shattered, leaving Minerva's arms empty.

"That magic..." Natsu voiced lowly, his face going pale. "I'm dead."

Sting stared at Natsu. The pink haired boy was going whiter and whiter by the second, his eyes going wide like he had just seen his own death. He had never seen such a look on the usually fearless Natsu's face.

"Natsu...what do you think you're doing?"

Natsu went as stiff as a board when a low voice sounded from behind him. He gulped and turned to face the person who had called him. Those of Sabertooth looked past him to the open front doors. Sting blinked in surprise and stared. Standing in the door way was a girl he had never seen before. A graciously curved body was clothed in barely-there, black shorts, a gold top that was nothing more than a scarf tied around her chest, the bow tied perfectly between her breasts, a mid-thigh length, sleeveless jacket made of black lace, knee-high boots, and fingerless gloves.

Two leather belts, one holding a single sword and the other playing host to several pouches, were strapped around her thin waist, over the jacket. A black choker with a strange stone charm set in it, decorated her slim throat, a charm necklace dangling just below that. Pale silver hair was cut as short as a guy's in the back, the chin length bangs parted to the right. Though she was pretty, even with the indifferent expression that currently sat on her face, it was her eyes and the long and vivid scar over her stomach, that caught Sting's eyes.

Staring back at Natsu, blank, yet carrying a heavy presence to their stare, was a pair of bright eyes that faded from magenta at the center to lavender at the edges. Her arms were crossed lightly over her stomach and she carried an air of aloof indifference to everything around her. She didn't even pay the people laying on the ground or the damage around her, a single glance. Her eyes were fixed on Natsu, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but right there.

"...uh...h-hey, Rette." Natsu greeted.

Rette.

Sting had heard the name before. Anyone and everyone had, at one point, heard of Fairy Tail's infamous Nexus Mage and her strange magic. She had been reported to have vanished along with the others on the Tenrou team, seven years ago. For someone who was suppose to be about twenty-four, twenty-five, she looked about Sting's age. Sting had never pictured that this was what she would appear like, though he had heard rumors that she was a person who could appear and act unaffected by everything.

"I asked you a question, Natsu. Answer it." Rette said, making Natsu grit his teeth.

"You were there, Rette! You heard what she told us! What they did to her!" Natsu yelled.

"Yes, I did." Rette replied.

"Then why-"

"It's not our place to stick our noses into the affairs of another guild. It's not our guild, so we have no say in how they treat their members." Rette said simply.

Natsu couldn't believe his ears. Rette wasn't heartless, no matter how she acted, but she was being oddly detached with this whole thing. Normally she had more compassion for others. He couldn't understand what was going on.

"Rette!" he snapped.

"Don't "Rette" me, Natsu. Whether I agree with their treatment of her or not, to simply attack their guild like this...are you trying to risk all we've being trying to achieve here? What would Master say?" Rette replied.

Natsu flinched. In two simple little sentences, Rette had completely made him feel crappy. She had reminded him that they were there to win the tournament, not for the title or themselves, but for their guild mates. Getting carried away like this could cause them to get kicked out of the Games and then they wouldn't be able to do what they had come there to do.

"B-but Happy!" Natsu argued.

"Happy's fine. I arrived at the entrance before she did and knew what was coming our way. I simply replaced him." Rette replied, half turning towards the door behind her. "Thyme."

Beside Sting, Lector let out a low, "whoa!" as a small silver cat with black paws and white wings, came flying into view. She carried in her little, black paws, a somewhat groggy Happy.

"Happy!" Natsu cried in relief.

Happy fully came too, his own relief bringing tears to his eyes. Thyme sat Happy on the floor, letting him run to Natsu. Minerva, surprised to find herself out maneuvered, looked Rette over. To Minerva, she was...unremarkable, at first glance. Minerva couldn't really sense much magical presence from the girl, which was probably why she had over looked the girl when she thought she had captured the blue cat.

Rette didn't even glance at the members of Sabertooth. She watched as Natsu picked Happy up, cradling him in his arms. Without a word, she walked up to Natsu, stopping at his side and turning to look up at him.

"See? Happy is fine. If you want to get your own justice, then settle accounts in the arena, not outside of it. You need to think before you act and learn to contain your temper, Natsu. While we don't care about appearances, there is such a thing as "common sense". While, yes, you normally lack it,"

"Hey!"

"That doesn't mean you can act like an idiot and come here, damaging property." Rette said, continuing even when Natsu snapped at her for calling him brainless. "Besides...if you wanted to help her, running off and leaving her, crying, in the middle of a street, isn't exactly the best way to start."

Natsu flinched again, hanging his head slightly. He really hadn't thought that part through. Though, Yukino had been in good hands with Rette around. She wasn't likely to run off and leave a person in need without anyone to help.

"She's fine, Happy's alright, and the rest of this can be settled during the Games. For now, you need to head back to Honeybone and hope I don't tell Erza of this brainless act of self-fulfilling justice." Rette told him.

"But-"

"I'm sorry, did that **sound** like a request?" Rette asked, cutting off Natsu's argument.

Natsu froze, stiffening up, his face draining of color once more, as Rette's eyes sharpened, just slightly. He knew that look. It was the look Rette got just before she lost her temper and begun demolishing things by crystallizing it and then shattering it. A chill worked it's way up his spine as he felt the first creeping tendrils of dark power coming from her. He couldn't explain it, but when she got like this, he couldn't disobey her. He just couldn't. It was the same for Gajeel.

"Leave Natsu... **Now**." Rette said, her tone dropping just a notch.

Natsu didn't stick around. It was either get lost or get hurt and he wasn't about to give Rette a reason to turn her temper on him. He turned on his heel and bolted to the door, leaving Rette in his wake. That was another first for Sting. He had never seen Natsu run like that, like he was running from hell itself. Natsu, carrying Happy, vanished around the door frame, Rette leaning her head back to watch him.

"That's what I thought." she remarked before turning to finally fix her gaze on Minerva and her father.

There was nothing in her expression for them to read. No anger, annoyance, nothing. Minerva couldn't tell what she was thinking. Rette simply gave them a small bow of her head and turned on her heel to walk away.

"My, it must be such a trial to be the only one with any sense in your guild." Minerva remarked.

Rette came to a stop, her back still facing them, and heaved a sigh. She reached up, running a hand through her bangs as she turned to look over her shoulder.

"Oh, joy...another talker. I don't really understand talkers. All that pointless arrogance has to be bothersome." Rette remarked.

"Excuse you?" Minerva asked.

"I don't stutter." Rette said simply.

She turned fully to face Minerva, not daunted in the least. Sting was surprised that she was able to keep the indifferent look in the face of possibly their strongest member.

"I don't believe in beating around the bush, so I'll skip the niceties. I may have come here to stop my less than thoughtless guild mate, but had the circumstances been different...I would have been here cheering him on." Rette said.

Surprise, surprise. Guild mates tended to think alike.

"Unlike Natsu, though, I know how to pick my battles and this isn't one I find any interest in. I won't say I don't find your treatment of Yukino anything but lower than low, but eventually...karma comes does come into play." Rette said, her eyes going to Jiemma, who raised an eyebrow. "It might not come at the hands of Fairy Tail, as Natsu wants, but you will get what's coming to you and, I guarantee you...it's going to be painful."

With that, Rette turned on her heels and walked away.

"You think you can talk to us that way?" Minerva asked.

"Yeah, that's another thing. Titles, this whole number one in Fiore crap...I really don't care." Rette said, turning to look at her. "I'm here for one reason and one reason only and it's doesn't have anything to do with you. Get over yourself. I assure you, you are **not** all you think you are."

"And you're saints in your guild?" Minerva scoffed.

"Can't raise hell with saints. If there's anything we're good at in Fairy Tail, it's raising a little hell. In case you haven't noticed." Rette replied, gesturing around her to take in the damage Natsu had left.

Rette turned back around and walked away. Her little cat companion, who had locked her eyes on Lector and Forcsh, hovered in the air. Silently, Rette raised a hand and jerked two fingers. As if hearing the silent call of her name, Thyme's ears perked up, the bell earrings jingling. She spun around and flew over to Rette, landing on her shoulder to wrap her long-furred tail around Rette's neck. At the door, Rette paused for a moment.

"Just two more things. One, we won't lose to you. Fairy Tail never gives up on what we want. You may have been the kings and queens for the last few years, but we're back now. And secondly...a guild should be a family and you should take care of your family. That you haven't..." Rette looked over her shoulder. "Yukino's too good for you."

Sting stared as Rette vanished out the door, never once fearing that any of them would attack her from behind. He couldn't believe this girl. She hardly had any presence, was so indifferent that had she been in a group of people, he would have looked her over. She didn't seem to have a care in the world, had no filter between her brain and her mouth and therefore, said whatever came to mind, and she didn't seem the least bit concerned that she might have just offended the wrong people. Not to mention that Natsu was scared of her and he had just nearly beaten the crap out of their leader.

What kind of monster was this girl?

Was she really so strong that Natsu had a reason to be afraid of her?

Whatever the case was, she had angered Minerva.

The Games were only going to become more interesting.

END

Kyandi: Alright, so there's another chapter, but...

Rette: Here comes the blackmail.

Kyandi: I have, I think, two more chapters for each story line, to post, but I'm not going to post either until I get some people to go to my profile and vote on the poll I have up.

Rette: So if you guys want more chapters, go vote.

Kyandi: Exactly! It's an important poll. I've been asking myself this question for quite some time now and I need help with the answer!

Rette: So everyone go vote.

Kyandi: Exactly. Everyone enjoy and review and go vote!

Rette: We'll return once a couple of people vote.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	39. Day ThreeEnter the Nexus Mage

Kyandi: Hehe!

Rette: What are you laughing about now?

Kyandi: I figured if I said I wouldn't update until people voted on my pole, that I'd get some votes.

Rette: Let me guess, you did?

Kyandi: Ten in the first hour! Maybe if I say I won't update until I get reviews, I'll get more reviews.

Rette: You already get anywhere between ten to twenty for each chapter.

Kyandi: I know. That's why I won't do that. And because I love my awesome readers! Each review makes me so happy, I can't help but have a bit of a spazzing moment, because rather it's criticism or praise, at least people care enough to take out of their time to review.

Rette: That's a really positive way of thinking.

Kyandi: Not everyone can be pessimistic like you.

Rette: Aw, thanks.

Kyandi: Smart aleck. Anyway, everyone review and enjoy.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 39 Day Three...Enter The Nexus Mage

Day Three of the Grand Magic Games dawned with Rette leaving her room, finger combing her hair as she yawned. Her roommates had just gotten up as she was leaving the room and none of her other guild mates had yet to get up. Which wasn't odd. Rette was an early riser. She was heading down the stairs, a still half asleep Thyme on her shoulder at the current moment. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she found Makarov. Jellal, dressed as Mystogan, was just vanishing through a window.

What, exactly, was that about?

"Morning, Master." Rette greeted.

Makarov turned to look at Rette. Rette raised an eyebrow when he eyed her. She really couldn't help but wonder if she should have stayed in bed when he suddenly grinned.

"Master...are you alright?" Rette asked.

"Just fine. Rette...how would you like to do your dear master a favor?" Makarov asked.

Rette really felt like she should have stayed in bed.

-0-0-0-0-

"The Grand Magic Games have finally entered the middle portion of the competition, here on the third day."

Cheers filled the stadium as Chapati announced the start of the thrid day of the Games. He introduced the guest announcer which was Lahar from the Magic Council.

"The third day's competition is Pandemonium. There will be one participant from each guild!" Chaptai announced. "It seems from Fairy Tail A, we have Erza Scarlett."

Erza stepped forward for her team, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Wendy cheering her on.

"From Mermaid Heel, it's Milianna."

Milianna joined Erza, excited to step forward for her guild. She urged Erza not to lose as she passed her.

"For Raven Tail, it's the mysterious Obra."

A masked man wearing a black cloak and a tall hat, stepped forward for Raven Tail, silently joining the others.

"Hibiki Lates will be participating for Blue Pegasus!"

Women went nuts in the crowd as Hibiki stepped forward, their cheers drowning out everyone else for the moment.

"From the mighty Sabertooth, it's Orga Nanagear."

Orga stepped forward, claiming he would turn his competition to black lightning chili. A disturbing image indeed.

"We have Jura Neekis stepped forth for Lamia Scale."

Jura, under orders from his guild master, stepped forward for his team, a smile on his face as he joined the others.

"Playing for Quatro Puppy will be Novally."

Laughter sounded as Novally, a little, unnoticeable guy, stepped out for his guild under it's new name.

"And finally...what's this? Stepping in for Fairy Tail B's Mystogan, the only one of her kind in the world, the Lady of Synthesis, the Queen of Fusion, we have the Nexus Mage herself...Fairy Tail B's Rette Starrilia!"

All eyes turned to Rette as she stepped forward for her team, looking as cool and unaffected as she always did. Today's outfit was a pair of barely-there shorts with laces replacing the sides and an off the shoulder, cropped off top that barely contained her chest with a sleeveless long jacket, worn over it. Her usual belts were buckled around her waist, a sword at her right hip. Muttering filled the stands as she walked out onto the field.

Rette, though she didn't show it, was actually a little excited to be taking part. Makarov had asked her that morning to take Jellal's place. Since the guest announcer was a member of the Magic Council, Jellal didn't want to take the chance of being recognized. Rette had gladly agreed. She came to a stop next to Erza, Erza giving her a smile.

"Now I'll explain the rules of Pandemonium." said the Games' mascot, Matu.

Before them, a large castle came to life, complete with skull decorations. To Rette, it looked like some haunted house attraction one would find in an amusement park.

"The temple where evil monsters nest...Pandemonium."

The name fit the appearance of the place. And it was huge. Rette doubted she could construct such a structure on her own and so quickly. The organizers had to have several people at work creating the playing fields they competed on every day.

"Within the temple there are one hundred monsters. Well, they're called that, but they're magical tools that we've created. They won't attack any of you in the audience or anything like that, so relax. The monsters are divided into five levels of battle power: D, C, B, A, S. The specifics are like this. Incidentally...in regards to the kind of strength that D-class monsters have..." Matu said, gesturing up as a lacrima screen formed to show them an image from inside the temple.

The video feed showed a monster, large and spiked from head to toe, crashing into walls and demolishing solid stone. The strength of such a feat would be enough to defeat a normal person.

"Ones like that and even stronger ones than that...the place where one hundred of them are lurking around, that is Pandemonium." Matu told them. "As the class goes up, please note that the battle power goes up exponentially. The S-class monster has strength such that even one of the Ten Wizard Saints can't be guaranteed to defeat it."

All eyes turned to Jura who was a member of the Ten Wizard Saints.

"In order, each of you will take turns selecting a number of monsters to figth with. This is called your "challenge right". For example, if one chooses "3", then three monsters will appear within the temple. If one succeeds in defeating the three...that competitor gets three points. Then, the next competitor may exercise their "challenge right" amongst the ninety-seven remaining monsters. This will continue until zero monsters remain, or everyone's magical power reaches zero...at which point the competition will end." Matu explained.

"Quite the interesting challenge." Rette remarked, Erza agreeing.

"It's like a counting game, huh." Milianna said.

"Exactly. Situational judgment becomes quite important. However, like I said before, the monsters have ranks. So be it one monster or five monsters that you choose with your Challenge Right, it's a system where the monsters appear randomly." Matu replied.

"In other words...some sort of battle strategy to avoid drawing the S-rank monster is necessary, huh." Hibiki remarked.

"If it's random, that sort of strategy wouldn't work, then." Orga told him.

"No...with probability theory and my Archive...a strategy will work to some extent." Hibiki insisted.

"Points are given for the number of defeated monsters, with no regard to the monsters' rank. Once you've entered the temple, you will be unable to withdraw until you've won." Matu added.

"And if you happen to go down while inside the temple?" Rette asked.

"Then the number of points you've earned up until that turn will be as it is. The number of victories for that turn itself will be counted as zero, and you'll exit like that." Matu answered.

"So it would be bad to pick too many at first, but also bad to pick just one or two a turn. In this kind of game, the first to go will be at the greatest advantage. It simply will come down to the luck of the draw." Rette remarked. "Right Erza."

Erza agreed with Rette. Matu held out a box with sticks sticking up out of a hole in the top. They each drew one to reveal the number on the stick. Rette drew eight while Erza drew one. Rette glanced over at Erza's stick and heaved a sigh.

"Well...this game is over." Rette remarked, making the other participants look at her.

Rette didn't say anything as Erza stepped forward.

"I agree with Rette. I was thinking this competition would all come down to the luck of the draw." Erza remarked.

"The luck of the draw? No...no...how should I put this? It's a game where maintain your pace and situational judgment are more important than just the order of battle." Matu said,

"Not anymore, it's not." Rette said, drawing all attention back to her where she stood, looking board. "Erza drew the number one slot. This game is over."

Erza stepped forward, with a smile on her face. She proudly, and confidently, proclaimed that all one hundred monsters would be her opponent. Rette heaved a sigh as everyone stared at Erza as if she had lost her mind. That was Erza, alright.

"That...That's impossible! It's not set up so that one person could possibly defeat them all!" Matu insisted.

"I don't care." was Erza's reply.

Erza stepped into the temple, surprising everyone as she fearlessly took on all one hundred monsters. Even as she became covered in wounds, she danced through the monsters, taking them down one after another.

"That's Erza for you."

The others glanced at Rette as she watched the lacrima screen, her arms lightly crossed over her stomach, her expression unchanging. She tilted her head to the side as, on the screen, Erza took down another monster.

"She, herself, is a monster. It was all over the moment she drew the number one slot. She'll take them all out and leave us with nothing." Rette remarked.

Sure enough, Ezra, with the cheering yells of her guild mates filling the air, demolished every single monster in the temple. Quickly and pride, she brought the game to an end. Rette felt a great pride in her chest as she watched a beaten and battered Erza, thrust her sword into the air, declaring victory for her team. The crowd broke into loud cheers and applause, cheering on a team that they had booed the first day.

"Fairy Tail A's Erza Scarlet dominates! A massive victory that brooks no complaints! This huge applause has yet to stop!" Chapati announced. "Pandemonium has been completely suppressed! Fairy Tail A earns ten points."

Rette walked up to Erza, holding out a fist. Erza, with a smile, bumped her fist against Rette's.

"Magnificent as always." Rette told her.

"You don't lose either." Erza replied.

"I don't plan to." Rette assured her.

Low muttering fell over the stadium as the organizers discussed how they would go about ranking the remaining seven teams. Rette remained with the other six competitors as they waited to find out what they would do. Finally, some kind of device Rette had never seen before, was brought onto the field.

"Discussion has concluded that the remaining seven teams must finish establishing a rank order. It's a little banal, but we've prepared a simple game." Chapati announced.

"Magic Power Finder, MPF. When this device is struck with magical power, that power is represented numerically. Those numerical values will be used to establish a ranking." Matu explained, gesturing to the device.

"A simple comparison of power, huh...that probably leaves me at a bit of a disadvantage." Hibiki said, stepping up beside Rette. "By the way, Rette, are you free tonight?"

"If by free you mean do I have time to take away from making sure my team doesn't destroy half the city, then no, I'm not." Rette replied idly.

She sounded so board with the situation, that her team felt like this was going to end badly. Juvia cupped her mouth and yelled down to Rette.

"Rette, the competition's not over, yet!" Juvia yelled.

Rette's only reply was to wave a hand over her head.

They really had a bad feeling.

"We'll continue with the order that was determined previously." Matu said.

With that, Milianna, who had drawn the number two slot, stepped forward. She hit the MPF with her Kitten Blast spell, earning her three hundred and sixty-five as her power reading.

"We don't know if that number is high or not, without any basis for comparison, huh." Chapati announced.

"That device is used in our Rune Knight training as well. That's a high number. It's at a level sufficient to become a squad captain." Lahar replied.

Rette gave Milianna a congratulating nod of her head to which Milianna smiled. Next up was Novally who only managed to get a one hundred and twenty-four for his ranking. Hibiki stepped forward next, and ended up in a somewhat depressed state when he only got ninety-five.

"Comfort me, Rette!" Hibiki called, holding his arms out to Rette.

"Not a chance."

Shoot down so brutally by Rette, Hibiki retreated, his head hanging. Rette ignored him, focusing forward as Obra stepped forward to take his turn. She felt a little like she should be offended when all Obra got was a four. She knew he had magic and strong magic at that, but this...this was sad.

Orga was next, his black lightning earning a whomping three thousand, eight hundred and twenty-five. A score ten times that of the previous first place, Milianna. Rette had a feeling that Laxus would have a fun time challenging Orga. She, personally, had no interest. Jura was next. Taking the task seriously, he earned a score of eight thousand, five hundred and forty-four. After Orga and Jura, Rette knew a normal person in her shoes would feel nervous or even dejected. She had a plan up her sleeve and therefore, wasn't the least bit nervous.

"This...this is a new record for MPF! The title of Wizard Saint isn't just for show! The last challenger is Fairy Tail B's Nexus Mage, Rette Starrilia." Chapati announced.

All eyes turned to Rette, who still appeared bored out of her mind. After meeting her the night before, when she had come after Natsu, all of the Sabertooth team were focused on her, waiting to see what kind of strength this girl boosted.

Rette's guild mates weren't sure that sending her out was the best idea. Rette didn't normally go for competitions. Some of them were sure she couldn't match up to Orga and Jura, even if she was interested in the competition. They just hoped she hit the triple digits high enough to claim third place.

"It must be tough to follow up Jura...let's have her try her best!" Chapati called into his mic.

"I wouldn't count Rette out just yet." Yajima said. "She was strong seven years ago and has quite the temperment, I hear. But she's also the type that can be very protective and possessive of her guild. Despite her bored look, this competition has to have her stirred up. I wouldn't want to get her riled up."

"I can confirm that." Lahal said, remembering the one time his knights had gone up against her.

She had wacked them around like they were nothing.

Down below, Rette turned to the ref, her expression still blank and her arms crossed over her stomach.

"Do you mind if I get a little distance?" she asked.

"O-of course! Whatever you please!" he replied.

Rette nodded and turned. She placed a few yards between her and the MPF. When she judged herself to be far enough, she turned back to face it. Her eyes went to the pumpkin headed ref and she waved her hand at him.

"You might want to get away from the MPF." she told him.

Squeaking, the ref scrambled away from the tool. If it required her to get some distance, he didn't want to be caught in the cross fire. Rette held out her arms when he was clear of her firing range. Taking a deep breath, she started.

"Light of the left, O Heaven of the right...Nexus Magic."

As normal with her Nexus magic, half of a yellow-white magic circle appeared around her right hand, half of a dark purple-ish black magic circle appearing around the left. Her hands came together, the palms pressing flat against each other. The magic circles melded together to form a magic circle that was a blend of black, purple, and white. Her hands, still pressed together, went above her head and the magic circle grew to cover the battle field. The clouds above grew dark and started to swirl.

"Heavenly Starlight Trifold Magic Circle!" Rette called.

Two more magic circles appeared below the first, getting smaller as they approached the ground. Wind kicked up around Rette, whipping her hair about her. The magic power that fell over the field was, without a doubt, on par with Orga at least. Many people stared in disbelief, Rette's own guild mates among them, many pinning their hair to their heads as wind whipped through the stadium.

None of Rette's guild mates had ever heard of this spell, but Erza suddenly understood why Rette had sought out Jellal for her training. It was so he could teach her Heavenly Body magic. On the field, Rette's hands spread apart, causing the clouds above to part in a massive funnel looking formation.

"O blinding light of the heavens, the guiding brilliance of the great sky, make thyself known!" Rette called to the heaven, before her left hand came down and she pointed two fingers, the index and middle finger, at the MPF. "Sema Lumen!"

The sky opened up, a ball of light like that of a falling star, falling down from the sky, to hit the MPF. A pillar of light shot into the sky, blinding everyone with the intensity of the power that exploded outward from the impact. When the light cleared, the MPF, now broken, recorded her power number as a whomping 9999.

Shocked gasps rang out from around the arena, everyone staring in shock. Laxus let out a curt laugh as Mira and Juvia cheered. Leave it to Rette to make it big and make it flashy. She hated to be out shined when she knew she could shine just as brightly, if not brighter. The Sabertooth team stared at Rette as the announcer called that no one could stop Fairy Tail now. Sting couldn't believe the power Rette had displayed.

Rette knew it was just raw power. She would never be able to cast more than one Sema Lumen spell in the span of a day or two. It took way too much magic power. She would have never been able to manage it if Ultear hadn't given her access to her Second Origin. But she wasn't going to tell anyone that. Instead she turned to look out at the crowd. Rette threw her chin up and spread her arms before giving the crowd a grand bow. When her head came back up, her chin went up defiantly.

"We won't go down, we're unstoppable. You can say what you want, mock us even, because we won't be stopped, won't give in! We're Fairy Tail after all!" Rette called out loudly for everyone in the arena to hear. "Take your best shot!"

Cheers rung out from the crowd, the loudest coming from her own guild mates. Rette dropped her arms, gave another bow, and turned, casting her gaze up to the spot where the members of the Sabertooth team stood, staring down at her, some with shock on their faces. She gave them a pointed stare, before her chin went up. If they wanted to pick a fight, start a battle...Fairy Tail would bring a war down on their heads. Rette might not have wanted to start something outside of the arena, but inside...she'd be more than happy to bring the war to their door step.

With that, Rette turned and left the battle arena to return to her teammates. Laxus, Gajeel, Juvia, and Mira turned to her the moment she walked up to them. Juvia instantly jumped at Rette, throwing her arms around her neck and congratulating her on her victory over the other six teams.

"A new form of Nexus magic?" Mira asked.

"In the three months I was off on my own, I had a " **certain someone** " teach me Heavenly Body magic and I managed to combine it with both my Light of Creation magic and Crystallization magic. That was the combination with the former. Takes a bit of magic, but I've recently extended my store of magical power." Rette replied.

With that last part, she and Juvia shared a look, Juvia smiling. Gajeel smacked a hand down on Rette's back, jolting her forward a step, a grin on his face as he did.

"You're not half bad, Starrilia." he told her.

"'Not half bad'? You are aware that a spell like that could level a small town, right?" Rette asked.

Gajeel just waved her off even though they were all pretty sure that she was telling the truth. They had sensed the sheer amount of magic that went into the spell. Rette might only be able to cast the spell once every few days, but if the attack hit...it was one that could do a lot of damage to a wide area.

"With this, we've started our come back!" Juvia cheered.

"Yeah...now let's keep it going." Rette remarked.

Events moved on to the battle portion of the day. The first match was Milianna verses Semas from Quatro Cerberus. Despite being about three or four times Milianna's size, Semas went down easily, Milianna not having to break a sweat. Rette was glad to see how far Milianna had come. She seemed to be doing well with guild life and Rette was sure that Erza was happy for her friend, too.

The second match featured Rufus verses Eve. Rette remembered when she and her team had teamed up with Eve, his team, Wendy and Carla, and members of Lamia Scale. Eve had been a splendid fighter back then, but his magical power had only increased in the seven years she had been gone. Despite that increase in power, he didn't stand a chance against Rufus who used a fire based spell to attack Eve, who used snow based magic. Heavily burned, Eve went down, Rufus winning the fight.

"I don't like that team."

Mira, Juvia, Gajeel, and Laxus glanced at Rette when she spoke. Her eyes were fixed on the balcony across from them, that hosted the Sabertooth team. Her eyes were set fiercely on Minerva. While Rette didn't have a real opinion on the other four members of the team, as individuals, she **knew** she didn't like Minerva.

"No, I don't like **her**. That woman rubs me the wrong way. When I see her, I get the sudden urge to wipe pavement with her smug face." Rette added, her words sounding hostile while her tone was still carefully indifferent.

An odd mix.

The others looked at each other. Rette wasn't usually one to admit out loud when someone really got under her skin. Yes, she called people annoying when they annoyed her, but that was more to mess with people than anything. That she was admitting that Minerva angered her beyond belief, just showed how much Rette really disliked her.

"She can't be that bad." Mira said.

"I don't use the word, "hate" very often when speaking of people, but...I really hate her." Rette replied.

"I suppose she is that bad, then." Mira said, sweat-dropping.

Minerva glanced up from where she stood, feeling like someone was trying to drill holes into her with their eyes. Her eyes instantly found the balcony of Fairy Tail's B team. Rette, who stood at the forefront, was staring down at the arena below. Minerva had been sure that she had been watching her just a second before, but Rette never once glanced up.

"Next up, let's start the third match." Matu called. "Fairy Tail B's Laxus Dreyar verses Raven Tail's Alexei."

Rette turned to look at Laxus behind her before turning her eyes to find this Alexei among his teammates. She didn't like the feeling she got from him. Then again, she didn't like the feeling she got from his team's balcony. It felt kind of like...an echo. Something fishy was going on.

"Be careful, Laxus. I have a bad feeling." Rette told him.

Laxus glanced at her. He raised an eyebrow at her and Rette's eyes darted towards the Raven Tail balcony.

"Something feels off, magically. Keep your eyes peeled." Rette told him.

"Got it." Laxus replied before heading down to the field.

Rette turned to watch the field as the two faced off.

"Go Laxus!" Mira cheered.

"There should be nothing to worry about. It's Laxus after all." Gajeel remarked.

"But...Juvia feels some sort of unpleasant premonition..." Juvia remarked.

"You and I both, Juvia." Rette agreed.

Rette knew, according to Makarov's orders, that Bisca was perched somewhere high, watching Ivan through the scoop of one of her guns. Warren would be keeping in contact with her through his magic. She also knew that Lisanna, Bixlow, Freed, and Evergreen were keeping tabs on the other members of Raven Tail's team. Rette had her own orders from Makarov.

" _Rette...Master wants a report_..." came Thyme's voice in Rette's head.

" _I feel something off. The magic around the members of Raven Tail...it feels like an echo._ " Rette replied silently.

Thyme, standing on the wall beside Makarov, perked up, her ears twitching, sending the bells ringing. Makarov looked at Thyme.

"Thyme? A report from Rette?" Makarov asked.

Thyme nodded, the bells ringing even more.

"She said she feels something off. Like an echo of magic." Thyme replied lowly.

"An echo?" Makarov asked. "Can she tell what?"

Thyme focused for a moment. A glance towards the balcony where Rette stood, they could see her shaking her head as she replied to whatever question Thyme had asked.

"No, Master." Thyme replied.

Makarov really felt uncomfortable now. Rette's magical sense was usually never wrong. If she felt something off, then there was something off. But if Rette couldn't tell what it was, then there was nothing they could do for now.

"Just tell her to keep her senses peeled." Makarov told Thyme.

Thyme nodded and relayed the message to Rette. On her balcony, Rette nodded to herself. She focused on the match as the starting gong rang. To Rette's eyes, the match started instantly, Alexei attacking and slamming an elbow into Laxus' chin. The attacks followed one after the other, Laxus unable to counter or defend. That was what Rette **saw**. What her magical sense told her, was different. Rette could sense Laxus and Alexei and neither were moving, yet her eyes saw differently. It made her head hurt as her eyes tried to see what her senses were picking up. Rette pressed a hand to her forehead, Thyme's voice chiming in her inner ear.

" _Rette!? What's wrong!? You're in pain!_ " Thyme exclaimed, concerned.

" _It's fine. Something's going on. My eyes were seeing something completely different from what my senses are telling me._ " Rette told her.

Thyme relayed the message to Makarov. Makarov glanced over to the balcony where Rette had one hand braced on the guard wall before her and the other pressed to her head. His eyes then went to the fight below. Rette was seeing one thing and sensing another? Did someone on the Raven Tail team know of Rette's heightened sense for magic and was doing something to mess with her? Lisanna, though, reported that the members of Raven Tail's team hadn't moved and Bisca claimed that Ivan was doing nothing but watching.

What was going on.

Rette searched her knowledge of magic, trying to think of something to explain what was going on. There was only one other time, that she could think of, in which she saw one thing while her senses told her something different and that had been back during the Nirvana incident in which Midnight had been using his illusion magic...

That was it!

It was illusion magic!

As Rette became aware of that, the illusion, as with all illusion magic, was shattered. The weakness of illusion magic was that once a person became aware of it, it no longer worked. Rette's eyes were finally able to see what her senses felt. The Laxus and Alexei she had been seeing, the two fighting, vanished and she was able to see the real ones and hear them. They were simply talking. While Rette knew she should probably report this to Makarov, she wanted to see what Alexei's aim was first.

"It seems like you're admired even in the guild. I wonder what your friends are feeling right now, as they watch this." Alexei remarked.

"Oi oi, I don't understand you intentions at all. What's the point of you winning with an illusion?" Laxus asked.

Not that he was too concerned with what his guild mates thought, at the moment. One glance towards his team told him that at least Rette could see through the illusion. If Rette knew, it only took one word through her link with Thyme before the others became aware as well.

"Exactly. Our aim isn't "victory". This illusion is just a smokescreen. Illusions are illusions. We can change the results however we like. Depending on our discussion , I can even let you win." Alexei told him.

"There's nothing to discuss. This has nothing to do with illusions. Right here, right now, I'll dispose of the real you and put an end to this." Laxus replied, shedding his coat.

The remaining four members of Raven Tail's team, stepped into sight then, joining Alexei on the field. Laxus wasn't fazed in the least and a glance at Rette, showed she was watching carefully. If she thought, for a second, that he couldn't handle it, she would alert the others. Laxus was sure of it. Rette wouldn't let harm come to any member of Fairy Tail if she could help it.

"Even you wouldn't be able to simultaneously defeat all of Raven Tail's elite." Alexei said. "And one more thing..."

Alexei reached up, removing the mask he had been wearing the whole time. He revealed himself to really be Ivan, Laxus' father. Laxus wasn't really surprised. He expected this kind of dirty playing from his father.

"You should know of my strength, right? **Stupid son**." Ivan said.

"I figured it would be like that. **Shitty Pops**." Laxus replied.

That was one hell of a way for him to greet his father. While Rette had her own share of daddy issues, she had never greeted him as such. Then again, the last time she had seen him, she had been five and hadn't really cursed.

"Makarov would die before he opened his mouth. But you're different. Let's have you tell us, shall we? The location of Lumen Histoire." Ivan said.

Lumen Histoire?

What was that? Rette had been all through the archives in Fairy Tail and she had never heard a mention of something like that. She had read every book marking out the history of Fairy Tail and had never found a single mention of whatever it was.

"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked.

"You don't have to pretend...Makarov must have told you." Ivan insisted.

"I really don't know." Laxus replied.

"No, you must know."

Whatever this Lumen Histoire was, it seemed to be awfully important to Ivan and he seemed to insist that Laxus knew where it was.

"Well, even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." Laxus assured his father.

 _That a boy, Laxus_ , Rette thought.

"Besides...Rette's a real hardass about the whole loyalty thing. She'd kill me if I even so much as thought about telling you." Laxus added.

Boy, did he have that right. Rette would skin him and hanging him by his toes if he tried to turn on Fairy Tail...again.

"Oi oi...you're saying that you'd pass on a "victory", even under these hopeless circumstances? And for the opinion of a stupid, little girl?" Ivan asked.

He obviously didn't know his own son.

And he obviously didn't know what the word "manners" meant.

"If you don't accept the conditions, then...just having your illusion lose wouldn't be enough." Ivan added.

Oh, he really didn't know his own son. Rette, who had only known Laxus for a short time, even knew that Laxus would never bow to another like that. He had learned the hard way that a person didn't turn on their family.

"You always did things in such a roundabout manner...and I know all about how gramps cut you out. Bring it, all of you at once. If there's one thing that Rette's made a point of drilling into my head, it's that Master's enemies are my enemies." Laxus said, challenging his father.

Rette almost smiled to herself. So she had been able to drill that lesson into his thick skull, after all. And here she had wondered if she had ever managed to get past the first layer of concrete.

"It seems you need to be taught a lesson about the strength of Raven Tail, the specialized anti-Fairy Tail guild." Ivan told him.

Laxus raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"A specialized anti-Fairy Tail guild?" he repeated.

"We've gathered members and mastered techniques to match all of Fairy Tail's weaknesses." Ivan told him.

"Amongst those, we are the elite four." Kurohebi said.

"Do you mean to go to war with us? I am well aware of your weaknesses." Ivan said. "Shall we release the power that our guild has been accumulating these past seven years?"

Go to war, huh? What was it that Rette had once said to him? That was right...Rette had once said that if someone wanted to bring a battle to Fairy Tail, she would give them a war. This qualified for that, didn't it? But Laxus was getting ahead of himself.

"Gramps has thoroughly investigated you. Your guild numbers, activities, funds. We know everything that has gone on these past seven years." Laxus told his father, shocking Ivan.

"It was Gajeel! He tricked us!" Flare exclaimed.

"So he was a double agent." Ivan said.

"Even though Gramps knew that much, he didn't make a move on you. Gramps...probably believed in you somewhere in the depths of his heart. Because you're father and son." Laxus remarked.

"Silence!" Ivan snapped, attacking Laxus with thousands of his little paper dolls.

Laxus blocked the attack with one arm. To Rette, the little dolls made her think of voodoo. While normal paper dolls couldn't cause a lot of damage, these were enfused with magic. Trying to vend off the thousands, upon thousands of dolls could be quite the task.

"I've lived in the shadows all for this day! All to obtain Lumen Histoire! You thought I didn't want to hurt you these past seven years!? I didn't because there's no way an expelled member like you would know anything about Lumen Histoire!" Ivan yelled, his attack hitting one of Laxus' arms hard.

Several of the paper dolls cut at Laxus' face, drawing blood. And Ivan was only increasing the power, forcing his son back.

"The guild, the city, Tenrou Island, every place related to the guild...I've searched them all! Even so I couldn't find it! Where is Lumen Histoire!? Where is it!? Tell me! Laxus! Aren't you my son!? Obra! Do it! Take away his magic power! Now is the time to release our anti-Fairy Tail magic power!" Ivan ordered.

"He's the one who did Wendy and Carla in, huh?" Laxus mused.

With a burst of speed, gifted to him by his lightning magic, Laxus broke free of his father's attack and attacked the strange mage to Ivan's right that they called Obra. Nullpudding and Flare attacked him when he took Obra down. Laxus dodged Flare's attacks and easily side stepped Nullpudding.

"This is for Gray." Laxus announced before slamming Nullpudding hard into the ground.

He turned to Flare next, as she tried to attack him while his back was turned. Her hair wrapped around one of his biceps, attempting to hold him in place.

"This is for Lucy!" Laxus snapped, taking Flare down too.

Kurohebi appeared out of the sand beneath Laxus' feet. Laxus barely paid him heed before sending him flying. With the four other members of Raven Tail down and out, Laxus turned to his father, his glare sharp.

"O-our elite troops!" Ivan gasped.

"I ain't got a clue what your goal is, but I'll hold you responsible for hurting my friends!" Laxus told him.

"W-wait! I'm your father! We're family! Are you going to hit your father!?" Ivan asked, obviously scared.

"My family is Fairy Tail! I will crush my family's enemies!" Laxus declared before taking out his father.

With Ivan out, the illusion he had cast was shattered, revealing the downed members of Raven Tail. Shock traveled through the crowd when it was revealed what had been happening under the guise of the illusion. The illusions of Ivan in the crowd and the Raven Tail team on their balcony, vanished as well. Makarov suddenly understood why it felt like an echo of magic to Rette.

"The fight earlier was an illusion!? The one standing is Laxus! Game over! In a place where we could not see, he was under attack by five people... the master also participated...no matter how you look at it, it's foul play!" the announcer called.

Knights came down to the arena to cart Ivan and his followers away and the guild was disqualified and their participation for the next three years, revoked. Laxus looked up at the balcony where his team stood. Rette was leaning on the rail, staring down at him. The rest of their team cheered for him, Mira doing a little jump. Rette gave him a thumbs-up, giving him her approval. Laxus rejoined his team. When he walked out onto the balcony, Rette was leaning back against the guard wall, watching him.

"You knew that was an illusion from the very start, didn't you?" Laxus asked her instantly.

"Not from the very start, no, but I knew something was up." Rette said.

"And you said nothing?" Laxus asked.

"Had I, they would have put a stop to your match. Besides, I figured it would take someone far stronger than that to take you down. It pays to be able to sense magic like I do. Or have you forgotten that I fought you once? I know, up close and in painful detail, the force of your power." Rette replied.

The others looked from Rette to Laxus as he nodded, understanding her reasoning.

"You know...you're lucky you took more after your grandfather than your father. Your father is not exactly a good looking man. Though all three of you have the same stare." Rette teased.

Laxus frowned at the tease. He wasn't exactly pleased to be told how he looked like his father and grandfather and he didn't need her to tell him.

"Oh yeah? And what about you and your father?" Laxus retorted before he could think.

All of them froze, their eyes going to Rette as she jolted, her eyes going wide. Laxus had heard from Mira and Erza about Rette's serious issues with her father, about his abuse of her. He had never mentioned her father simply because of that. He knew he shouldn't have now. They others were sure that Rette would rip him a new one for it. Instead, she heaved a sigh and looked away from them.

"Physical appearance wise...my eyes." Rette replied.

This surprised all of them. None of them had expected her to actually answer.

"My eyes are the only physical trait I have from him. I was extraordinarily lucky to take after my mother. Or so he told me. I never so much as saw a picture of her." Rette explained, turning away from them to look back down at the arena below.

So she had her father's eyes. To Mira, that made so much sense. It explained why the mirror in Rette's bathroom was normally covered and she only briefly glanced in a mirror before moving on. If Rette ever spent more than a few brief moments in front of a mirror, she took great pains to avoid looking at her face. Silence fell over them for a moment before Rette turned to look over her shoulder at Laxus. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"So...you'll crush your "family's" enemies?" Rette asked.

"Shut up." Laxus retorted, one eye twitching.

The others laughed, but their laughter was cut off as the next match was announced.

"Fairy Tail A's Wendy Marvell verses Lamia Scale's Chelia Brendi."

Rette turned her eyes down to the arena as Wendy stepped out to face her opponent. Chelia hurried out to meet her and managed to trip over nothing. Concerned that she might have hurt herself, Wendy hurried to check on her and ended up doing the same thing.

"Those two look like they were cut from the same cloth." Rette remarked.

"Perhaps so." Mira agreed.

People in the crowd cheered at how "cute" the match up was. Rette was about to agree, that the two were cute, but stopped when a strange and dark feeling magical power suddenly appeared on her magical radar. Rette scanned the crowd, trying to pin down where the magic was coming from. It felt so much like Zeref's magic, but there was something else mixed in. Something similar to Lucy's celestial magic. The match started, Wendy starting off by enchanting herself with a boost of power and attacking, but Rette was focused more on trying to locate the source of the magic.

Without Rette focusing on the match, it continued, Chelia revealing she was a sky God Slayer. The two attacked and defended, wind whipping up as they bent the skies to their wills. One second, it looked like Wendy had the upper hand and the next, it looked like Chelia had the upper hand. Even when Wendy's Roar and Chelia's Howl collided, sending a shock wave of wind throughout the stadium, Rette didn't pay attention. She knew the moment Jellal came into the stadium, probably chasing the same magic that Rette felt.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Arts!"

Hearing Wendy's little voice yell those words, Rette's eyes turned, locating Wendy. She hadn't realized that Wendy had already learned one of the secret techniques that her dragon had left for her. The attack, on anyone else, would have flattened her opponent in a moment. But since Wendy's element was the same as Chelia's and Chelia's magic gifted her with the ability to heal herself, Chelia got right back up. Rette had a feeling that if Chelia didn't put Wendy down or run out of magical power, then the match would run out of time. She highly doubted that Wendy would let herself stay down or that Wendy could take Chelia down with her ability to restore herself.

The two had a lot of heart and an even more fierce will. Neither were going to give to the other. Not with their guilds counting on them. It made Rette proud to call Wendy her teammate. While Rette was proud, she knew she had to focus. She was torn, though, between searching the crowd and watching the match. She wanted so badly to watch Wendy fight her hardest, knowing Wendy had trained so hard to get to this point.

Rette was impressed and even more proud when, to protect herself from Chelia's God Slayer Secret Arts, Wendy took away Chelia's fatigue, causing Chelia to over shoot with her magic and miss Wendy with her attack. The two met each other, blow for blow, putting all they had into the fight. In the end, Rette had been right. The two ran out their time, neither falling to the other. Though the match ended in a draw, they had gained the respect of most of the people in the stadium.

More importantly, they gained the friendship of each other.

Chelia, with what magic power she had left, healed herself and relieved Wendy of her worst injuries. It wasn't enough to completely heal Wendy though and she was probably going to have to sit out the events of the next day. To make matters worse, Rette had been unable to locate the person who was letting off the magical energy. Heaving a sigh, Rette knew she would just have to give up for now. She turned and followed her team from their balcony.

She had other things to think about.

-0-0-0-0-

"Look out, Rette!"

And **this** was why she had insisted on not coming to the pub at the same time as her guild mates.

Rette jumped out of the way as Natsu, laying on the menu board, went surfing across barrels laid on their sides. Max caught Rette before she could hit the floor and the two turned to watch as Natsu crashed right into Gajeel and Wendy.

"Natsu, for crying out loud, you're going to hurt someone." Rette called, thanking Max for his help.

"Alright! My turn!"

Rette turned as, taking up the mantle, Gray went next. Rette heaved a sigh. There was no stopping them now. Just like Natsu, Gray crashed, but somehow, someway, along the way, Gray lost all of his clothes except his underwear. Rette could only slap a hand to her face when Erza joined in.

"Erza, you're in a skirt! You shouldn't be doing that." Rette called out to her.

But Rette was ignored. Rette wasn't really all to concerned with Erza pulling an injury. Wendy and Porlyusica had healed her up well and it was Erza after all. Rette was more concerned with everyone getting an eye full of Erza's underwear when she finally crashed. When everyone simply laughed at the ridiculousness of it all, Rette just shrugged her shoulders. They were happy and having fun. Who was she to take that away from them.

Rette joined Wendy, Levy, and Lucy. Erza soon joined them and the conversation turned to something that even caught Rette's attention.

"A swimming pool?" Erza asked.

"Is it close?" Lucy asked, all of them turning to Levy.

"It's Ryuuzetsu Land, one of the leading summer leisure spots of Fiore." Levy told them.

"We gotta go!" Natsu pipped in.

Gray and Happy agreed. Even Rette didn't see a problem with it. Soon, everyone was keyed in on the idea.

"But shouldn't we inform the master first?" Lucy asked.

"He was dragged out somewhere by Laxus." Erza replied.

"I'll find them and let them know. Thyme, you can go on ahead." Rette piped in.

Thyme saluted Rette. Rette agreed to meet everyone at the water park with Laxus and Makarov, and headed out to find them. As she walked through the city, it actually gave Rette a chance to think. She found herself pondering over what she had over heard between Laxus and Ivan. This Lumen Histoire...could it be the massive power she had sensed beneath Fairy Tail from the very first time she had stepped into their old guild hall?

"You look like you have a lot on your mind."

A voice suddenly speaking, made Rette look up in surprise. She was confronted with the youthful face of a floating Mavis, smiling back at her. Rette blinked for a moment, but her expression didn't change. If it hadn't been for the brief flash of surprise in Rette's eyes, Mavis would have thought Rette unfazed.

"Oh, Master Mavis. I'm sorry, I didn't sense you approaching." Rette remarked.

"That's odd. You always do." Mavis said.

In the last few days, they had realized that even though Mavis was a spirit, Rette could sense her just as she could sense any magic. She always knew when Mavis was near, whether they could see Mavis or not.

"Yes, well...as you said, I have a lot on my mind. But now that you're here, I have a question for you." Rette said.

Mavis' head tilted to the side. Rette didn't normally converse with Mavis. She acknowledged that the first master was there, listened whenever she spoke, and even answered questions asked to everyone in general but she didn't normally talk directly to Mavis. Mavis had started to believe that it was either that Rette didn't want to appear crazy, talking to someone others without the Fairy Tail emblem couldn't see, or that she was shy.

Mavis had a feeling it wasn't really the latter.

"What is it?" Mavis asked, floating over to drift at Rette's side as she walked.

"What is Lumen Histoire?"

Mavis turned her face towards Rette in surprise. Rette could tell that Mavis was relunctant to answer the question. It had to be a big secret then.

"Does it have anything to do with the large power far under our old guild hall?" Rette asked.

"How do you know about that?" Mavis asked.

"I could sense it from the very first time I stepped foot in Fairy Tail. That's the result of being able to sense magic like I can, but I had a feeling I shouldn't know about it since no one else seemed to and I couldn't find any mention of it in the guild archives, so I never said anything. I begun to really question it, though, when I realized...it feels a little like you. Magically speaking." Rette said, looking at Mavis.

Mavis stared at her, meeting her gaze. Rette, it seemed, was a clever girl. She had managed to connect two and two and her magical senses appeared to be stronger than Mavis gave them credit for. If left to her own devices, Mavis had a feeling that Rette really could figure out the truth for herself. Seeing the serious look on Mavis' face, Rette wondered if she was going to get in big trouble for knowing what she knew.

"Don't get the wrong idea, First Master. I won't say anything to anyone. Fairy Tail is my guild, my home...I would never do anything to harm it or it's members. Past or present." Rette told her.

"I don't doubt that, Rette, but this is something only those who become master are suppose to know." Mavis told her.

"I see...it's not exactly something I can contorl sensing. If it's something I shouldn't know, I won't pry." Rette told her.

Rette faced forward, falling silent as they walked. Mavis watched her out of the side of her eyes. Rette understood that while she couldn't help knowing what she already knew, it was best she didn't pry to deeply into the matter. But, what surprised Mavis, was just how much Rette was able to figure out and piece together by herself. Suddenly, Rette turned her face towards Mavis again.

"Master Mavis, would you like to come to a water park with me?" Rette asked.

"A water park?" Mavis repeated.

"Yes. The others are going to one and I've been sent to find Master Makarov and Laxus, to invite them too. Would you like to come?" Rette asked.

Mavis' eyes lit up and filled up with tears. That Rette had even considered inviting her, touched her. Most people wouldn't think about inviting a spirit to a water park. She agreed and the two went in search of Makarov and Laxus. Across the town, sitting in a garden courtyard, Laxus was speaking with his grandfather.

"Gramps...what's Lumen Histoire?" Laxus asked, not knowing that he was having the same conversation with his grandfather that Rette had just had with Mavis.

"You heard from Ivan?" Makarov asked.

"It seems like he wanted it pretty badly." Laxus answered.

"Good grief...that brat..." Makarov muttered.

"He called it Fairy Tail's darkness or something like that." Laxus added, looking down at his grandfather.

Makarov didn't reply, just stared off into space.

"It is not darkness."

Laxus and Makarov looked up in surprise when a voice sounded. On the stairs leading up to where they sat, they found Rette with Mavis floating at her side.

"Lumen Histoire. It is our guild's "light"." Mavis added.

"First, you shouldn't..."

"I know. This is something only those who become the master of the guild can know. Do you understand, Laxus?" Mavis said, turning to look at Laxus.

"If it's not something weird then I won't dig into it." Laxus replied.

"I don't know about weird..." Rette remarked, looking at Mavis.

Mavis met her eyes and raised a finger to her lips. Makarov and Laxus looked between the two, Makarov worried.

"First, you didn't tell her, did you!?" Makarov asked.

"Rette has, for the most part, figured it out on her own." Mavis replied.

Makarov turned his eyes to Rette then, questioning in their depth. Rette shrugged her shoulders, as if it was no big deal.

"Heightened magical senses. I pretty much knew somewhat about it from the first time I stepped foot in Fairy Tail." Rette told him.

Makarov slapped a hand to his face. He had wondered if she had sensed it from the first time he learned about her heightened senses, but Rette never mentioned anything, never asked questions, so he had assumed she hadn't noticed it or had just written off as being part of the everyday magic in the guild. It seemed, she had just caught on that it wasn't something to speak about.

"The question here is...how did your son get the information, Master?" Rette asked.

"Most likely from Precht." Mavis remarked.

"The second master?" Rette asked.

"Hmm...that's very well possible." Makarov mused.

"I never thought that Precht would have fallen into darkness...my foolish judgment for selecting him caused this information to leak." Mavis said, looking dejected.

"Not at all, First. It's not your fault." Makarov assured her.

"It's my fault. I...I should be crying...I'm not crying..." Mavis said, turning away from them as tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over.

Makarov and Laxus freaked out, unsure on how to comfort a crying woman, let along a crying spirit.

"Laxus! Comfort her! Hurry!" Makarov yelled.

"This is too big of a hurdle!" Laxus replied.

Rette heaved a sigh, slapping one hand to her face. There was, yet another thing that Laxus and Makarov had in common. The inability to comfort a crying woman.

"You two are useless." Rette muttered, stepping up to Mavis' side. "Come on, now, First Master. We're going to the water park, remember? Can't you stop crying for that?"

The moment Rette mentioned the water park, Mavis perked up. She gave a cheer and flew off ahead, leaving them behind. Laxus and Makarov looked at Rette in surprise.

"You handle that so easily." Laxus remarked.

"Women are surprisingly easy to understand if you're willing to pay close attention." Rette said, glancing over her shoulder at them. "Men are just normally too dense to notice."

With that, Rette turned and followed Mavis, arms crossed over her stomach. Looking at each other, Laxus and Makarov followed.

At least she had gotten Mavis to stop crying.

-0-0-0-0-

"Here we are!"

Lucy with Wendy, Erza, Mira, and Lisanna at her side, looked around the theme park. There were water rides of all kinds, and people all over the place. Despite being bandaged in water proof bandages, both Erza and Wendy were ready for fun in the water. Natsu was already in the water, riding a little mini train that cut through the water. Of course, he ended up sick for his troubles. Happy lead the exceeds to the aquarium, Lily and Thyme sharing a kiwi juice with two straws. Cana, who had forgotten her swimsuit, pranced around in her underwear.

Juvia tried to drag Gray onto the Love Slide where couples went down while hugging each other. Gray instantly denied her only for Lyon to show up, scoop her up in his arms, and offer to go with her instead. Behind him came Chelia, who greeted Wendy with a big wave. With several other guilds and their members showing up, mischief and pranks begun. Starting with Jenny sneaking up on Mira to snatch her top off. In return, Mira yanked down Jenny's bottoms.

Erza and Lucy found themselves as the center spot light of the Blue Pegasus boys as they tried to lounge on chairs. Erza ended up scolding Hibiki, Ren, and Eve, and when it came to Ichiya, she simply turned to leave. It was about that time that Lucy spotted Mavis in the nearby pool.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked.

"I invited her."

Lucy turned as Rette joined them. Rette was dressed in a halter styled, black to blue fade bikini with a black bow tied between the breast and low slung bottoms with a bow at each hip.

"I came across her when I was looking for Master and Laxus." Rette added.

"We're letting her play." Makarov said from where he sat a few feet from Laxus.

Laxus, looking bored and even a little annoyed, sat at the edge of the pool, his legs in the water.

"It's a little...awkward, don't you think?" Lucy asked Rette.

"Not as awkward as that." Rette said pointing.

Lucy followed Rette's gesture to where Erza stood talking to Jellal who, despite being in the water, was still wearing his mask and hat. With how much he stood out, Lucy could see what Rette meant. Lucy invited Rette to join her in the water, but Rette declined. She was more than happy to watch everyone from a lounge chair. She sat down on a chair and watched her guild mates as they splashed, had fun, and conversed with members of other guilds. She even watched as Mavis, using a kick board, swam from one end of the pool to the other.

It was nice to see them all have fun. After a while, getting thirsty, Rette went to the juice bar for a drink. She slid onto a bar stool to await her drink. It was from there that she watched Ichiya slip and slide right into Natsu, sending the both of them flying. Rette accepted her drink from the server and put the straw to her lips, watching as trouble unfolded. First, Ichiya flew towards Jellal and Erza. To save Erza, Jellal jumped at her to knock her out of the way. Instead, he ended up groping her, to both of their embarrassment.

Next, Natsu flew into Gray and Lyon who were standing at the top of the Love Slide, which Juvia was trying to convince Gray to ride with her. Natsu knocked them down the slide, sending the two plummeting down the slide, gripping each other as they zipped down the slide. Rette was sure that Juvia was thinking that the two had gone down together on purpose and that it was boy love. Juvia had an over active imagination, so Rette didn't put it past her to think that.

But, getting angry with each other, Gray and Lyon froze the water in the slide, the ice spreading to the pool below. Rette was really happy she had declined getting into the water. Natsu, in anger, to unfreeze the pool, let loose one of his fireballs. Which only destroyed part of the building. The only part of the building that escaped the damage was the little juice bar that Rette sat at and that was only because she had cast a crystal spell to protect it.

Rette, disspelling her spell, looked around. Natsu was the only one that had managed to remain standing. Somehow, Hibiki, Ren, and Eve had all ended up without their swimsuits, Gray and Lyon were frozen in a block of ice together on top of Juvia, Max had ended up with a broom up his butt...again, Erza ended up sitting on Jellal's face, Lucy ended up without her top, and the only one to escape damage aside from Rette, was Laxus and Makarov. Laxus gave Natsu a solid knock over the head for his idiocy and Rette heaved a sigh.

"Wh-who are those people!?" the server behind the bar asked from where he was peeking over the bar.

Rette, who was sitting on her stool, legs crossed and her drink in hand, heaved another sigh.

"That would be my guild." Rette remarked.

"I'm so sorry." the man told her.

"Yeah...everyone says that." Rette replied.

If it wasn't one thing, it was another. But, then again, that was just how it was in her guild. Knowing that she should go help, Rette sat her empty cup down on the bar. Whether it was fighting together or partying together, Fairy Tail lived everyday like it could be the last.

Gathering up their members, Rette and her guild mates returned to their lodgings. Wendy was now more hurt than she had been. Rette wasn't surprised after getting tossed around as she had been. Rette made rounds, making sure everyone was accounted for and helped a drunk Cana into bed. When she headed down the hall for her room after checking in on Natsu, she found Makarov waiting in the hall.

"Master." Rette greeted.

Makarov looked up at Rette and she wondered, for a moment, if she was in trouble for something. She couldn't think of anything she had done to cause her to be in trouble.

"Tomorrow, I want you to join Erza, Natsu, Lucy, and Gray. We'll give Wendy the day off to recover." Makarov told her.

"What about the open space on the B team? Jellal almost got caught today from what I was told." Rette replied.

"Cana will be filling in." Makarov assured her.

"Is it even alright for me to appear on the A team when I was previously on the B team?" Rette asked.

"Levy checked the rules. For substitute players, there is no rule against it." Makarov assured her.

"If that's what you want, Master, then I'll be happy to do so." Rette replied.

"One more thing..."

Rette looked down at Makarov, raising an eyebrow in questioning. What else could he want to talk about. Makarov met her eyes sternly.

"About Lumen Histoire..." he started.

Rette cut him off by shaking her head. She had a pretty good idea on what he was about to say and there was no need for him to say it.

"Don't worry, Master. I would never do anything to harm the guild or it's members. My lips, as they have been this whole time, are sealed." Rette assured him.

Makarov smiled slightly and nodded. If there was one thing above all else that was Rette, it was protective. She would fight for her guild to the bitter end and would never say or do anything to endanger them. He knew the secret would be safe with her.

"If that is all, Master. I'm going to go to bed." Rette told him.

Makarov nodded, watching as Rette headed off down the hall for her room. The reason he had put her with team A was because he knew she would fight harder alongside the teammates she had bonded with. She wouldn't give up until either she won or could no longer fight.

Makarov just didn't know how true that was.

END

Kyandi: I would have loved going to a water park and just sitting back and watching the chaos unravel.

Rette: It is pretty entertaining.

Kyandi: Especially with your guild mates.

Rette: Perhaps...but it's also a chore.

Kyandi: I can imagine. Anyway, I'm in the middle of working on other stories, so we're going to wrap up early today.

Rette: For once.

Kyandi: Hush. Everyone enjoy and review and if you haven't voted on my pole yet, go do so.

Rette: We'll return sortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	40. Day Four

Kyandi: Greetings my lovely readers!

Rette: She's in a good mood today.

Kyandi: That I am.

Rette: Care to share why?

Kyandi: Isn't it obvious? It's because of my awesome readers.

Rette: I think they're showering you with too much praise.

Kyandi: Nonsense! I absolutely love a kind word about my work. Keeps me going.

Rette: And inflates your head.

Kyandi: Whatever. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 40 Day Four

Day Four, contest portion, found the members of each team faced with a contest simply titled, Naval Battle. The first thing that came to mind was some kind of strategy game with ships. The second thing was some kind of water sport. With the former, the female half of Rette's team would be well suited. The boys...not so much. For the latter...Natsu and Rette could be in trouble.

Anything with ships would be out of the question.

Rette though, insisted that she wanted to do her part for their team, and thus, found herself stepping forward for Fairy Tail A. She felt a sense of relief when they revealed what the game was. A large, floating sphere of water was set up in the center of the field. The rules were simple. Each player would enter the water. They had all been assure that they would be able to breathe in the water.

Should they leave the water, that player lost. The last remaining person was the victor. But then the rules got a little more complex. In the event that there were only two participants left, a special rule would take effect. The five minute rule. If, within five minutes, one of the two remaining players left the sphere, that person would fall all the way to last place and would earn their team zero points.

All players were allowed a moment to change, Rette stepping out in a simple, strapless black bikini with gray frills running along the strings over her hips. She dived into the water along side Chelia, Jenny, Risley, Juvia, Rocker from Quatro Cerberus, and, the one that caught Rette's attention...Minerva. Cheers from the crowd for Minerva almost drowned out the announcers. A quick glance around at the other participants and Rette was sure that the ones that would give her trouble would be Juvia and Minerva. She didn't really feel in danger with the others.

"Rette, do your best!" came Natsu's loud yell from their balcony.

Rette tuned out Natsu and focused. Rette's hands ghosted over her belt, making sure she still had easy access to her pouches. She would be limited in some aspects in the water, but she could easily make up for that with other spells. She was glad she had chose to leave her sword behind. She was sure that it would only weight her down.

With a resounding ring of the gong, the game started.

Juvia, locking in on Rette as her greatest threat, and with good reason after knowing Rette for a while now, turned on Rette instantly, letting loose a water cyclone. Rette shot up like a rocket, twisting her body to arch her back. The cyclone shot right under her but the resulting waves in the water rocked Rette. Flipping, Rette righted herself. Jenny took the moment to single out the only male in the water, sending Rocker rocketing out of the water with a kick to the cheek. Chelia followed suit and attacked Risley. A simple shift in her gravity and Risley dodged easily.

Juvia was relentless. By accessing her Second Origin, she used a spell she called Wings of Love, to turn the whole sphere into a cyclone, trying to push out everyone else. Rette formed a small sheet of crystal that she used as a platform to stay in place. Jenny, Risley, and Chelia weren't so lucky. They were thrown from the water one after the other. Minerva used her magic to simply divert the attack. Rette rode out the waves of the spell. When they finally ceased, she was able to straighten out and disspell the crystal. Juvia, feeling proud of herself for throwing out three opponents, turned to look towards Gray, hoping for approval.

Gray's look of disgusted completely shocked her and left her oblivious to Minerva shoving her out of the water with her magic. That left Rette and Minerva. Minerva turned toward Rette.

"The only two left are Minerva and Rette! Now...who will be the victor? Sabertooth? Or Fairy Tail?"

In her head, Rette could just hear the call for a smack down sounding.

Rette, aloof as always, met Minerva's eyes, Minerva grinning. Rette had been watching her the whole time. Minvera knew Rette had been watching. Aside from avoiding attacks on her person, Rette had made no move to take part in the elimination of other players. Minerva was sure she was conserving magical energy. Rette, though, had simply been observing, trying to put a peg on the type of magic Minerva used.

"We have applied the five minute rule. During these five minutes, if one of them falls out of the water, they will gain the least amount of points from this event." Chapati announced.

Five minutes.

Rette had to be on high guard for at least that long. She had been sitting on the side, observing, since the contest had started. She hadn't seen the point in joining in with eliminating the others. They pretty much took care of that themselves. Hell, Juvia took care of three of them for her. Now it was just her and Minerva and this was where the real fight begun.

"With my magical power, I could throw you out of the water in a flash. However...that wouldn't be very satisfying. Let's see how long you last...Fairy Tail." Minerva said.

"Did no one ever tell you that bragging is rather unbecoming?" Rette asked idly.

Minerva stretched out one hand, waving it. Rette felt the shift in magic around her as Minerva used her magic to aim a hit for Rette's side. Rette twisted, avoiding the unseen attack that passed under her arched body in a mass of heated bubbles in the water. Rette could feel the heat coming from the attack. Had it hit, it could have been very painful. Rette twisted again, righting herself to face a surprised Minerva.

"You were saying something about being able to throw me out of the water in a flash?" Rette asked.

Rette twisted again, arching her back to fold in on herself as another attack came. More followed, leaving Rette twisting, turning, gracefully flipping through the water as she twisted her way out of the way of the attacks. Minerva was surprised, but the others of Sabertooth's team were more so. They had never seen anyone move to avoid an attack before it ever came. Rette was moving as if she knew where Minerva was going to attack from before she did it.

Minerva increased the number of her attacks, making it a little more difficult for Rette to avoid them. Rette felt like she was trying to squeeze through holes far too small for her figure, but she liked the idea of letting one of those attacks hit, even less. Rette bent backwards, bending her back as far as she could to avoid one attack only for another to come from her side. Rette knew she couldn't avoid it, so to avoid a hit to the stomach that could possibly put her out, Rette twisted, curling in on herself. The attack hit her in the left shoulder blade, but the force was as heavy as lead, sending Rette rocketing towards the bottom of the water.

"Rette! At that rate you're going to fall out of the water and drop to last place!" came Natsu's yell.

The hell she was!

Rette uncurled herself, waving her right hand. Blue-purple magic shined before a thin sheet of crystal about two feet wide and four feet long, appeared, acting as a platform for Rette. She caught herself on the platform, stopping her fall. Rette kicked off the platform, launching herself back into the middle of the water. She looked around, looking for Minerva, but she was gone. Rette calmly scanned the water around her, before her senses waved a huge, red warning flag. Rette's hand snapped back, catching the kick aimed for the back of her head.

Minerva stared in shock. She was sure she had Rette that time, so how had she seen it coming? Rette, not releasing Minerva's ankle, half turned to look at her. Her expression still hadn't changed in the slightest.

"You looked surprised. You know...I have a heightened sense for tracking magic. Don't even need a spell. I know **exactly** where each and every attack is going to come from." Rette told her.

Rette could sense her attacks, huh. Well dodging them or stopping them was a different matter altogether. Minerva grit her teeth, her anger flaring. She reversed her body's position, swinging the other foot at Rette's face. Rette didn't try to block it. She took the kick to the face, her head whipping to the side. For a moment neither of them moved.

And then...

"...!"

With a sharp intake of breath, Minerva yanked her foot back, rubbing it as pain radiated from her foot to her ankle. Rette turned her head back to look at her. There wasn't even so much as a red mark to show that Minerva had kicked her. Instead, bits of crystal were chipping away from her cheek.

"Foot hurt? I suppose you could say I have thick skin." Rette remarked.

Rette's team cheered. They knew Rette was using her Pressure Armor and that any attack Minerva landed with her bare hands and feet would only hurt her. Minerva, annoyed beyond belief, dived forward, fists flying. Rette caught her wrists, spreading her arms apart. Rette then folded one leg up to protect her now exposed abdomen from a possible kick from Minerva. But it also put her in the perfect position to deliver her own kick to Minerva's open abdomen. Minerva, seeing this, twisted her body back away from Rette, preparing for the obvious attack.

Instead...Minerva's head snapped back as Rette dived forward, slamming her head into Minerva's chin.

A headbutt!?

She had gone with a headbutt!?

Minerva yanked free of Rette, pulling back as a hand flew to her mouth. Blood coated her tongue, leaving an iron tang in her mouth. Rette simply righted herself and rearranged her messed up bangs. As if nothing had just happened. The rest of the crystal on Rette's skin fell away, making Rette feel lighter. If Rette let the crystal build up with each new attack, she would be too heavy to keep herself in the water.

"Yeah...I'm hard headed, too." Rette remarked.

Minerva shot her a glare, but Rette was too busy correcting her bangs to notice. This girl was getting on her nerves. She had heard, once, in a rumor that Fairy Tail's Nexus Mage was known, not only for her abilities to mix magic, but her ability to drive any given person up the wall and down again. Minerva would say the rumor stood true because Rette was annoying the hell out of her. It was time she taught Rette a lesson.

Rette perked up when she sensed the incoming barrage of attacks. Twist as she might, Rette couldn't dodge all of them. Knowing this, Rette curled in on herself, casting the crystal layer over her skin once more. The attacks came, hitting too hard and to fast for Rette's Pressure Armor to keep up. Soon, bits of it begun to crumble away, slowing getting chipped away by the endless hail of blows. At this rate, Rette knew she would be one solid bruise, not from Minerva's attack, but from her own armor being driven into her skin.

The thought annoyed Rette.

She hated pain, but she could take any beating Minerva gave her. After all, she was basically taking a beating now. Might as well save her magic energy. Rette disspelled the armor, taking a heavy hit to the side. Gritting her teeth, Rette took the hits. Her teammates watched in concern for Rette. They had seen Rette take hits and keep going but not so many at one time.

"It's about time I send you flying outside." Minerva remarked, extending a hand.

"Try if you like...I won't go without a fight."

Minerva paused, watching Rette as she threw her head back and took a deep breath. Calming herself, her body, which had been shaking from pain, slowly calmed into stillness. As if willing the pain away, Rette straightened herself out, facing Minerva with the same indifferent look she had had since Minerva had first met her.

"My guild mates have fought hard, tried their best and they expect the same out of me. They have faith in me." Rette said.

"Faith...how childish a thing." Minerva remarked.

"No...faith is like a fire that never burns to embers. And I...I won't break faith with those who have faith in me. Give me your best shot because I'm not going down without a fight." Rette assured her. "Fairies never give up."

Minerva stopped her attack, staring at Rette. Rette knew better than to think Minerva would let her off easily, and she was correct. Minerva's next attack was delivered with harsh cruelty, hitting Rette from every direction at once. Rette gasped, blood leaving her mouth, though she stopped a scream from following it. Her teammates called her name, worried she could be really hurt.

"You have your heads in the clouds! Fairy Tail! What kind of heart do you think we have!? We are the number one in the whole world! We are Sabertooth!" Minerva snapped.

With each sentence, she hit Rette harder and harder. Rette gasped, grit her teeth, and twisted to catch herself before she could fall. She hurt all over, but she had felt worse pain as a small child. To everyone surprise, Rette straightened herself out, one arm wrapped around her stomach.

"Who cares."

Minerva stiffened when Rette's voice sounded.

"What was that?" Minerva demanded.

"I said...who cares. Who cares what some stupid, useless title says about your guild? Number one in Fiore? Don't make me laugh. No matter who you are...there is **always** someone stronger." Rette said, raising her head to fix her eyes on Minerva. "That asinine thinking is what sends kingdoms crumbling to the ground."

Minerva grit her teeth, her anger rising. How dare this girl talk to her in that manner. Sting and his other teammates were shocked to see someone actually stand up and talk back to Minerva without an ounce of fear.

"But you don't get that, do you?" Rette asked idly.

"What?" Minerva asked.

"You can have the masses calling your name, could have all the fear and false admiration in the world, could be standing in the lime light, but I don't see what that falsehood gets you. Because in the end, like everything else, castles will crumble, kingdoms will fall and turn into sand, and you'll just be another second rate mage the masses forgot about. Titles, ranks...in the end they won't save you when that one stronger person comes along to put you in your place. You say you're number one...well you hit like a number two." Rette said.

Groans and laughs sounded from the crowd, only making Minerva's anger worse. Minvera's fingers twitched in her anger as she glared at Rette.

"You...!" Minvera growled.

"Sorry, can't quite hear you over the crowd laughing at you." Rette said.

Minerva's hand shot out, another attack hitting Rette and sending up a cloud of bubbles. Minerva readied her next spell, waiting for the bubbles to clear, but when they did...Rette was gone. Minerva's eyes whipped back and forth, searching the water around her and the ground below. Rette was no where in sight. But there was something else that caught her eyes.

Floating in the water around her, were thin sheets of crystals about two feet wide and four feet long. They were all over the water, but Rette was nowhere among them. Where had she gone? Minerva's eyes flew open wide and a gasp left her lips when a knee was suddenly driven into her shoulder blades, sending her forward. Minerva turned on Rette. Rette flipped backward, her feet coming in contact with one of the crystal sheets. But they didn't stop there. Surprised gasps sounded from the crowd as Rette sank into the crystal, completely vanishing from sight.

Spatial magic through the use of her Crystallization magic!?

Minerva twisted, suddenly realizing the set up Rette had put into play with the crystal sheets. If Rette could move from crystal to crystal with spatial magic, an attack could, literally, come from anywhere. There were dozens upon dozens of the crystals in the water!

Minerva caught a glimpse of Rette in the corner of her eye and raised her arms to guard against Rette's kick. Rette pulled up short and, instead, used Minerva's crossed arms as a spring board to launch her back towards a crystal. Once again, she vanished into it. Minerva could destroy the crystals, but she didn't know if Rette was able to regenerate the crystals from inside one. And if Rette was this clever, she could have some kind of insurance on the crystals, like Body Link magic, which would only hurt Minerva.

Minerva would just have to play the same game.

Just then, Rette hit her full bodily from behind. The two tumbled together, passing through one of Rette's crystals to come out of another. The two traded blows at close quarters, Rette landing one low blow after another. Minerva yanked free of Rette after one hit to the pelvic bone and another to her left breast. The crowd hissed when Rette landed the latter. Minerva shot her a glare.

"Resorting to low blows now?" Minerva asked.

"I've never been one to fight fair on my own. In case you haven't noticed...my team's not here. I'll fight as low as I have to. Not that you're any better." Rette retorted.

One would think Rette would learn to keep her opinions to herself after so many hits, but her last comment found her getting hit hard with a mass of heat hot enough to burn her skin. She went plummeting towards the bottom of the sphere at full speed. Her teammates called out to her, but before their eyes, Rette vanished and reappeared in front of Minerva. Minvera grabbed Rette's left foot and wrist and slammed a knee into Rette's side.

Rette's lips parted in a gasp, but then she grit her teeth, twisted and slammed her right foot heel into Minerva's chin. Minvera released her and yanked back. Rette darted away from her, weezing in a breath. Pressing a hand to her side, Rette fought to calm her breathing. If she could calm her breathing, she could push past the pain. A deep breath in, a deep breath out and she was calm once more. She was pretty sure that Minerva had just broken one of her ribs, though.

Maybe two.

Minerva turned to her, but where she had expected pain on Rette's face, Rette had, once again, schooled her features into indifferent calmness, calming her body as if she could easily push the pain from her mind. Rette refused to give her the satisfaction of showing her that she was in some pretty bad pain.

"Just go down already!" Minerva snapped.

"Never..."

Silence fell over the stadium as Rette raised her chin, pinning Minerva with a steady look. Rette raised her right hand over her head and Minerva twisted, looking around as all of the crystals around them began to glow.

"I told you...Fairies never give up! This a fight worth fighting for and I intend to fight for the pride of my guild...the pride of my family. So if you want a piece of me...come and get it." Rette challenged.

As Minerva watched, a magic circle appeared above and below the water sphere, three more appearing around the sphere. The water started to shake as the crystals started to vibrate.

"Crystallized Heavens Five Layer Magic Circle...Wormhole Purgatory!"

To those outside the water, the water became completely encased in a whirlwind of crystals that sucked the very air into it like a wormhole in space. Crystals zipped back and forth, slicing into whatever they could find. Flashes of light from inside the cyclone showed where crystals collided with each other or anything else, sparking even in the water. Silence fell over the crowd as they waited to see how this would turn out.

On Sabertooth's balcony, Sting leaned his hands on the guard wall, leaning forward to peer down. He couldn't believe that this girl, who they had barely sensed any magic from, could cast such large scale spells by mixing two different types of magic. Unlike Rufus, who did so using a memory of the two individual spells, Rette had to learn two different types of magic, had to put extensive time and energy into finely mixing and tuning her new spells. What came out of that was spells that would put a normal person down for the count.

But Minerva wasn't normal.

Had her opponent been anyone other than Minerva, Sting had no doubt that Rette probably would have prevailed. For someone from the now second rate, weak Fairy Tail guild, Sting had to admit...Rette was one hell of a girl.

On Fairy Tail A's balcony, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Erza stared, waiting to see how Rette and Minerva came out of this. They had known Rette to be stubborn, but Rette was refusing to be budged an inch. She took a hit and came back swinging. She would probably go down swinging. Erza had a feeling that this came from the kind of upbringing Rette had had at the hands of her own father. They all tensed up as the wormhole slowly died down. When it did, the water regained its sphere shape, leaving only Rette in the very center. Minerva was no where to be seen, not in the water or on the ground.

Rette's head shifted from side to side. She knew Minerva would pop up somewhere. This fight was far from over, even though Rette had just used a great deal of her magic power. She could, of course, tap into her Second Origin, but she really wanted to save that until she had no other choice. Rette could feel the shifting of magic around her, but she couldn't pinpoint where Minerva would come from.

"Was that the best you have? No wonder your guild is so pitiful." came Minerva's voice.

Rette couldn't tell where it was coming from. She twisted, but could see no sign of Minerva anywhere. Where would she come from.

"Perhaps you and your team should have stayed gone. After all, the rest of your sorry excuse for a guild, knew their place. But instead, here you are. A smart mouthed, stubborn, little girl from a guild better served licking the ground we walk on." Minerva mocked. "We'll be sure to put your guild mates back in the gutter once I'm finished with you."

Say what now?

Was she... **threatening** Fairy Tail?

Rette's body started to shake as her anger started to turn and boil in the pit of her stomach. How dare she threaten something that was Rette's! Rette's anger had just effectively colored her world red when she felt the shift in magic behind her. Minerva, who had been about to attack Rette from behind, was shocked, gasps ringing out throughout the stadium, when Rette's hand flew back suddenly, seizing Minerva by the throat. Her eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you...was that a **threat**!?"

Rette's voice had dropped and was dripping venom as she turned the coldest glare on Minerva that she had ever seen. This close, Minerva could sense the dark aura coming over Rette's magic, could see the barely contained urge to maim and hurt in Rette's eyes. Rette's fingers dug into Minerva's throat, cutting off her air for a moment. It was like something was suddenly possessing the girl, driving her to hurt the person who had threatened her guild. It was so different from how Rette had acted up until then that Minerva could honestly believe something was possessing Rette.

"Let's make one thing perfectly clear. Mock me how you want. Kick me, hit me, spit on me when I'm down, I don't care, but...don't you **ever** threaten what's mine." Rette said in a low growl.

From where he sat, Makarov could sense the change in Rette. Was this what Erza had been talking about on Tenrou Island before Acnologia had showed up? Was this the darkness that Hades had claimed to see in Rette's heart? This...this dark aura that seemed to take over Rette's very being? To him, it felt like the dark magic one would find on someone who practiced the same magic as Zeref and it had appeared only when her anger had truly spiked. Just feeling it was enough to make a cold sweat break out down his back.

One glance at Thyme showed that even she was terrified, her shaking paws pressed to her mouth. Makarov flew to his feet as Rette's grip tightened on Minerva's throat, causing the woman to claw at her fingers. Any tighter and Rette would completely cut off Minerva's ability to breath.

Everyone knew then...threatening something of Rette's, was a big no-no.

"Rette! That's enough!" Makarov yelled.

As if his voice cut through the darkness, Rette flinched, coming to her senses. Her grip loosened in a brief moment of hesitation and even a flash of panic, as her master's voice sliced through the darkness around her mind. Minerva took that moment to attack. She slammed a foot into Rette's gut, causing her to bend double with a gagging gasp. Rette released her completely, gritting her teeth as she shook her head clear of the little voice that had begun it's chant for her to kill Minerva. Minerva helped with clearing her head by kicking her across the face. Rette tumbled away from Minerva, blood spilling from her mouth.

Alright...well, at least her head was clear.

Rette gave a shake of her head. She caught Minerva's next kick, swinging her own kick up to slam her heel into Minvera's side. They pushed away from each other, Rette getting a clear look at Minerva. Somewhere during Rette's Wormhole Purgatory spell, Minerva had gained a few cuts, blood floating away from the wounds. While the six or seven cuts wasn't the damage she had been hoping to deal, Rette took satisfaction in knowing she had messed up Minerva's pristine appearance.

Perhaps a somewhat mocking look fell on her face, or her lips began to curl or something, for Minerva grit her teeth in anger and attacked with renewed valor. Whatever the dark aura had been, it was something Rette's master didn't want her using and just pulling herself out of the state, seemed to take more effort than it was worth. Minerva would attack now, putting Rette down and out before she could decide that going against her master would favor her chances of winning.

Minerva didn't give Rette time to cast spells, to defend, or to fight back. She grinned as she beat Rette black, blue, and red. Rette grit her teeth, refusing, at least, to make a single sound of pain. Even past a point where it was obvious that Minerva had won and Rette had lost, Minerva continued to beat up on Rette, driving a heel into her gut or a fist into her cheek. She hit hard, trying to drive a sound of pain from Rette, but the girl refused to let the noises fall from her mouth.

Rette had started out so strong, fighting on even ground with Minerva, or so it seemed. But after trying to clear her head of the darken state she had fallen into, she had lost the edge she had, Minerva quickly taking advantage of that. Now, Rette's guild mates had to watch as she fought back cries of pain. Natsu, Gray, and Erza turned glares on Minerva's teammates as they grinned at Rette's pain.

When Minerva finally grew board with Rette's prone figure, Minerva seized her by the throat, as Rette had done to her, and held her out of the water, leaving Rette hanging by her throat.

"The match has ended! Victor, Minerva!" Chapati announced. "Rette's not moving, though. Is she alright?"

"Rette!" Natsu yelled, him and Gray jumping from their perch on their team's balcony.

Minerva grinned, laughing at Rette's inability to defeat her after she had insisted she wouldn't go down without a fight. Then again...Minerva glanced at Rette's bloody and beaten face, which was half hidden by her hair. Rette hadn't gone down without a fight. She had given Minerva trouble, had mocked her, had made the crowd laugh at her, and then she hadn't made a single noise of pain despite how much of it Minerva had made her feel. Minerva was displeased with the turn out, but she had won and that was what mattered.

She was about to release Rette, to let her fall to the ground below, but suddenly Rette's hand came up, gripping her wrist in a grip that was tight enough to break bones. Minerva turned a surprised look on Rette as she shifted to turn a look on her.

"Allow me to leave you with a parting gift." Rette said lowly.

Her grip tightened, sharp nails now coated over with crystal, digging past the material of Minerva's gloves and into her skin, drawing blood. Minerva flinched in pain, releasing Rette. Rette released her wrist, leaving shards of crystal in Minerva's skin, letting herself fall to the ground below. Natsu and Gray quickly covered the ground between their team's balcony and where Rette would land, catching her just moments before she hit the ground.

"Rette!? Are you alright!?" Gray yelled.

Rette lay limply in their arms, not moving or talking, her eyes squeezed closed and her brows furrowed in pain. Natsu, angered beyond belief, turned a glare on Minerva. Medics came to rush Rette to the medical bay, but Wendy insisted on delivering first aid treatment. Chelia and Juvia rushed to help, Erza joining them as well. Erza turned a glare on Minerva as she came out of the water.

"What's with that look? I simply took advantage of the rule. Rather, you should be grateful to me for letting her keep second place. I guess she did not understand. She's useless trash with a smart mouth." Minerva remarked, picking pieces of crystal out of her wrist.

Natsu rounded on her with a glare, ready to attack. To protect Minerva, Sting, Orga, and Rufus came down, standing between her and Natsu. Natsu and Gray were going to attack anyway, but Erza held an arm out to stop them.

"I, like Rette, don't care if you're the strongest or number one in Fiore. I will only say one thing. You have made enemies of the worst guild to anger. Rette had that much right." Erza told Minerva with a cold glare.

Suddenly a bloody hand gripped Gray's shoulder, turning his attention from Minerva and her team to the person the hand belonged to.

"Rette! What are you doing!?"

Everyone turned to Gray as Rette, using Gray's shoulder as a boost, struggled to her feet. Juvia, Wendy, and Gray tried to get her to lay back down, Gray gripping Rette's elbows to help her stay standing, but Rette refused. She staggered on her feet for a moment, swaying one way then the other, almost falling back down. Gray lunged forward to fully catch her, but Rette steeled herself, her body shaking in pain and her breathing coming in sharp gasps.

"Rette, you need to lay down." Erza told her.

"No...I...I refuse...to give them...the satisfaction." Rette gasped. "No...I'll leave...under my own...power."

So stubborn, even when she was so badly beaten. Sting couldn't help feeling a little impressed with Rette. The people in the crowd watched, with amazement and awe at Rette's determination of will, as, staggering and struggling to remain standing, Rette walked off the field, refusing to so much as glance at Minerva, her chin held high. To see Rette's fierce will to protect and fight for her guild, her determination to remain strong even when hurting, the people cheered and applauded Rette, chanting her name when they should have been doing so for Minerva. Minerva only grew angry, watching Rette, but Rette didn't care.

Gray and Erza followed right behind her and, as Erza thought, the moment they were off the field, out of sight of everyone, Rette collapsed, falling unconscious into Gray's and Erza's awaiting arms. Gray shifted Rette, scooping her form up into his arms.

"She really is stubborn." Erza remarked.

Agreeing with her, they rushed Rette to the medical bay where Porlyusica and Wendy tended to her injuries and changed her into a loose, white sundress. Thyme flew into the room in a rush, a few moments later, flying to Rette's side, tears in her eyes. Not far behind her came Juvia and Mira.

"Is Rette okay!?" Juvia asked.

Behind them came Cana, Gajeel, and Laxus.

"You guys!" Gray said in surprise.

"Even through we're from different teams, we're still in the same guild, right?" Cana asked.

"Besides...Starrilia was on our team first." Gajeel added.

"Thanks to Wendy, her life is not at risk. Though the fool could have relented to being carried off the field." Porlyusica remarked.

"I am relieved that she has been treated." Erza said from where she and Gray stood at the foot of Rette's bed.

Natsu, perched on a stool near the bed with Lucy standing at his side, growled, angry at the treatment of his friend. Rette sometimes teased him and she could definitely scare him with the threat of being crystallized, but she was still his friend, one of his family.

"Those bastards..." Natsu growled.

"I know what you want to say." Laxus told him.

"I...know what...I want to say..."

"Rette!"

Happy and Thyme called Rette's name in relief when Rette spoke, opening her eyes and flinching from pain. Thyme almost threw herself at Rette, but held back since she didn't want to hurt Rette.

"It's 'ouch'. That's what...I want to say." Rette said, completing her statement.

Shifting, and wincing at pain, Rette lift a hand, patting Thyme's head before turning her eyes on her guild mates.

"I'm sorry everyone...I lost." Rette said.

"What are you saying! You got second place. That's eight points." Gray told her.

"Second place...just means that...I'm the first loser." Rette replied.

"You did great." Erza assured her.

"I lost...my temper...then my...focus..." Rette argued back.

"It's alright, Rette. You fought brilliantly and you didn't give up." Lucy assured her.

Rette wasn't so sure about that. Idly, as if second nature, her hand went up to her neck. She felt around and when her fingers found only her choker, Rette's eyes opened wide.

"My charm n-necklace...!" she gasped, instantly shifting to push herself up.

Wendy flew off her stool, pushing Rette back down. Rette ignored her, her eyes wide in a look that was the closest to frantic they had ever seen on her.

"It's right here." Lucy told Rette, reaching over to pick up the necklace off a side table. "It came off when Minerva dropped you."

She handed it to Rette. Rette's fingers wrapped around the necklace and with a sigh of relief, Rette settled back into her pillows. Gripping the necklace tightly to her chest, Rette sank into her pillows. She couldn't have lived with herself if she had lost the necklace. To her, it represented her friends, her family. She would have beat herself up if she had lost it. With it back in her hands, though, she relaxed and soon drifted off back to sleep.

"Seems like she's fallen asleep." Mira said, just happy to see that Rette would be alright.

"They've put us in such a depressing mood." Cana added, just as angry as the others.

"Sabertooth..." Gray said lowly.

"I don't like this. I ain't ever seen Starrilia this bad." Gajeel agreed.

"So both Team A and Team B are here? Perfect timing."

Everyone turned when Makarov's voice sounded from the door. Makarov walked into the room, heading to the bed. He glanced at Rette's sleeping, bandaged face. Thyme sat beside Rette's head, gently patting Rette's hair.

"She'll be alright?" Makarov asked.

"With rest." Porlyusica assured him.

Makarov nodded before turning to the others.

"I don't know if this is good or bad news. The Game Administration has ordered us to combine both of our teams together." Makarov told them.

"What!?" Natsu snapped.

"Combining Teams A and B?" Laxus repeated.

"Why would they?" Mira asked.

"They said that because of Raven Tail's disqualification, it would be troublesome to have an odd number of teams in the matches and battles. So we must reorganize a new team with five members." Makarov explained.

"What will happen to our points?" Carla asked.

"They will let us keep the team points with the least amount, Team A's thrity-five points." Makarov replied.

"That's so cruel." Happy remarked.

"We can't help it if that's what the administration has decided." Erza told him.

"Well, another way to think about this...is that we're able to create an even stronger team now." Cana said positively.

"But...even if we decided the five people now, we're only going to be doing a tag team battle right?" Gray asked.

"No...I am sure that between tomorrow's break and the last day, there will be a battle including all five members. You better choose carefully." Porlyusica told him.

"I'll definitely get revenge for Rette! I won't forgive them for laughing at our friends!" Natsu declared.

Everyone looked at the sleeping Rette. Rette, whether she had intended to or not, had been the cause of a fire being lit under them all. Natsu would take the win if for no other reason to get revenge for the pain Rette felt and the laughter the members of Sabertooth had done in Rette's face.

Fairy Tail would win, one way or the other.

-0-0-0-0-

"The Fairy Tail team has finished reorganizing. And finally, we enter the battle portion of Day four."

Cheers sounded in the arena as the official match-ups for the tag team matches were decided. It would Blue Pegasus verses Quatro Cerbercus, Mermaid Heel verses Lamia Scale, and Sabertooth verses Fairy Tail. Everyone was all geared up for the Sabertooth and Fairy Tail battled.

"Well folks...let's see the new Fairy Tail!" Chapati agreed.

After being wished the best of luck by Rette, who had woken up again, if only for a brief moment, Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Laxus, and Natsu stepped out onto the field as the new Fairy Tail team. Their strongest of the strongest. The stadium shook with the force of the cheers for the Fairy Tail, the cheers being the complete opposite of the booing they had received the first day of the Games.

With the new Fairy Tail team revealed, the matches started. The first match was Ichiya and Rabbit from Blue Pegasus verses Bacchus and Rocker from Quatro Cerberus. The Rabbit, removed his head, revealing himself to be the exceed, Nichiya. Seeing that it was just a cat, Bacchus took the first swing, laying Nichiya out with a single punch, much to the distress of Ichiya.

Rocker and Bacchus, together, attacked Ichiya then, reducing the match to a two verses one affair. Just when it looked like the two would win, Ichiya, much to the disturbance of many of those watching, managed to dig up some resolve and, to the horror of the Quatro Cerberus team and nearly all members of the audience, took the win in the name of Nichiya. Even the judges had to agree that it had been a disturbing sight to behold.

The next match was Lyon and Yuuka from Lamia Scale verses Kagura and Miliana from Mermaid Heel. The match itself was pretty much fair and only ended when their time limit ran out, giving the two teams five points each. Though, some of those watching were pretty sure that, had Kagura taken the match seriously, Mermaid Heel would have won the match. That being said, it ended in a draw and the last, and most looked forward to, battle of the day, was announced.

Fairy Tail's Natsu and Gajeel verse Sabertooth's Sting and Rogue.

A clash of the Dragon Slayers.

"It's finally time for their confrontation! Who will win? The fairy or the tiger! Four dragons have now been released onto the battlefield!" Chapati called into his mic.

Back in the infirmary, Rette stared at the ceiling, hearing the cheers of those far over her head. She had no doubt, sensing the magic that she did, that it was time for Dragon Slayers to rock the arena. While she had lost to Minerva, she knew Natsu and Gajeel would not lose to Sting and Rogue. In the next bed over, Elfman grinned as, he too, stared at the ceiling.

"For our part, as well." Elfman said suddenly.

"Kick their asses." Rette agreed.

Though they couldn't be up there, cheering for Natsu and Gajeel with the rest of their team, they would silently support their teammates from their beds.

In the arena, the gong to start the match, rung. Before Sting and Rogue could move to make their first move, Natsu and Gajeel were in their faces, Natsu delivering an elbow to Sting's face while Gajeel gave Rogue a solid punch. Natsu instantly followed it up with a fiery kick, Gajeel slamming Rogue into the ground before kicking him. Sting used his Roar, Natsu dodging the laser like Roar, only for Sting to reveal that he could make his Roar bend. Natsu dodged it, while Gajeel blocked Rogue's Shadow Dragon's Slash and sent him flying once more...straight into Natsu's awaiting hand.

Natsu grabbed Rogue by the face. Sting turned, concerned for his partner, only for Natsu to attack Sting with Rogue, slamming Rogue into him and casting this Wing Attack spell at the same time. With such a fierce opening, the match looked one sided.

"Strong, as I thought you had to be." Sting remarked, rubbing the back of his wrist against one corner of his mouth.

"Did you guys really beat dragons with that level of power?" Natsu asked in disbelief.

"Not beat...killed. With these very hands." Sting said.

"Weren't they your parents?" Natsu asked.

"That has nothing to do with you. Now I'll show you the power that kills dragons." Sting retorted.

Sting's and Rogue's power increased then as they used their White Drive and Shadow Drive. Natsu and Gajeel weren't too concerned. Though Natsu realized, quickly, just how much more power Sting had. Sting hit him with a hard punch, before following it up with another that broke through Natsu's guard and nailed him in the face. Gajeel turned to Natsu in surprise, letting his guard down. Rogue took the opening, delivering a kick.

Gajeel tried to attack back, but every time he thought he would land a hit, his fist flew through shadows, Rogue no longer there. Rogue would then appear and attack from a different direction. With this, it seemed that the tables had turned and that the sure fire winners were now Rogue and Sting.

"I always looked up to you. And I aimed to surpass you. Now is that time!" Sting told Natsu.

Sting's next attack hit Natsu square in the chest, burning through his clothes and leaving some kind of brand on his skin.

"The White Dragon's Claw is a holy attack. A body marked by it's stigmata has it's freedom taken away. And with this, I will surpass you!" Sting declared, attacking again.

On the other side of things, it looked like Rogue had Gajeel right where he wanted him, but Gajeel had caught onto the pattern of Rogue's attacks, catching his next punch and stopping it. At the same time, Natsu grinned, dodging Sting's attack only to slam a fiery fist into Sting's face. It shocked Sting since Natsu, because of the stigmata branded on his skin, shouldn't have been able to move. But one look at Natsu's chest, showed that Natsu had managed to burn the mark off.

Sting used a Dragon Slayer Secret Art then, in an attempt to hold onto the flow of the match, but Natsu easily stopped the attack. Even to the judges, it was evident that the levels between Natsu and Gajeel and Sting and Rogue, was just too different. Feeling that they had no choice, Sting and Rogue resulted to using their Dragon Force, boosting their power even more. Marks like those of scales, appeared over their bodies, Sting's painting his skin white while Rogue's painted his black. It shocked several of those in Fairy Tail that the two of them could summon the use of their Dragon Force, by will.

Natsu had been able to his Dragon Force before, but it hadn't been by will. He had only been able to use it after eating Etherion. As far as they knew, Natsu was the only one out of the Fairy Tail Dragon Slayers, aside from Laxus, that had been able to use it. No one knew about Rette. None of them had asked her. But Sting and Rogue were third generation Dragon Slayers, and could use it by will. By all rights, that meant Rette should be able to too, since, like Sting and Rogue, she had been raised by a dragon as well as had a dragon lacrima inside her.

Then again, she had two. In some ways, with the two different Dragon Slayer magics and her ability to combine the two types together, Rette was a like a new, fourth generation all of her own. None of them knew if she was able to use Dragon Force or not. They would have to ask her.

With his Dragon Force in use, Sting insisted he would be enough for Natsu and Gajeel and attacked, leaving Rogue to stand back. He attacked Natsu first, his attack hitting hard enough to stun Natsu. Gajeel tried to attack Sting while he was focused on Natsu, but Sting dropped to the ground, letting the attack fly over his head. With a smirk, he hit Gajeel with another strong attack. Natsu came flying at Sting then, but Sting caught his fiery fist and slammed a knee into Natsu's gut. He sent Natsu flying into Gajeel just as Natsu had sent Rogue flying into him earlier.

Sting's next attack, blew out the floor of the arena, sending Natsu and Gajeel tumbling down into the hole that was the result. So that the audience could see what was going on, lacrima screens were quickly provided. Sting followed Natsu and Gajeel down into the hole, refusing to let that be the end of it. Natsu attacked Sting from below, Gajeel following it up with an attack from behind. Neither attack did much damage, Sting countering their attacks, sending them flying away from him. Ignoring Gajeel in favor of Natsu, Sting went after him. Natsu crossed his arms in front of him to block the punch, but he still went flying.

Back and forth, Sting attacked the two, making those watching wonder if Natsu and Gajeel really stood a chance. Rogue watched from above as Sting laid out both Natsu and Gajeel. It looked like it was over and that Sting and Rogue would be the victors. Thinking he had won, Sting reverted back to his normal state, letting go of his use of the Dragon Force. But then Natsu and Gajeel, the hard headed idiots that they were, popped back up.

"He's better than I thought." Gajeel remarked.

"But I found out all of your habits." Natsu declared.

Down below, in the infirmary, Rette was reclining into her pillows, watching the match from a lacrima screen, Wendy sitting on a stool to her right and Lucy sitting on another to her left.

"The timing of your attacks, your pose when you're protecting yourself...even the rhythm of your breathing. You actually have the same timing for your attacks that Rette has. Well...when she's playing with someone. When she takes it seriously, her attack timing is faster than yours." Natsu declared over the screen.

Wendy and Lucy glanced at Rette as she huffed, smiles on their faces. Even Thyme laughed silently behind one paw. Rette wasn't really angry though. She was glad to see that Natsu was taking this seriously. She was sure that Natsu and Gajeel would win the match. Hands down.

Back where Sting and Rogue stood facing Natsu and Gajeel, Sting couldn't believe what he was hearing or seeing. Natsu and Gajeel should have been down for the count. He insisted that it couldn't be true since he had been using Dragon Force. Natsu pretty much waved that off.

"For example, when you attack you turn your pivot leg to eleven o'clock." Natsu said.

"No, it's ten o'clock." Gajeel corrected.

"It's eleven." Natsu argued.

"Then let's say it's ten-thirty! It's not eleven. Starrilia is eleven! You're getting them confused!" Gajeel snapped.

"It's eleven! Or twenty-three! Rette's is nine o'clock!" Natsu retorted.

"That's one more turn and hers is eleven!" Gajeel snapped.

In the infirmary, Rette shook her head as Wendy and Lucy stared at the screen in disbelief.

"They're both wrong. It's actually seven-thirty." Rette remarked.

She was well aware as to how she turned her leg or didn't turn her leg when she was fighting and they were both wrong. They watched as, annoyed, Natsu pushed Gajeel into a mining cart and flipped the lever that sent the cart wheeling off down it's tracks. Gajeel, his motion sickness kicking in, was unable to get out and soon vanished down the track, leaving a smirking Natsu behind.

Rette hoped he knew what he was doing.

Sting and Rogue stared at Natsu in disbelief. Neither could belief what Natsu had just done.

"Wha...what are you doing?" Sting asked.

"Since you underestimated me, I have to reply. I'll be enough. Come on both of you! Are your fired up now?" Natsu replied.

Sitting in her bed in the infirmary, Rette looked up then. The same magical energy she had felt during Wendy's match the day before, had suddenly entered her magical range once more. Once again, it was like that of Zeref's but still somewhat different. With it's appearance, she could feel Jellal on the move once again. He would take care of it, Rette was sure.

"Are you saying that...you...are enough? You're kidding me..." Sting growled.

"I have no business with you. I wanna fight against Gajeel." Rogue added.

"Then beat me and go." Natsu replied simply.

"Dragon Force is the same as the dragons' power. Nothing excels it in this world!" Sting snapped.

Making use of his Dragon Force once more, Sting attacked. This time, though, Natsu was easily able to fend off the attack.

"I killed Weisslogia with this power!" Sting snapped.

"I see. Then I'll use this power...to fight for my friends that you made fun of." Natsu replied, landing a solid punch to Sting's face.

The match continued, with Natsu effortlessly handling the both of them. His friends smiled, watching with pride as Natsu took on the two by himself, knocking them back whenever they attacked. In a move that was far to similar to Rette's magic to really be of any effect on Natsu, Sting and Rogue came together to preform an Unison Raid. Though it was strong, Natsu knew...Rette's magic was stronger. It would be an insult to her, if he allowed their attack to bring him down.

Natsu's counter attack was enough to blow a hole out of the side of the small mountain that the arena sat on, as well as bring both Sting and Rogue down. With that, Natsu, on his own in the end, took the win for Fairy Tail. The win was enough to bump their team to the number one position on the score board.

Rette winced as both Wendy and Lucy suddenly launched themselves at her, hugging her, but she didn't mind the pain. With Natsu's victory, they would go into the last day of the tournament in first place. Even Thyme and Carla took hold of each other's paws in happiness at the win.

"The fourth day of the Grand Magic Games ends here! You have one day to rest. The last battle will take place the day after tomorrow! The last day is a survival battle where all the members of each guild participate. Who will be the winner!? Look forward to it!"

With those words from Chapati, the fourth day of the Games, came to an end.

Levy, with Jet and Droy behind her, came to visit Rette not long afterward.

"Rette, we did it!" Levy called, waving to Rette. "If things keep going this way we might win!"

"Of course! Those guys would never lose!" Lucy agreed.

"By the way, have you seen Gajeel?" Levy asked.

"Uh? Isn't he back yet?" Lucy asked.

"He's probably somewhere eating iron." Elfman remarked.

"Or sulking because Natsu pulled a fast one on him." Rette agreed.

The others laughed in agreement with Rette. Since she was able to move, at least, without too much pain, Rette was released from the infirmary shortly after with an order to take it easy. Rette was just heading back to Honeybone with Wendy, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and the exceeds, happy to be back in her own clothes, when Gajeel found them and insisted that Rette, Natsu, and Wendy come with him. The three looked at each other, Rette shrugging her shoulders. Lucy and Gray joined them as Gajeel lead them back towards the arena.

"What did you find, Gajeel?" Rette asked.

"Shut up and follow me."

Gajeel flinched slightly when Rette turned a sharp look on him. He had to remember that he couldn't talk like that to Rette without risking her wrath. Even injured like she was, he was sure she could still cause him a lot of damage.

"Why only us?" Natsu asked.

"Is it something related to Dragon Slayers?" Happy asked.

"Probably." Lily replied, Thyme nodding her agreement.

"Even if you say so...there are onlookers too." Carla added.

Carla glanced towards Gray and Lucy. Gray wasn't really all that concerned and Lucy replied that they were curious. As if that would excuse them. Rette simply waved it off. It didn't matter to her. If this really had something to do with Dragon Slayers, she would rather leave, but she couldn't help but admit...she was curious too.

"It's here." Gajeel said, leading them out of the tunnel they had been following and into a large cavern.

Rette came to a stop, Natsu and Wendy pausing in shock on either side of her. Before them rose the large, time worn bones of a creature Rette was very familiar with.

"What's that?" Gray asked.

"It looks like...animal bones." Lucy remarked.

"They're dragon bones." Rette said. "It's a graveyard of dragon bones. There has to be dozens upon dozens here."

"Are these all dragon bones!?" Happy asked.

"So many..." Carla voiced, Thyme agreeing as they looked around.

"This place confirms the existence of dragons." Lily remarked.

"What's this place?" Gray asked.

"No idea." Gajeel replied.

Rette didn't care about what the place was. Her eyes were wide as she approached one set of bones. Reaching out, she laid a hand on the bones, running fingers over them.

"I don't understand...why so many dragons?" Natsu asked.

"Did something happen here?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe Igneel is also..."

"Happy!" Carla snapped, cutting Happy off.

"No. He wouldn't be here." Rette said. "None of our dragons would be."

All eyes turned to Rette as she ran a hand over the bones before her, her touch looking almost tender. Her eyes were intent on the bones, her expression calm and blank once more.

"Our dragons disappeared fourteen years ago. If they had died anytime during those years, their bones wouldn't be worn clean like this. And there's no trace of outside magic on the bones, so there was no magic used to make them appear this way. No...these bones have to be hundreds of years old." Rette said.

"Milky Way."

Rette turned to look at Wendy when she suddenly spoke. She looked like an idea had just hit her. The others turned to look at her as well.

"What do you mean, Wendy?" Lucy asked.

"It's Milky Way. Milky Way, one of the Dragon Techniques Poluysica taught me. Listen to the voices of the dragons, connected to the river in the sky. I thought it was an attack type of magic...but maybe it's this. Milky Way might be a magic used to listen to the voice of the dragons who became souls." Wendy said.

"It could be." Rette admitted.

"If we can hear the voices of the dragons lying here...we might be able to know what happened. And maybe we might find out something about our dragons too." Wendy said.

With this said, Wendy went about getting ready for the spell, drawing out a magic circle in the dirt under her feet. Rette stood off to the side, one hand propped on her hip, watching Wendy.

"A magic circle?" Lucy asked.

"I was using the wrong letter because I thought it was an attack type of magic!" Wendy said confidently.

"You would think something like that would be included in the notes Porluysica gave you." Rette remarked. "Especially since it stands between you being able to cast the spell or not."

Wendy simply shrugged it off and finished up drawing the magic circle. It didn't matter since she had finally figured it out. Better late than never.

"Please step back." Wendy told the others.

They all stepped back, giving Wendy the room she needed. Wendy gently fell to her knees in the middle of the circle and raised her arms over her head.

"Wandering souls of the dragons...I am ready to receive your voices. Milky Way!" Wendy called.

The magic came alive in a brilliant shine. Rivers of milky light trailed out from the magic circle, twisting and turning as they moved through the dragon bones, which then began to vibrate. Lucy jumped, diving behind Gray.

"It this ok, Wendy?" Gray asked, looking around a little uncomfortably.

"I'm looking for the souls of the dragons. The residual auras wandering in this place are extremely old and small...found!" Wendy said, declaring the last word as she brought her hands together before her.

Before them, a glowing orb formed before shifting and forming a large, green dragon, who spread his jaws and roared liked he was getting ready to attack them. Gray, Natsu, and Gajeel yelled in shock and fear, Rette heaving a sigh when the dragon showed to just be messing with them. He laughed, proud of himself at the dumbfounded and shocked looks on everyone's face but Rette's.

"It's always funny to see people's shocked faces." the dragon said. "My name is Zirconis, also known as the Dragon of Jade. This technique that summoned my soul must be Grandeneey's. Where are you?"

Zicronis looked around, as if trying to locate the other dragon. Instead, his eyes fell on Wendy. Crouching down, he turned his head side ways to try to put an eye on level with the small girl.

"Cute! Did this little Dragon Slayer summon me?" Zicronis asked.

"Hey! Stay away from Wendy!" Natsu snapped.

"No. I'm going to eat this girl." Zicronis said.

"Bastard!" Natsu snapped.

"Natsu, calm down. He can't do anything to her." Rette told Natsu.

"She's right. It's just a joke! What a stupid race. Look! What can a "ghost" do? Aahaha!"

Zicronis laughed as he waved a claw at Wendy, the thing passing through her harmlessly. No one else seemed to find it funny in the least. Rette wished she could say that it was just this dragon, but from her experience...every dragon she had met, had a horrible sense of humor.

"What's with this crazy person?" Lucy asked.

"It's not a person, it's a dragon." Gray retorted.

"Well, a soul." Gajeel corrected.

"My name is Zicronis, also known as the Dragon of-"

"We heard it already!" Gray snapped when Zicronis tried to introduce himself again.

"What happened here?" Carla asked.

"This place is full of dragon skeletons." Happy added.

"We summoned your soul to find out the truth." Lily finished.

"I have nothing to say to humans. Go away." Zicronis told them.

"We're cats." Carla pointed out.

Just as quickly as he had stated that he had nothing to say to humans, he changed his mind and decided to tell them what had happened. He was changing his mind so often that Rette wondered if she would get whiplash from it.

"Right...it happened over four hundred years ago. Dragons used to be the kings of the world back then. They could freely fly through the sky, walk the earth, and cross the sea. There was prosperity. Everything in this world belonged to the dragons. Human beings were nothing more than our food." Zicronis told them.

"Sounds like it was a good time to be a dragon." Rette remarked.

Zicronis gave a mighty nod of his head in agreement with the statement.

"However...a foolish dragon started to question the sovereignty of our species. He talked nonsense and wanted a world where dragons and humans could coexist. A war started between the dragons who approved of his ideals and the ones who were against them." Zicronis said.

"Against...does it mean that you...?" Lucy trailed off.

"I don't like humans. Though I love them as food." Zicronis said.

"You're talking to food." Natsu said, laughing.

"Hey! You're getting on my nerves!" Zicronis snapped.

"Don't worry. He does that to humans too." Rette assured the dragon.

Natsu snapped a "hey" at her, but she simply waved him off. If he didn't want her to say things like that, then he shouldn't act that way.

"What happened to the war?" Carla asked.

"The war continued for a long time. The fights between dragons ruined many places. Until the dragons that supported coexistence came up with a foolish strategy. They taught humans the magic to slay dragons and asked them to join the battle." Zicronis said.

"Thus the beginning of Dragon Slayer magic." Rette remarked.

"So that's how Dragon Slayers were born?" Happy asked.

"The power of the Dragon Slayers was immense. It was clear that the dragons that wanted coexistence were going to win. However...there was a miscalculation." Zicronis said.

"The humans' greed." All eyes turned to look at Rette, who seemed confident in her answer. "Tundron use to tell me that, while humans were a fascinating species, most of our kind were faulted by greed. He made it point to teach me that, in life, I should want for nothing and be happy with what good I have."

That, in itself, explained a lot about Rette. It explained why she settled for what she had and didn't try to strive for more. She didn't want to be greedy.

"Yes. The Dragon Slayers, who had become too powerful...started to kill the dragons that were on their side too. And among those human's there was one who bathed in too much dragon blood. I'm scared to even say his name. That "man" murdered countless dragons and kept on bathing in the blood. Eventually his skin became scales, his teeth became fangs, and he gradually started to look more and more like a dragon." Zicronis said.

"A man became a dragon?" Lucy asked in fear.

"That is how Dragon Slaying magic evolves. All the dragons sleeping here were murdered by that man. Despite being a man, he became the king of dragons. The war that brought to the birth of the king of dragons was called the Dragon King Festival. The name of the king was Acnologia. While being a dragon, he had undragon-like pitch-black wings." Zicronis said.

Rette's teeth ground together, her body stiffening. Acnologia, huh? She could still remember the dragon that had appeared at Tenrou Island, dead set on wiping them from the face of the earth. Well too bad for him...it hadn't worked. She and her friends were all still alive and kicking and the next time she saw that dragon, she was going to kick him. It shocked all of them though, that he had once been human.

"There was a prophecy, though." Zicronis said idly.

"Prophecy?" Lucy asked.

"It insisted that, one day, a second queen would rise to over throw the king. "A queen with scales of pale blue and silver, a youthful gaze that knew the world for what it was, and a heart of hope". I, personally, never believed it." Zicronis remarked.

It sounded a little farfetched in Rette's opinion, but then again, she never really had believed in something like prophecy.

"He didn't believe it either. Most of the dragons were killed by him. This is what happened four hundred years ago. Because of you, I was..."

Before Zicronis could finish what he was saying, he faded out of existence. Wendy sagged forward, exhausted.

"Wendy?" Rette asked, knelling beside her, a hand on her back.

"Sorry...his aura vanished completely. I think this is what people from the east call "entering nirvana"." Wendy said.

"We're talking about something huge here." Gray remarked.

"Too much." Lucy told him.

"Does this mean that if we use Dragon Slayer magic too much we become dragons too!?" Natsu asked, panicked.

"I don't want to." Gajeel retorted.

"Oh my..." Wendy added, nearly in tears.

"I'm not too concerned."

The three turned to look at Rette. Of course she wasn't concerned. She hardly ever used her Dragon Slayer magic. Though, if the theory was correct, Rette possibly had a higher chance of it than them, since she held the magic of two dragons instead of one.

"That's impossible."

A new voice suddenly entering the conversation, made them all turn. A man in white armor was coming their way.

"I listened to the whole story. Indeed, the historical facts match what we researched. Do you know the demons in Zeref's book?" the man asked.

Just the mention of Zeref's name, made Rette's skin crawl. Too many bad memories of her father's insane ranting. The mention of Zeref's demons had Gray gritting his teeth.

"Acnologia is similar to them. According to a hypothesis, it was Zeref who transformed a man into Acnologia. In other words, destroying Zeref, the original cause of all that is evil, would be the first step to defeat Acnologia."

Rette had seen Acnologia, had sense the immense magic the dragon possessed, and not a single drop of it had been like that of Zeref's magic except for how dark it was, but Rette didn't say this for her attention was snagged by who was walking at the knight's side.

"Yukino!?" Lucy gasped.

"Who are you?" Gajeel demanded.

"I'm the head of the Holy Chivalric Order of the Cherry Blossoms, a part of the army of the kingdom of Fiore that is stationed in Crocus." the knight said.

"And I'm Yukino Agria, temporary sergeant." Yukino added.

"Why is the upper stratum of the army here?" Gray asked.

"Yukino...weren't you a member of Sabertooth?" Lucy asked.

"You said they forced you to leave, right?" Happy asked.

"Exactly." Yukino replied.

And she had gone and joined the army instead? Rette wasn't quite sure that was the life change that Yukino need to make, but it wasn't her life.

"I'll explain." the knight said. "We needed the power of a Celestial mage for a certain strategy...so we asked Sergeant Yukino to help us."

"A Celestial mage?" Wendy asked.

"Wait! I don't understand what you're talking about! Stop saying complex stuff and tell us what you want!" Natsu snapped.

"You're Natsu Dragneel, right? Your fight was really wonderful." the knight replied.

Natsu stepped up to him, putting them nose to nose, his expression that of anger.

"I couldn't care less. I'm more interested to know why you need a Celestial mage. If you've got something to say, say it clearly." Natsu told him.

Instead of answering, the knight turned on his heel, calling for them to come with him. Rette didn't think it was a good idea. She had never been one to trust the authority of the kingdom since she hadn't really been raised to human standards, but she really didn't want to let her friends go without her.

"Lucy-sama, I will ask you too. If this plan is successful, we will be able to defeat Zeref and Acnologia." Yukino said.

And just like that, Rette was hooked. Before any of her friends could say a word, Rette started forward. The others followed and they were lead to the king's palace.

"First of all, I would like to apologize for trying to kidnap Lucy-dono a few days ago. It was a mistake." the knight said.

"What!? Did you do that!?" Natsu and Gray snapped.

"Of course I didn't mean to cause any harm. But I guess I was a little forceful. That time I believed we needed a Celestial mage immediately, so I ended up making a hasty decision. I am sorry. The Grand Magic Games was a camouflage to obtain a great amount of magic from various mages." he told them.

"Have you been stealing magic every year?" Gray asked.

"How dirty." Gajeel remarked.

"You can say whatever you wish. It was all for the sake of a certain project. Eclipse, the door that can change the world. A large amount of magic power was needed to build it."

Just then, they arrived at a room far below the main part of the castle. There stood a large door with twelve key holes in it. Rette froze a good distance from the door, hissing lowly to herself. Now that she stood before the door, she knew that this had to be magic Jellal had been talking about. The magic coming off the door was a mix of Celestial magic and Zeref's magic and it was enough to make Rette want to get the hell out of there.

"When the sun and moon intersect, open the door with the twelve keys. If you open the door, you will be able to travel back four hundred years and defeat Zeref before he was immortal. This is the Eclipse Project."

Rette was sure, at that moment, that she wanted the hell out of there. Something about the way the words, "travel back four hundred years" rang, had warning bells blaring inside Rette. It was like something, deep inside her, was trying to warn her to run like hell. Rette, normally, would have heeded an instinct like that.

"Lucy-sama, I heard that time flows differently in the Celesital Spirit world." Yukino remarked.

"That is true, but..."

"We want the help of a Celestial mage to use the dimensional boundary line of the Celestial Spirit world to open the door." Yukino said.

"Originally we were meant to substitute the Celestial mage with pseudo-magic but with a real Celestial mage and the twelves keys this project will be even more perfect. It's absolutely necessary. When the sun and the moon intersect. In other words, in three days, on July seventh. I would like you to help us, Lucy-dono."

Rette's eyes flew to this white knight who was asking Lucy's help to travel back in time. Her attention had snagged on something else other than the fact that he was asking for Lucy's help with this project of his.

July seventh...

"The same day our dragons vanished." Wendy said, voicing Rette's thoughts.

"Is it just a coincidence?" Gajeel asked.

"An eclipse, the intersection of the sun and the moon." Gray mused.

"I really have a bad feeling about this." Rette remarked.

Just then, soldier stormed into the room, yelling for them not to move. They surrounded them, boxing them in. Rette pressed her back against Natsu's and Gray's, her eyes scanning the soldiers around them.

"What!? What is this?" Arcadios asked.

"Please be quiet. Colonel Arcadios."

Rette turned as a short, older man with a scar over half the bridge of his nose, stepped forward, a stern look on his face as he looked at Arcadios.

"Minister of the Defense, what does this mean?" Arcadios asked.

"I should say that. It's absolutely outrageous that you would reveal national top secret information to outsiders." the Minister replied.

"They're not outsiders! As you probably know, they will have an important role in this plan." Arcadios argued.

"That isn't something so easy that you can decide it on your own." the Minister replied.

"You're just against the project! Please stop this nonsense right away!" Arcadios yelled.

"Of course I'm against it! You want to change history! Can you even imagine how dangerous that might be!? Brat!" the minister snapped.

It was true. To change the past, was to change the present. Rather they were trying to change the past for the better or not, did not always mean that the future would change for the better. They had no way of knowing how messing with the past would effect their present. Rette, despite a horrible past, wasn't fond of the idea of messing with the way the present was.

She didn't want to see if her life could take an even more twisted turn than it had upon her birth.

"I'm arresting you for treason against the country! I'm going to arrest Yukino Agria and Lucy Heartfilia too! Expel the others from here!" the minister demanded.

Natsu tried to defend Lucy but, being so close to the gate, his magic was simply sucked into the gate, draining Natsu of his magic. Rette took a dive, catching Natsu before he could hit the ground.

"Didn't you hear? The Grand Magic Games was a system to steal small parts of a mage's magic to send it to the Eclipse Gate. But if you try to use your magic when you're so close it will be absorbed completely. Do not cause a ruckus. Mages unable to use magic aren't considered enemies by our army." the minister said.

With that, Rette, Natsu, Wendy, Gray, Gajeel, and the exceeds were kicked out of the palace, Lucy, Yukino and Arcadios dragged away by guards.

"I would like you to understand that this is not simply my will. It's all for the sake of the country. However...I have an advice for you. His majesty really likes Fairy Tail. If you win the Grand Magic Games I will let you have an audience with him. He is a magnanimous person, I am sure he will show consideration towards your friend." Minister Durton told them before the door swung close.

This wasn't good. Natsu would be furious when he woke up, Lucy was now locked up, and the whole business with the gate really put Rette on edge. It had been about fourteen years since she had felt that kind of unease.

"What are we going to do now?" Gray asked.

"First, we're going to get Natsu back to Honeybone and then we're going to speak to Master. He'll be able to tell us what to do from there." Rette replied.

Gray and Gajeel nodded and, together, they got Natsu up. They lead the way back to Honeybone, Rette and Wendy bringing up the rear with the exceeds. They would think of something, anything to save Lucy.

But first, they needed to retreat and regroup.

END

Kyandi: And here's your new chapter!

Rette: You're looking forward to the next few chapters, aren't you?

Kyandi: Especially the next chapter. All of you lovely readers of mine, are going to finally find out, for sure, who Rette's love interest in this time line, is going to be.

Rette: Because I run into him on my day off.

Kyandi: Right! So, with that little spoiler, I'm heading off to edit over chapters.

Rette: Yes, tell your Queen of Distractions, to leave your be.

Kyandi: Little sisters are good for distractions. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review!

Rette: We shall return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!

Rette:


	41. Day Off, Day to Plan

Kyandi: Hello, everyone! I have returned.

Rette: She's been sleeping a lot lately.

Kyandi: Sue me. When a person is sick, they're suppose to rest.

Rette: There's a difference between resting and sleep nearly 24/7.

Kyandi: I did not...! It was more like 18/7.

Rette: That's still bad.

Kyandi:...I know...but it doesn't matter. Lets move on.

Rette: You're too ready for this chapter.

Kyandi: Of course I am! So everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 41 Day Off, Day to Plan

The next morning, Makarov called a meeting with those who had been at the palace when Lucy was arrested. When they arrived, they found Makarov had also gathered Laxus, Mirajane, Erza, and Juvia to join them. Natsu, who had finally awoken after having his magic drained, was tied to a pillar to keep him from rushing back to the palace.

Once everyone was in place, Gray and Rette explained what happened.

"Lucy was captured by the kingdom's army?" Erza asked. "And she was accused to be involved in some mysterious project?"

"So in other words, we can only get back Lucy if we win the Grand Magic Games?" Laxus asked.

"That's what he said, but then again, who's to say if we can even trust what he said?" Rette replied, one had on her hip.

"Who cares about that!? I'm going to save her now!" Natsu yelled.

"Please calm down, Natsu." Wendy told him.

"Our opponent is the king." Happy added.

"We cannot act rashly, since we're against the king...on the other hand, they can't treat the citizens roughly. They're probably using her as a hostage until the Eclipse Project is blocked." Makarov said.

"That makes even less sense to me." Rette retorted.

Makarov gave her a questioning look.

"Think about it. Why let us go, knowing that we, too, have this top secret information? In a normal case of something like this, wouldn't it be the first course of action to silence all who know?" Rette asked.

"Maybe they want to use us as witnesses to condemn that Arcadios in the future." Lily suggested.

"Still, we might very easily spread the top secret information." Carla countered.

"Maybe they realized they can't hide it much longer." Erza chimed in.

"If they capture all of us no one wouldn've known about this." Gray argued, in agreement with Rette that this was fishy.

"Well, if you think about it, you're participants of the Grand Magic Games. It would be suspicious if you suddenly didn't show up." Mira said.

"I don't think the kingdom wants a mage guild as their enemy." Juvia remarked.

"I wouldn't either if that guild happened to be Fairy Tail. We're known trouble makers and widely known for making good on revenge." Rette stated.

Now that was a point that none of them could argue. When someone messed with Fairy Tail, no matter who they were, they never got off easily.

"To us it's irrational that they would arrest Lucy. But the kingdom's army probably considers it just." Erza remarked.

"Stop blabbering, let's go save her!" Natsu yelled, finally managing to break free of the ropes tying him down.

Makarov easily squished him under an enlarged fist, knocking him back down.

"Cool down." Makarov told Natsu. "They got a member of our family, it's no time to celebrate. I am sure we're all thinking the same."

A glance around the room at those gathered before him, showed Makarov that he was right. The look in each of their eyes, even in Rette's, was the same. They would do whatever they could to get Lucy back because she was apart of Fairy Tail.

"Considering our opponent, this time we cannot just attack them without thinking about the consequences. But here at Fairy Tail...we're not cowards either." Makarov said.

"Then what are we going to do?" Rette asked.

Makarov thought for a moment, his eyes scanning those in front of him. When the idea came to him, he nodded to himself.

"We'll attack on two fronts. While the final day of the Games is underway, a second team will sneak into the palace to rescue Lucy." Makarov said.

"Two teams. One as a distraction of sorts and the other working behind the scenes. It's brilliant." Rette remarked.

"Then who's going to be on what team?" Gray asked.

Makarov scanned them all again. Obviously, they had to put forth a team that could win the Games, but they needed strong people to go after Lucy too. Makarov had a good idea on who was going to do what.

"Mira, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Thyme, Lily...and Natsu. You will sneak into the palace." Makarov said.

All eyes turned to Makarov in surprise. They could understand Mira, Wendy, even the exceeds. Mira was strong, Wendy could heal, and the exceeds were small, sometimes easily over looked. But Natsu? If Natsu went with them, who would take his place on the team.

"Erza, Laxus, Gray, Gajeel. The four of you will take part in the last event." Makarov said.

"What about the fifth member, Master?" Erza asked.

Makarov thought about it. He need someone who could keep up with the other four members of the team. Just then, Mavis decided to make an appearance, scaring Makarov half to death when she suddenly appeared beside him.

"Oh, Master, the First Master is here." Rette said idly, providing him with the warning a little too late.

Makarov gave Rette a put out look but Rette simply shrugged her shoulders. When she had promised to warn him about Mavis appearing, so he wouldn't nearly have a heart attack every time, she hadn't promised to tell him **before** Mavis popped up.

"If I may, Sixth Master, I believe I know who should take the final spot." Mavis said brightly.

"Who?" Makarov asked.

Mavis turned then, her eyes going to Rette, a large smile on her face.

"Rette."

All eyes turned to Rette, who blinked once, twice, in surprise before her eyebrows dropped. She crossed her arms over her stomach in a gesture that was almost uncomfortable.

"Master Mavis, are you sure? I lost yesterday...horribly so." Rette said.

"No. You took second place and fought hard! And your skills and talents are valuable to the team." Mavis assured her.

Erza reached out, laying a hand on Rette's shoulder. Rette glanced at her, Erza giving her an encouraging smile. Rette nodded, turning her eyes back to Mavis.

"I'll do my best." Rette agreed.

"Good. Everyone needs to act normal, stay out of trouble. Tomorrow, we put our plan into motion." Makarov said, dismissing them.

They would meet up later that day to fully discuss plans. Since they had the day off, Rette decided that she would go out into town. After taking the beating from Minerva the day before, she knew that if she let herself stay prone for too long, her body would grow stiff on her. She needed to stay as limber as possible for the following day.

Grabbing her bag from her room, Rette headed off into town with Thyme. The streets were just as busy and full as any other day she had walked through them in the last five days. Thyme sat on her shoulder as they visited a few different shops, even stopping at a sweets shop that sold Rette's favorite dark chocolate truffles. After buying enough individually wrapped packages to last her two months, Rette moved on to the outdoor stalls some people had set up.

There were so much to see. Rette and Thyme went through one stall after another, sometimes stopping to shift through wares with wide eyes. Thyme managed to locate a roll of material that she instantly fell in love with and insisted that Rette buy and use to make her a new dress. Rette indulged her, tucking the newly purchased material into her bag. At one point, Thyme and Rette split up, Thyme busy checking out a stand of jewelry, her eyes set on a new pair of bell earrings. Rette ended up at a stall with rare and unusual magic books.

Being a bit of a book buff, much like Levy and Lucy, she had been drawn to the table. One book, a book on decoding ancient languages, instantly drew her attention. She picked up the old leather bound book and started flipping through it. Levy and Freed had been teaching her all they knew about script magic, which meant that Levy, at least, had been teaching her a lot about ancient languages. Rette was proud of herself to find that she could somewhat read a few of the languages in the book.

Wanting to study the book further, when she actually had the time on her hands, Rette turned to the seller, asking how much the book was. She was happy to find that the seller was having a sell; two books for the price of one. Rette found a second book, this one on ancient magic, and decided that she would take those two. The seller told her the price of the books. Rette gave him the majority of the money, but had to dig through her bag to find the change she needed. She was sure her coin pouch was somewhere in her bag, but she was having a difficult time finding it.

It was kind of like how when a person put their keys in a bag. Somehow, someway, no matter how short the time had been since the person had dropped them in, the keys always found their way to the very bottom of the bag. Rette's coin pouch seemed to do the same thing every time.

"Here."

Rette's head came up when a gloved hand, holding the exact change she needed, appeared in her line of view. Her gaze traveled up the glove covered forearm and bicep, until her eyes came in contact with the dark, almost black, blue eyes of none other than Sting Eucliffe. Rette blinked up at the blond male in surprise. The first thing that crossed her mind was that he looked different...sadder. The second thing that crossed her mind was that a guy, who was suppose to be her enemy, was currently trying to help her. For a moment, she just stared at him.

Sting felt a little uncomfortable with the way she stared at him, but he chalked it up to being her eyes and that horribly indifferent expression.

It was like looking into the face of a fish with how blank the expression was!

Rette, he decided, had the kind of gaze that could make a person either very uncomfortable or very calmed. Minus the rest of her expression, that was. Right now, he was the former. He knew he was also uncomfortable because of the bandages that were currently decorating one cheek, the corner of her left eye, and various other parts of her scantly clad body. He hadn't been the one to beat her so thoroughly, but he had laughed at her along with his teammates. Facing her now...he kind felt like she knew it and was mentally calling him a jerk.

Which he would deserve.

Then her head tilted to her right, clearing her right eye of the bangs that half hid it. Her eyes moved from his face to the money in his hand, before she held her hand out.

"Thank you." she told him.

Sting dropped the money into her hand and she turned to pay the seller. Sting watched as she took the two books she had just bought and turned away from the stall. Jerking her head to the side lightly, careful of her neck, which was bandaged, she gestured for him to follow her. They cleared the crowded area around the stalls, Rette coming to a stop in front of a fountain. Setting down the hand full of large bags she carried, she slid the books into one before turning to the bag hanging at her hip. She dug through it, shifting things before letting out a little noise of discovery.

"There it is. It always seems to end up at the very bottom of the bag." Rette remarked, more to herself, as she pulled out a small gold and purple coin pouch.

She counted out the amount of change he had just given to her and held it out to him. Sting took the money from her and she tucked the coin pouch into a pouch on her belt instead of putting it back into the large bag.

"Thank you for the help. I'm sure the seller wouldn't have been too pleased if I had continued to stand there much longer." Rette remarked.

"It's not a problem." Sting told her.

Curious, he watched her as her eyes scanned the crowd they had just escaped. When they finally paused, he turned to see what she was looking at. He followed her gaze to where her little exceed partner, Thyme, was currently looking through a pile of child sized accessories. Sting felt a pang in his chest, seeing the exceed, for it reminded him of Lector. After last night, after watching his master kill Lector, he felt like there was a hole in his heart. Seeing Rette's little partner, made that hole ache.

"I thought you looked different. Now I see it."

Sting turned his eyes back to Rette when she spoke. He raised one eyebrow at her as she stared at him. She had crossed her arms loosely over her stomach, her head tilted to the side as she stared at his face intently. Had she seen through him so easily?

"You're sad."

That would be a resounding yes.

Sting turned his eyes from her, not willing to share anything with her. Rette could understand that. They were, after all, on opposing teams. Not to mention that they didn't really know each other. To add to it, just yesterday, one of his teammates had beaten her up pretty badly. If it hadn't been for Wendy being on the scene, Rette probably wouldn't have been walking around like she was. Despite him not wanting to share, though, she could tell something had happened. Almost every time she had seen him, he had been smiling. Now, he just looked...lost.

Sting turned a questioning look on Rette as she turned towards one of her bags and started digging through it. She pulled something out and turned back towards him. Taking one of his hands in one of hers, she sat a neatly wrapped bag of chocolates in his hands.

"It might not help you, but these always make me feel a tiny bit better when I'm upset." she told him, before letting go of his hand.

Sting stared down at the bag in his hand. Despite her completely disinterested look and tone of voice, Rette, he found, was really quite nice.

Considerate, even.

Completely different than he thought she would be. Especially after what Minerva had done to her. He had thought she would hate their whole team for that. He turned his eyes on her as she gathered her bags.

"Why are you being nice to me? Especially after what happened yesterday." he questioned.

He watched those two tone eyes turn back to him. There was a spark of something, though he didn't know what, in her eyes. Then she turned to fully face him, peering up into his face.

"You weren't the one that hurt me."

The answer was short, sweet, and simple. So simple. There had to be more to it than that, he was sure. His doubt probably showed on his face for Rette heaved a sigh.

"Look, even if I wanted to blame your whole team for something Minerva did, I'd have to call it even after Natsu beat both your and your partner yesterday. Besides...you look like you just lost the most important person in your life. I know how that feels. Enemy or not...that isn't a feeling I would wish on my worst enemy. I'm not going to make it worse by being cruel and mean. I'm indifferent, not heartless." Rette told him.

With that, she stepped around him and started walking away, waving over her shoulder.

"Whatever others might think of me, I have a heart too. Good luck tomorrow." she called.

Sting turned to watch her leave. He watched as she gave a beckoning flick of her hand. His eyes turned towards Thyme, who was currently facing away from Rette. Despite not looking in Rette's direction, Thyme's ears perked up and, after paying for the bracelet in her paws, she sprouted her wings and flew over people's heads, dropping down to land on Rette's shoulder. The two vanished among the crowd, leaving Sting staring after them.

Sting honestly didn't know what to make of Rette. On one side, she was a teammate of Natsu's, therefore an enemy to him, but on the other side, he really wanted to like her. Something about her just...felt so familiar, so welcoming. He almost felt like he had been friends with her in another life, like there was some kind of link between them already. It was almost like...like how he had felt when he had met Rogue. Like they had been friends forever.

Yet, there was more to it than that with Rette and he knew it was insane. He had never met Rette before the Grand Magic Games that year and hadn't really heard much more than rumors about her before then. So why did he feel like he was talking to someone who had supported him his whole life? It was so strange.

Sting looked down at the bag of chocolates she had given him. It was wrapped with a ribbon that was the same jewel-like color as her eyes. It was a simple little thing, but the intentions behind it were more than he expected. Which kind of made him not want to eat the chocolates. Which was ridiculous. He didn't have time to feel soft towards any of his enemies. Sting turned to a nearby trash can, ready to throw the chocolates away, but...he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

So, with chocolates in hand, he headed back to his lodgings.

Tomorrow would bring the final battle and, for Lector, he would win. That meant plowing through all of those who stood in his way. If Rette was one of those people, then he would take her down too.

That was just how it had to be.

-0-0-0-0-

When Rette returned to the lodgings, she could find none of her guild mates. Knowing them, they were probably all out in town somewhere, causing trouble for one person or another. That was fine with Rette. It wasn't like it was her job to keep them out of trouble. Erza could attempt to do that instead. Thyme went off in search of Lily while Rette went out on the balcony attached to her room to read one of the books she had just bought.

She was sitting there when a voice suddenly interrupted her.

"Hello, Rette!"

Rette looked up, finding Mavis sitting on the rail of the balcony. Aside from blinking a few times, her expression didn't change. Despite that, Mavis knew she had surprised Rette. She could tell by the slight widening of her eyes.

"Oh...hello, Master Mavis. Do you need something?" Rette asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you." Mavis replied.

Though that had one of Rette's eyebrows rocketing up in questioning, she marked her book and sat it in her lap, folding her hands over it. If Mavis wanted to talk, then it would be rude to deny her.

"Alright." Rette agreed, making Mavis smile.

"How are you feeling? Your injuries, I mean." Mavis asked.

Rette looked down at her body, taking note of the bandages still left on her. Thanks to Wendy and Porlyusica, most of her injuries had been healed. She was still a little sore, here and there, but for the most part, she was better than she had been.

"Much better, thank you. Wendy and Porlyusica have been a big help." Rette told her.

Mavis nodded, happy to hear this. She hadn't been pleased to see Rette in such a beat up state, though she had been proud of Rette's refusal to be taken down easily. Rette truly was a fairy of Fairy Tail. But there was something else about Rette's fight with Minerva that Mavis wanted to discuss.

"About that fight yesterday. Rette...what was that dark shift in your magic?" Mavis asked.

She knew she hit a sore spot, an unspeakable topic, when Rette's eyes cut up sharply. The somewhat open, relaxed air that Rette had had about her when Mavis arrived, was gone, replaced by wariness.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about, First Master." Rette remarked.

Mavis knew she was lying. The defensive feeling she got from Rette was a sure fire sign of that. She was lying because she was trying to defend something, protect something. But what? It wasn't like Rette had to defend herself with Mavis. They were guild mates, family. Mavis wouldn't do anything to hurt Rette, even if she could.

"Rette...we both know that's a lie." Mavis said as gently as she could.

Rette eyed her before picking up her book out of her lap and sitting it on the table beside her. She crossed both her arms and her legs, the gesture more defensive than any she had made so far.

"Master Mavis, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Erza and the others when they questioned me about this. I'll put it this way, the first person that taught me magic, taught me one more thing. He told me that sometimes, to insure your victory, to insure your existence for another day, sometimes you have to use a cheap move. Being underhanded is all I consider it. Leave it at that because I'm **not** answering anymore questions about that." Rette replied.

Mavis met Rette's gaze. She could tell that that was the bottom line with Rette. Whatever it was, it was something she considered too bad to share with another living being. She didn't want to let it go, though. Whatever it had been, it had felt oddly like that of Zeref's magic. And that scared her. Rette must have been able to tell what Mavis was thinking, for some unreadable emotion flashes across her two toned eyes.

"Master Mavis, tell me...do you know who the Banesbloud Clan is?" Rette asked.

"Of course. It was group of worshippers that rose in power not long after Zeref gained his immortality. They were his most devoted of followers and were lead by a man who was probably far more cruel than Zeref, himself." Mavis replied.

"Then this should answer most of your questions." Rette remarked, tugging one glove off.

Mavis gasped when she saw the branded back of Rette's hand. Almost instantly, Rette tugged the glove back on, like she couldn't cover the mark quick enough. Even once the glove was back on, Rette rubbed at the back of her hand, as if the brand burned all over again.

"Oh, Rette...!" Mavis said lowly.

"You don't have to make that face, First Master. I really could do without anymore pity in my life." Rette told her.

"It's not pity. It's just...it explains so much." Mavis said.

Rette didn't reply to that. How could she? What, exactly, made sense after knowing that? She stared down at her hands, the fingers of one hand, running over the back of the other. Mavis couldn't read anything in Rette's face.

"I didn't even know that the Banesbloud Clan still existed." Mavis remarked.

"The clan is mostly underground. Or, at least, it was when I left. My father was the leader of one of the underground Compounds." Rette told her.

"And your mother?" Mavis asked.

"She died just shortly after my birth. Before she met my father, she was an ordinary, happy woman. My father charmed her, seduced her, and when she was pregnant with me, he kidnapped her and forced her to dwell in the Compound. And she died there. I managed to escape and run away when I was five. My dragons found me a year later." Rette explained.

"You ran away from your father?" Mavis asked.

"The thing you have to understand, Master Mavis, is that it is no stretch for me to say that...my father is what my nightmares are made of. He is a wicked man whose very presence had been enough to reduce me to tears." Rette admitted.

She was staring off into the distance, her gaze far away. Almost as if she was reliving the hell her life had been at the hands of her father. Mavis finally was starting to understand Rette a little more. Her distance from others, the indifferent look that had become second nature to her, the way she had taken the beating Minerva had given her and had refused to give in. It was all behavior that was engraved into her from a long time of mistrust in others and abuse at the hands of someone who should have protected her.

Mavis opened her mouth to say something, but Rette heaved a sigh then. She focused back in on their conversation, her eyes snapping back to Mavis.

"It doesn't matter anymore, anyhow. I haven't seen hide or hair of him since I was five and now, I have Fairy Tail. My point in telling you this, is that there are some things about me that I not only don't want to discuss, I can't." Rette told her.

Mavis, though she wish she could, couldn't say she didn't understand. Rette was entitled to live her life how she wanted. If that meant that she wanted to live it trying not to remember the worst time in her life, than who was Mavis to stand in her way. She nodded, to which Rette let go of the breath she must have been holding.

"Thank you, First Master." Rette said with a real touch of sincerity to her tone.

"May I just ask you one question, Rette?" Mavis asked.

Rette turned somewhat weary eyes on Mavis, but didn't deny her. For that, Mavis was grateful. At least Rette respected her enough to allow her one question. Now, whether or not Rette actually answered that question, was still up for debate.

"Whatever that dark aura is...is it something that will hurt Fairy Tail?" Mavis asked.

For a moment, Rette just stared at Mavis. Mavis could see the guarded look in Rette's eyes, but she could also see a sense of deep resolve in Rette's two toned eyes. The next four words to come out of Rette's mouth instilled both a sense of pride in Rette as a member of Fairy Tail, but so a sense of foreboding.

"I won't let it."

Mavis didn't know what it was Rette was hiding, but whatever it was, Rette both knew and believed it could cause danger to her guild mates, and she was dead set on stopping it at all cost. The resolve in her eyes said this loud and clear. She wouldn't let something about her, bring misfortune upon the guild.

But to what lengths would she go for that?

-0-0-0-0-

"Ready for tomorrow?"

Rette, stretching her arms over her head after a long work out, turned her head to look at Erza. The woman smiled at her, her hands anchored on her hips. Slowly, Rette dropped her arms. Tomorrow, Rette would get the chance to redeem herself after her failed fight with Minerva. While, yes, Rette had held her ground longer and better than anyone who had fought Minerva up to that point, she had still lost. She needed to help bring her guild victory.

"As ready as I can be." Rette replied.

The two of them had just spent the last hour working on swordsmanship. Erza was happy to see that Rette was coming into her own as a swordswoman. While she still couldn't match up to Erza in power or ability, Rette was now able to defend herself with a sword. If ever she found herself drained of magic energy and in a fight, Rette could handle it with a sword, no problem.

"You'll do just fine, Rette." Erza assured her.

"You'll have to forgive me if I believe you a little bit bias, Erza. I saw how badly I lost the other day." Rette replied.

While Erza could be a little bias since Rette was one of her beloved teammates, she hadn't been lying. Rette was just too quick to put herself down. Laying a hand on Rette's shoulder, Erza gave her a smile.

"I'm not being biased, Rette. You may have lost, but you don't realize what you do when you lose, do you?" Erza asked.

"What are you talking about?" Rette asked, confused.

"You have a habit, Rette, when you lose, of coming back with three times the determination and an extra boost to your punch. You are a bit of a sore loser." Erza told her.

Rette wasn't quite sure how to feel about being called a sore loser. It was usually a bad thing, but she knew Erza was right about one thing...whenever she loss a fight, she usually came back swinging with three times the determination to win. She never loss a fight to the same person twice.

"Perhaps you have a point. Not that it matters all that much. More than likely, you'll be handling Minerva." Rette remarked.

"You might be right, but with you taking the spot originally intended for Natsu, that means that you might end up facing off with Sting." Erza replied.

This made Rette pause in sharping her sword.

Sting.

Her thoughts went back to earlier that day when she had run into him in the market. The poor guy had seemed so sad and lost at the moment. She knew she shouldn't but...she kind of felt sorry for him. Whatever had happened, it had really hit him hard. She didn't like the idea of hitting a man when he was down, but she had her own duty to her guild and would have to do just that if she ended up confronting him in the last event of the Games.

"Yeah...you might be right." Rette remarked idly.

Erza stared at Rette. She couldn't put her finger on it, but for some reason, Rette didn't look like she was too happy about the idea. Then again, Rette's normal expression was so blank, it was hard to tell. Erza pat her on the shoulder giving her a smile when Rette looked at her.

"You'll do great. I've yet to see you let us down when it really matters." Erza told her.

"No pressure right?" Rette replied back sarcastically.

Erza just smiled at her. She knew that whatever Rette might say, she would come through in the end. Rette really hated being a disappointment to the guild, even if she did act like she didn't care in the slightest.

Rette heaved a sigh when Erza turned to collect her own equipment. Tomorrow would be the final day of the Games, but they had more at stake than just winning the games. While Erza, Rette, Gajeel, Laxus, and Gray appeared in the Games and fought with all the other teams, Mira, Wendy, Natsu, and the exceeds would be breaking into the palace to free Lucy. Rette had to do her part for them to secure the win on their end. She didn't have time to waver.

So if she ran into Sting tomorrow...he would just have to be prepared for her to fight back.

That was all there was to it.

END

Kyandi: In case no one picked up on it...I basically just told all of you who Rette's love interest in this time line, is.

Rette: I obviously really do have a thing for blondes.

Kyandi: Can't blame you. It's the exact opposite of your father's.

Rette: Right...I don't like guys with dark hair.

Kyandi: I'm sure your mind could change.

Rette: How about it not?

Kyandi: Fine, fine. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	42. Final DayFollowing the Fairy Tactician

Kyandi: I'm back!

Rette: We apologize for taking so long.

Kyandi: Yeah...this chapter ended up being really long.

Rette: Not to mention that she was having to go back and forth between the two different time lines as she read along with the manga.

Kyandi: I'm still having to do that for now. But this chapter is finally done and I'm working on the next.

Rette: Then shall we get on with it?

Kyandi: Yep. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 42 Final Day...Following the Fairy Tactician

"At last! At last it's here! The last day of the Grand Magic Games, the wizards' passionate festival! No matter whether you're happy or sad, today the winner guild will be decided!"

The last day of the Grand Magic Games dawned with loud cheers and fireworks being shot into the air. The cheers were so loud, they sounded down into the locker rooms and even out into the city below. But those loud cheers weren't what Rette was listening to.

"Master wants me to wear **this**?"

Erza turned to Rette as she held up the costume that had been given to her. Rette was currently holding up a purple skirt that was made of almost see-through material and had slits that rode up both sides. When on, those slits would rise all the way to Rette's hips.

"What's the problem? It's not anymore revealing than anything you've ever worn." Erza remarked as she folded close her own top.

"I don't wear skirts since I don't wear underwear." Rette replied.

"Well, the material, despite being sheer, is heavy enough that unless you're hanging upside down, it shouldn't fly up easily." Erza told her. "And if you feel that uncomfortable about it, you could just wear your shorts under it."

Rette saw her point and merely shrugged her shoulders. She just had to be mindful of the skirt during the fight. Rette shimmied into the skirt, checking to make sure that no matter how she moved, it hid what needed to be hid. She then moved onto the black to purple fade top.

"Hey Erza. You mind helping me with this top?" Rette asked.

Erza stepped up behind Rette. The top was like a halter top but all four strings were tied in the center of her back, forming an 'x'. Once the strings were knotted and double knotted, just in case, all she had to do was add the fingerless black gloves that reached up to her biceps, the thigh-high black boots, the long, purple scarf, and the small silver headband that bore the Fairy Tail emblem.

"Ready?" Erza asked.

"Yeah."

The two of them met up with Laxus, Gray, and Gajeel in the main part of the locker room. There they would await for them to be called out into the arena. The three looked up when Rette and Erza joined them.

"Is the First Master here yet?" Erza asked.

"Right here." Mavis called from across the room.

In order to claim victory in the last event, they had gone to Mavis for a strategy. Fairy Tail's first master was more than happy to help them. She wasn't known as the Fairy Tactician for nothing. The five of them gathered around Mavis who then begun laying out their strategy. At the beginning, they would all remain still, not moving from their spots. With Rette's higher sense for magic, it wasn't like they wouldn't know if someone drew near. Once they moved, they would split up.

According to Mavis' plans most of them would have a big battle they would have to fight. Laxus would face Orga, Erza would face Minerva, Gray would Rufus, and Gajeel would come up against Rogue. All the while, Rette would serve as support.

Or distraction.

Whatever chaos Rette wanted to bring to the table.

After hearing Mavis say this, all four of Rette's teammates turned to look at her and instantly inched away from the barely there, but still completely creepy smile that started to curl Rette's lips. She was going to have fun with that.

With the strategy fully laid out, they parted from Mavis.

"And now it's time for the teams to enter!" Chapati called over the intercom. "Currently sixth place, will they be able to make a comeback? The hound dog, renamed the puppy, Quatro Puppy."

Quatro Cerberus came out onto the field to a wave of cheers. Behind them came Blue Pegasus in fifth place, Lamia Scale in fourth, Mermaid Heel in third, and then...

"And the current number two. Will they have to capitulate!? Or will they get back their title?" Chapati announced, introducing Sabertooth to the field.

Many could tell a difference in the members of the Sabertooth team and it didn't escape the audience that one of the Sabertooth exceeds was missing from the cheering section of Sabertooth.

"And last, the current number one! The guild that seven years ago was considered the strongest made it's comeback! Fairy Tail comes in!"

Shock rang out through the crowd, many staring as Ezra lead out her team of Laxus, Gajeel, Gray...and Rette in place of Natsu.

"They seem to have changed their members! Now come Natsu, who was so skilled in the tag battle, isn't here!? And replaced with a member that was so grievously injured just the other day?" Chapati asked.

"Uhm...maybe something happened? It'll be fine though. Rette is a resilient girl and she seems to have recovered fully." Yajima answered.

Rette, despite the protests that rang out through the arena, held her head high, the cheering of her guild mates, ringing in her ears. It didn't bother her that the audience didn't want her but Natsu. That was their problem, not hers.

Across the arena floor, the Sabertooth team stared at Rette. Minerva grinned, but Rette didn't pay the woman a single bit of attention, as if she couldn't be bothered.

"Natsu Dragneel isn't here?" Rogue asked.

"It's okay, Rogue. We should consider ourselves lucky then." Sting told him.

Sting turned his eyes to Rette. As if feeling his eyes on her, Rette's two toned eyes came up to meet his. Sting stiffened for a moment under her gaze. Though he was no mind reader, he could read that expression easily. He might consider them lucky that she was taking place of Natsu, but Rette wasn't going to be pulling any punches. If she came across any of them, she was going to make them regret that she was taking part.

Message delivered, she turned her face from him when Gray laid a hand on her shoulder and leaned in to speak lowly into her ear. Rette replied back, Erza turning to add her two jewels worth. While they spoke, Sting looked Rette over. She didn't have a single bandage left on her and she looked as good as new. In fact...it didn't even look like she had ever been injured. Though Sting wouldn't lose, part of him hoped he didn't meet up with Rette during the contest.

And that she didn't met up with Minerva.

Back with the Fairy Tail team, Rette and Gray were going back over their parts, when the cheering of their guild mates reached their ears, making all five look up towards where the guild members sat.

"Laxus! Show them how brave you are!" Freed yelled.

"Gajeel, beat them all!" Macoa and Wakaba cheered together.

"Erzaaaaa!" Jet and Droy sang.

"Gray! Show them you're a real man!" Elfman added in.

"Rette! Do you best in place of Natsu!" Cana encouraged.

Rette's expression took on a slight change. It almost looked like she was put out or embarrassed as she heaved a sigh.

"I really wish she wouldn't put it that way. It makes its sound like I'm second best to Natsu." Rette remarked.

"Well..."

"Finish that sentence, Gajeel, and you'll become my next crystallized meal." Rette told Gajeel, snapping her teeth at him.

Gajeel instantly snapped his mouth shut. He **did not** want to find out if she would really do it. Rette nodded and turned back around. They needed to focus. Right then, while they were participating in the event, Natsu, leading Mira, Wendy, Thyme, Lily, Carla, and Happy, would be working his way into the castle and to Lucy. They would attack on two fronts and what better time for the second team to attack than when everyone was busy watching the tournament?

As the event kicked off, each team was relocated to somewhere in the surrounding city and the rules were explained.

"Show your weapons, magic and bonds with your comrades. A survival game where everyone participates...The Grand Magic Games starts now! The battlefield will be the whole town of Crocus! The members of each guild are already scattered. You will run around the city and when you meet an enemy, a fight will start. If your enemy loses consciousness or is unable to fight, your guild automatically gets a point. Also, each guild will decide a leader. The others guilds don't know who the leader is." Chapati explained, his voice carrying out over the city.

Rette and her teammates shared a look. They didn't need to say anything to decided on their leader. Rette, Gray, Gajeel, and Laxus all looked at Erza who nodded in understanding. They all expected Erza to take on the spot of the leader. There was no way anyone was going to bring Erza down.

"If you defeat the leader, your guild will get five points. The max points you can get is basically forty-five. Anyone has a chance to win. Every team has different strategies. They can either separate or move together." Chapati added.

It was rules that were easy enough to understand. In the end, Rette knew that all she had to do was keep from getting knocked out of the fight.

"Listen. We have to win. To save Lucy." Erza said, turning to look at her teammates.

"Of course. If Natsu and the others manage to get Lucy back..."

"That would be best." Gajeel said, agreeing with Rette and finishing her sentence.

"But we have another reason to win." Gray added.

"To make up for our guild that lost for seven years." Laxus agreed.

"We'll show them that Fairy Tail isn't to be tangled with. Not now, not ever." Rette remarked firmly, her teammates nodding in agreement.

Their determination set, the five of them in agreement, the gong to start the contest, sounded over the city. From where they sat in the arena, the other members of Fairy Tail watched through the lacrima screens provided as the other teams split up and headed out through the city.

"The last fight is about to start." Chapati said.

"As expected, most teams separate." Yajima remarked.

"Sabertooth has skilled fighters so they separated. Some fight in pairs. Some in groups of three." Chapati said as the screens switched between the players out in the field.

And then, one of the screens landed on the members of the Fairy Tail team.

"What's happening!? All the members of Fairy Tail...are standing still with their eyes closed!" Chapati announced.

On the screen, it showed the five members of the Fairy Tail team, standing side by side, their eyes closed. To her guild mates, it made sense for Rette to do such a thing. It merely meant that she was focusing on one of her tracking spells.

But the others?

"What the hell are they doing!?" Makarov demanded.

"What's going on?" Lisanna asked.

"No idea." Cana replied while Max and Elfman yelled for Ezra and her team to get a move on.

While the members of the Fairy Tail team remained where they stood, the members of other teams got to work on the task at hand. Soon, team names began to move about the board as points were earned and members of other teams were eliminated. Still, Erza's team didn't move from their spot or open their eyes. Between Lamia Scale and Sting, the whole Quarto Cerberus team was knocked out of the running, Sting being responsible for taking out their leader, only to run when Kagura showed up.

On the screen, Rette's lips twitched slightly, as if she was fighting the urge to grin.

Still, Fairty Tail's members didn't move.

"What are you doing!? We must save Lucy!" Makarov yelled.

"That's why...that's why we must keep calm." Mavis said, making Makarov look at her. "In these four days, I recorded the enemy's battle skills, magic, mental and action patterns...I memorized them all. And based on that, I simulated countless fights."

"First, what do you...?" Romeo trailed off, surprised.

"I predicted the enemy's victories and movements. This is all my foretelling. I already told them the strategy." Mavis said.

On screen, as one, all five members of Fairy Tail opened their eyes, as if hearing Mavis' words.

"To lead our comrades to victory. That is my fight. Strategy of the Fairy of the Stars...go!" Mavis called.

As if hearing her, the five jumped into action, splitting up, each going their own way.

"Fairy Tail is on the move!" Chapati called.

"Everyone spread out! Move to your next destination! At this point, there is a ninety-seven percent chance that Rufus will make his move." Mavis remarked.

Sure enough, the screens showed Rufus as he cast his spell, burst of lightning based attacks flying at each member of the Fairy Tail team.

"Within two seconds from the time you see the lights in the sky it's possible to evade it with an emergency dodge." Mavis said.

The screens showed as Erza, Gajeel, and Gray dodged the attack just in time to avoid being hit with it.

"This magic uses lightning as its element. Laxus alone can guard it." Mavis said.

On another screen, Laxus simply raised an arm, blocking the attack as if it was nothing more than a wadded up napkin being thrown at him. Something that Mavis hadn't expected him to do, but was pleased with none the less.

"And, of course, there was a reason I wanted Rette on the team. We never have to worry about these kind of attacks landing a hit with her." Mavis remarked.

On the last screen, at the last second, Rette's right hand flew over her head, her voice ringing out clearly as she cast her spell.

"Conductor Crystal!"

On screens throughout the city and arena, people watched as Rette absorbed the attack into a crystal, caught the crystal in her hand and continued on as if nothing had ever happened. This surprised several people, Rufus among them.

"I'm in this fight to the end. No bars held. To those who would mess with what's mine...here comes a war." Rette remarked to herself, the screen conveying the words back to those watching.

Cheers rose from her guild mates as she moved on.

"Because of this, there is a sixty-eight percent possibility that Rufus will try to approach us. Thirty-two percent that he will wait where he is now. But even if he does that, it won't be a hindrance for our strategy." Mavis remarked.

By her calculations, Mavis knew that Erza would run into an enemy in the north-west. On the screen, Erza came in contact with Jenny of Blue Pegasus, easily wiping the floor with her. Next, in the south, Gajeel would run into two more enemies. He took down Ren and Eve of Blue Pegasus, Hibiki getting away from him, only to run into Gray and be defeated by him.

"Rette will provide logistical support by tracking down enemies, as is best suited to her talents. Laxus will move to F-8. Erza to S-5. The enemies are active around there." Mavis remarked.

"I-I remembered...the First's nickname. She led her team to victory in many battles thanks to her prodigious ability in making strategies...The Fairy Tactician, Mavis." Makarov remarked lowly.

Out on the battlefield, Blue Pegasus was completely eliminated when Jura came across Ichiya. For Jura, Mavis hadn't been able to make a battle plan. The man was too strong for her to decide on a way to handle him. On the other hand, there was Rufus. As per Mavis' strategy, Gray was the one to confront Rufus in the library. Though she had no idea on whether Gray would win or not.

Rette was sure he would.

To Rette, Gray was just like her in one aspect...both of them couldn't stand to lose to the same person twice. Gray would win if for no other reason than he had already lost to Rufus once and he wanted to rub a win in Rufus' smug face.

There were lacrima screens set up around the city where the other members of the teams could see the fights their comrades were in. Rette came to stop next to one that showed Gray and Rufus' fight and heaved a sigh when she saw that Gray had, yet again, stripped off his shirt. Couldn't the guy get through one fight without stripping something off? That aside, Rette liked the look in Gray's eyes. It was determined. She wasn't sure how difficult it would be for him, but she knew Gray would win. He'd come up with something.

She stood there, watching as Gray used his Ice Make magic to form an unlimited number of weapons to use against Rufus. They formed so fast that Rufus couldn't quite keep up. Rette let out a tiny laugh at the look on Rufus' face.

"Oh, you are so done for." Rette muttered to herself.

Rufus tried to combat Gray's magic with fire magic, but after so many years of fighting with Natsu, the flames Rufus produce, couldn't come anywhere near as hot as Natsu's. It wouldn't work with Gray. Rette applauded Gray when he won and couldn't help a small grin on her face when Gray picked up Rufus' feathered hat and put in on his own head as a sign of victory.

That was one major player down and out for the count. It also left her team as the only one with all five members still standing. It also put Fairy Tail back in first place on the board.

"First! What's gonna happen next!?" Warren asked, turning to Mavis.

"If my calculations are correct...Rette will fight Chelia."

Every member of the guild around her, turned to look at Mavis. They had seen what Chelia was capable of in her match against Wendy. The two had been evenly matched, but there was a big difference between Wendy and Rette.

Rette wasn't about to go easy on a kid like Chelia.

On the screen, Rette kept on her path, now and then checking on the magic around her. It was doing that that she sense Chelia before the girl attacked. Rette whipped around as the girl attack, raising her right hand as Chelia let loose her attack. Rette absorbed the attack into a crystal, easily sparing herself.

"That Chelia is able to heal her own wounds, right?" Macao asked, worried for Rette.

"Even if it is Rette, how can you beat her!?" Wakaba asked.

"It's good enough to keep her at bay. Besides, it's Rette. We've all seen how unyielding she can be if she doesn't want to give up. The probability is...Chelia is going to regret confronting Rette. There is a reason why I wanted Rette on the team. In the meantime, Erza will fight against Minerva." Mavis said with a smug look on her face.

Out in the city, Chelia and Rette faced each other, Rette catching the crystal she had just sucked Chelia's spell into. Chelia flinched when Rette set her emotionless, cold gaze on her.

"You made a big mistake attacking me, Chelia...I'm not like Wendy. You fight me then this fight won't end until you're on the ground, eliminated from the fight." Rette said, her words and stare enough to send another shiver down Chelia's spine.

At the start of the event, after they had learned that Rette was going to be apart of the Fairy Tail team, Jura had warned them that Rette was best avoided. While it would end in his victory if Jura met her in battle, Rette was a resourceful, tenacious fighter and an ill match for most mages simply because of her wide array of spell types. Most attacks wouldn't even come in contact with Rette thanks to her Conductor Crystal.

Which Chelia had just seen first hand.

Jura had told them that while Rette wasn't the strongest opponent they would ever face, she was the slipperiest, most resourceful. Not to mention she was persistent. She would keep hitting until her opponent either admitted their defeat...or were completely black and blue.

Then there was the fact that no one, absolutely **no one** , could approach Rette without her knowing.

Jura had warned her, but Chelia had come across Rette with her back turned to her, she just couldn't pass up the chance. She had forgotten about Rette's heightened sense of tracking magic, which she was sure was what gave her away.

"Knowing this, do you still wish to fight me, Chelia?" Rette asked.

Well, she had confronted Rette already. She couldn't back down now, could she? Besides, despite offering her a chance to back away, Chelia really doubted that Rette would actually allow her too. So she stood her ground.

"I bet you're the one that helped Juvia to seduce Lyon!" Chelia accused.

Rette, taken off guard by that sudden accusation, stared at Chelia, blinking. Say what now? Where in the world had Chelia come up with that?

"You are aware that Juvia is in love with Gray, right?" Rette asked.

"It doesn't matter! She seduce Lyon for her own amusement!" Chelia huffed.

"Oy vey...teenage infatuation is so troublesome." Rette muttered before pointing to herself. "And what does that have to do with me?"

"You helped her!" Chelia insisted.

"You're just being ridiculous now. I don't get involved in the romantic lives of my teammates. And it's not my fault if Lyon likes a girl that doesn't like him." Rette remarked.

Chelia wasn't going to hear reason and attacked Rette with her fists rather than magic. Rette extended one arm, catching Chelia by the forehead and effortlessly holding her back as she swung her fists at her. Rette stood there like that, looking bored. She had really hoped for an honest fight, but Chelia was acting like a child in the midst of a tantrum. A sudden wave of strong magic, exploding from further in the city, made Rette looked up. That would be Minerva's magic, and mixed with it was Erza's and Kagura's.

Rette wasn't too concerned. Erza wasn't one to stay down, even when hurt.

Rette turned towards a nearby lacrima screen, watching as it flicked through battles. The whole time, she held Chelia, and her flying fists, off with one hand. Rette watched as the screen switched from where Erza had confronted Minerva and Kagura only for Minerva to turn the table on them with a captured Milliana, to where Gajeel and Rogue were about to start a fight of their own, and finally landing on Laxus facing off with Orga. Rette figured it would end up with those two facing off.

 _But where's Sting?_

Rette couldn't help but wonder that as she watched the matches on the screen. In all the battles that had passed on the screen, she had yet to see hide or hair of Sting. Surely he didn't feel the need to hide. Or perhaps it was so that he could take on whoever remained after his teammates were done or fell. Rette let this thought run through her head, pondering over the situation at hand.

Rette focused on the screen as it focused on Erza's fight. It switched back in time to catch the end of the match in which Kagura was about to admit defeat to Erza only for Minerva to, literally, stab her in the back. Though the win was suppose to be Erza's, the points went to Minerva, who then returned Milliana, only for Erza to find that, while she and Kagura had fought, Minerva had been mercilessly hurting Milliana. Just seeing the lash wounds on Milliana's back made Rette inwardly wince.

But she also knew at that moment...that Minerva had screwed up.

Huge.

She'd be lucky if Erza didn't kill her.

Rette's attention was forced back to Chelia when the girl suddenly knocked her hand aside and lunged at her. Rette easily side stepped her and heaved a sigh.

"If you aren't going to take this seriously and actually fight, I'm going to have to lay you out flat and move on." Rette told her.

Chelia grit her teeth. The next attack was serious, Chelia's wind spiraling towards Rette, the air razor sharp. Rette cast a shield, the wind blades bouncing off with noise like that of nails on a chalk board. Breaking free of the shield Rette ducked under the winds, coming up to land a punch right to Chelia's gut. The girl was taken by surprise and landed on her butt, her arms wrapping around her stomach.

"Come now, Chelia, I know you can do better. Give me the same spirit you gave Wendy." Rette insisted.

She just didn't feel right about laying the kid out unless she gave it her all. Chelia's next attack was better, Rette having to really focus to save herself from injury.

"That's better. Now I won't feel so bad." Rette remarked, nearly face to face with Chelia.

"Feel bad? About what?" Chelia demanded.

"This."

Chelia's head whipped back as Rette landed a solid punch to her chin. She quickly followed it up with a spell.

"Heavenly Starlight: Starlight Raze!"

Chelia darted to the side, barely avoiding the blinding attack that took out, at least, three blocks worth of houses. Finally realizing that Rette was seeking an honest fight, Chelia put her all into the fight, the two clashing and taking out several buildings around them. It didn't take Chelia long to figure out the differences between Wendy and Rette. Rette wasn't above fighting dirty, something Chelia had seen when Rette had face Minerva in the Navel Battle, but there was more to it. Rette was stronger than Wendy and far more clever.

Perhaps it was the age difference between Rette and Wendy, but Rette's mind worked completely different from Wendy's. She was sly and slippery, avoiding as many of Chelia's attacks as she could and even twisting a few around on Chelia with a mirror-like, crystal shield. Chelia still managed to land attacks and she was sure they hurt.

As it was...Chelia was sure that Rette should have chosen a different kind of top to wear.

The thing looked like it would rip off at any second.

Rette caught Chelia's next punch, twisting Chelia's arm until she wrapped her free arm around the younger girl's neck, basically putting Chelia in a choke hold. Chelia fought to try to get free, but Rette wasn't budging.

"It's surprising to see Chelia have a hard time."

"Shit! Not the best place to get to..."

The two different voices had Chelia and Rette looking up. From one direction came Lyon and from the other came Gray. Chelia's face lit up when she saw Lyon, but Rette's expression didn't change in the least.

"Hey Gray." Rette greeted simply.

Chelia tapping on Rette's arm, made Rette look down to where Chelia's cheeks were starting to turn blue, showing that she couldn't breath.

"Oh..."

Rette released Chelia who gasped in a deep breath before turning to Lyon to greet him cheerfully. Not that it did any good. Lyon and Gray were too busy glaring at each other.

"How come you're so worn out, Gray?" Lyon asked.

"We'll take care of you at once." Gray replied.

Rette took the moment to lean towards Chelia, lowering her voice where only she could hear.

"If they start a my-horse-is-bigger-than-your-horse run, I suggest we leave them to it and find somewhere else to finish our fight." Rette remarked.

Chelia nodded in agreement. Rette was not in the mood to listen to the two of them go at it like little boys competing over a toy or something. Rette was also sure that had Juvia been there just then, she would have taken Gray's words completely out of context. Rette turned towards Gray.

"He's got a point though, Gray. You look like crap." Rette remarked blandly.

"What the hell!? You don't look so hot yourself!" he snapped back at her. "Your shirt looks like it would only take one tug to come off!"

"At least I'm still wearing my top." Rette retorted.

That drew Gray's attention to his bare chest. He wasn't exactly sure when that had happened. Rette's expression was completely bland as she looked at him.

"You know, if Juvia saw you like that, she'd be drooling about now." Rette pointed out.

The mere though made a sour look fall on Gray's face while a jealous one fell on Lyon's face and an angry expression took over Chelia's. Was Rette the only sane one anymore!? She seemed to be about the only one that never, e **ver** considered those kinds of things.

Thankfully, she didn't have to endure this much longer. Rette produced a shield when Lyon attacked, knocking her back and sending Gray dodging. Rette was knocked off the bridge on which they stood, hitting the water below. She broke the surface, feeling very annoyed as water dripped from the ends of her short hair.

"Rette!" Gray called.

"Yeah, I got it." Rette replied.

Setting off a blast under the water, she both repelled herself back up onto the bridge and supplied Gray with water to use in his Ice Make. Chelia countered with a shield of wind. Rette, hiding in the rear of Gray's attack, slipped past Chelia's shield, setting off a burst of light in her face that sent her flying back into Lyon. Lyon caught Chelia and quickly countered with an attack that missed Rette and hit Gray hard. Rette turned to look at her friend.

"Gray, you alright?" she called.

"Yeah, I'm good." Gray replied.

Rette retreated to his side, the two facing Lyon and Chelia as a team.

"I didn't know Lyon was this good." Rette remarked lowly.

"But their teamwork isn't working. We have a chance." Gray replied.

"Of course we do. Fairies don't know the meaning of "give up"." Rette remarked, making Gray grin.

He clapped Rette on the shoulder, glad to have her on his side. He hadn't ever fought with just Rette at his side before. He was curious to see how it would work out.

"On my go?" Rette asked.

"Yeah."

Rette's hands came together then, her magic mixing. When her hands came apart, a magic circle baring the Fairy Tail emblem in the center, appeared around the four of them, a similar one appearing above them.

"Dancing Light Crystals: Two Layer Magic Circle...Allied Land!"

The spell activated, surrounding them in dancing shards of crystallized light. Gray's head whipped back and forth, a little concerned that Rette might take them out with Lyon and Chelia. It was then that he noticed that his guild emblem was glowing, the same as Rette's. That was a fraction of a second before the shards exploded, sending a pillar of light blasting into the sky. The blast left Rette and Gray completely untouched.

When the dust and light faded away, they found a crumbling ice shield protecting Lyon and Chelia. Though both were battered, Lyon had gotten a shield up fast enough to protect them from being completely knocked out. Rette clicked her tongue in annoyance. Gray yanked on her arm, casting a shield to defend them when Chelia attack. Rette turned as Lyon came at them from behind. Rette threw her back against Grey's, defending it with another shield.

"On three." Rette said.

"Three." Grey counted.

"Two." Rette added.

"One!"

The two shouted the number as their shields went down and they darted forward to attack their respective attackers. Gray hit Chelia hard while Rette's left fist found Lyon's right cheek. Tagging each other, Gray and Rette reversed, Rette attacking Chelia and Gray taking on Lyon. To those watching back at the arena, it was obvious that Gray and Rette's teamwork was better than Lyon's and Chelia's.

Which wasn't surprising considering all the fights Gray and Rette had been in together.

Back and forth, the four trades blows, Gray and Rette covering each others backs with teamwork they had developed over the several missions they had taken on with the rest of their team. And then came the incident that really annoyed Rette.

In the course of blocking one of Lyon's attacks, she had accidentally let the man get too close to her. Lyon lashed out with a sword of ice. Rette's automatic response, after so much training with Erza, was to reach for her own sword at her waist, but it was too late to guard against Lyon's strike. Instead, she jumped backwards, avoiding the downward swing as much as she could. Unfortunately for her, the sword still opened a small gash across her chest...as well as cut her top clean in two.

Rette's hands instantly flew up to cover her bared chest as Lyon and Gray stared at Rette, wide eyed. Lyon had **not** meant to do that. Rette didn't care at the moment. She could practically hear the men back at the arena, wolf whistling with blood dripping from their noses.

"Lyon!" Chelia cried, hitting Lyon in the arm.

"I didn't mean to!" Lyon replied.

"Rette?" Gray asked.

He could see one of her eyebrows twitching and knew she was about to snap. When she looked up, her face was blank, but the twitching of her eyebrow was still there, making the look scary as hell to those faced with it.

"What is it when men and my tops!?"

"Now, Rette...it was accident!" Lyon told her, backing up a step.

But Rette wasn't listening. She sent Lyon flying back with a light blast to the chest, one arm still wrapped around her chest. Chelia really couldn't fault Rette that one. Lyon **had** cut off her top. Her frustration taken out on Lyon, Rette started looking for something to cover herself with. Ducking behind a broken wall, she yanked her scarf from around her neck and tied it around her chest before stepping back out. It was going to have to do until this was over.

The fight continued, each side taking their knocks. Rette lost track of how long they had been fighting and by the time she paid attention, the sun was sinking in the sky. Rette was bent over double, trying to catch her breath. While she was still somewhat good with magic energy, she was physically starting to really tire. Catching her breath was becoming a chore. Gray stood at her side, panting as they faced Chelia and Lyon. All four of them were tired, but none of them were giving up.

"Let's give them the final blow, Lyon!" Chelia told her partner.

Final blow...Rette was sure all it would take was one more blow to knock her flat on her face. A hand suddenly landed on her shoulder, making Rette glance up at Gray through the curtain of her hair.

"Rette." Gray called.

"Yeah."

"Their weak spot is teamwork. We can work together better than them." Gray said.

"Of course we can. We're fairies after all. Fairies...and friends." Rette replied, making Gray grin for a moment.

Gray held out his hand to her then. Rette glanced up at his serious face before laying her hand in his.

"Let's use our full magic!" Gray told her.

Rette let out a low laugh, turning her hand until their fingers interlocked. She knew exactly what Gray was asking for. Straightening her back to stand up straight, she took a deep breath in.

"I've never done this with another person, but we are members of Fairy Tail, right? Can't be too hard if we give it all we got." Rette said.

"Right!" Gray agreed.

"But if Juvia kills me for this, it's on your head."

Gray chose to, graciously, ignore that.

Together, they mixed their magic, the energy swirling around them. This close to Rette's magic, feeling his mix with hers, Gray caught a flash of something deep and dark at the core of her magic, but it was gone almost as fast as it came. He pushed it aside, ignoring it in favor of their soon-to-be victory.

"Bastard!" Lyon snapped. "Chelia!"

When Chelia didn't answer him, Lyon turned to her, finding her staring at Gray and Rette with a surprised look on her face.

"What are you doing, Chelia!? We must recover!" Lyon called to her.

All Chelia could do, though, was stare at the two.

"Chelia! Don't get distracted!" Lyon yelled, shaking her.

"Let's go!" Gray shouted.

"Right beside you!" Rette called.

Rette took her already mixed magic, combining her End Annihilation spell with Gray's Ice Geyser. The resulting attack was too much for Lyon and Chelia, sending them flying and putting them out of the fight for good. Gray and Rette turned to each other, Gray smiling while a tiny, relieved smile fell on Rette's lips. Letting go of Gray's hand, Rette sank to the ground, her knees giving out.

"After this, I'm going to sleep for a week." Rette announced.

"You and me both." Gray agreed. "But for now, we gotta finish this."

"Right...Sting's still out there." Rette remarked.

Rette forced herself back to her feet, noticing how Gray was leaning against a wall, looking like he might fall over. She had no doubt in her mind that Laxus, Gajeel, and Erza had probably obtained their fair share of injuries too. Rette, herself, felt like she could fall face down in bed and not move for days on end. But Sting was still out there.

They weren't done yet."

"Come on. Lean on my shoulder." Rette offered.

Gray draped an arm around her shoulders, Rette wrapping her arm around his waist. Supporting some of his weight, the two started off. Something bright flaring to life in the sky, had to two of them looking up. In the sky was the Sabertooth emblem.

"Sting." Gray said lowly.

"Yep. Though I could have found the little fool without the flashy display." Rette remarked.

"Yeah, I bet. The others probably saw it too." Gray replied.

"No doubt. Let's get going."

The two took off, working their way towards where Sting waited. They arrived at the location just as their other three teammates did. As Rette thought, all five of them were beat up and tired while Sting didn't have a single scratch on him.

"What a spectacle. I looked up at all of you seven years ago." Sting remarked, looking them over.

"Stop blabbering. This is the last fight." Gajeel retorted.

"We'll do it one verse one. Who do you prefer?" Gray asked.

"You can attack me all together, since you're wounded." Sting said confidently.

"You shouldn't underestimate Fairy Tail. Arrogance will be your undoing." Rette told him, letting Gray's arm slide from around her shoulders, so the two of them stood straight.

"Oh no way, I respect you. Especially after watching you with the Miss the other day, Rette." Sting said with a grin. "That's why I'll defeat you all together! I was waiting for this time! I'll show Lector my power!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but are you serious?" Laxus asked.

"Fine. If that's your decision. We'll be your opponents. Sting." Erza said, determinedly.

"Let's just end this already." Rette agreed.

"That's good." Sting said, powering himself up. "I'll show you my power, now that I awakened."

He would finish this, beat them down. For Lector...for his friend.

"You're not truly awakened if you're still blind to the light of your friends."

Sting froze when those soft words reached his ears. He raised his eyes. Staring back at him with determined eyes that showed her readiness to do whatever she had to for her friends, was Rette. There was no denying the unyielding will in those eyes. She would not give up, just as she wouldn't against Minerva, and would go down swinging if she had to.

Because they were the same.

Just as Sting was fighting for Lector, Rette was fighting for her friends.

Her family.

And all four of her teammates had the exact same look in their eyes as they stood along side her. Sting couldn't believe it. They were all covered in wounds. Some of those wounds were bad and it was obvious that they were all on their last leg. Rette even looked like she was ready to fall over. He was sure that all he would have to do to beat them, was push them down. He came this far all for Lector, just to see his friend again. He was strong!

He was...right?

Then why was he hesitating?

Why did looking into Rette's eyes, into her teammate's eyes, make his knees shake. His eyes fixed on Rette's and it was then that he felt like he received a shot to the gut. Her expression was set, stern and bland, but in her eyes...there was a soft look of understanding. As if she understood what he was going through.

And it killed him.

He knew, in that moment, that he couldn't beat them...and he couldn't see Lector again.

Sting fell to his knees, his hands balled into fists. He pressed both fists to the ground and hung his head. There was nothing he could do against them and he knew it.

"I can't...win." he said lowly. "I surrender."

With those simple words, Fairy Tail won the Grand Magic Games.

Fireworks shoot off in the distance and Rette's teammates released sighs of relief. Rette, with relief sweeping through her body and wiping her remaining energy, felt her knees give out from under her. She dropped heavily to her butt, her legs folding on either side of her.

"Finally...Lucy will be safe." Rette said lowly, shoving a hand into her hair to push it back from her face.

"Yeah." Gray agreed, giving her a pat on the shoulder.

"Sting. Why didn't you attack us?" Erza asked.

"I felt that...I couldn't meet him. I thought if I won I could...but now I have the feeling that's not true. I don't know why...you're just so dazzling. The way I am now...I can't meet him." Sting said.

"But you can."

Sting raised his head to look at Rette who was now on eye level with him now that she was sitting on the ground.

"If he is truly your friend, truly someone you care for with all your heart...you'll always be able to find him. No matter how much time might pass between now and then...true friends always come back. It might take time and it might not be in the way you think...but he'll come back." Rette told him, giving him as close to a soft smile as she had. "At least...that's what my friends, my family has taught me."

Erza smiled down at Rette, laying a hand on her shoulder. Milliana's voice reached them then. They all turned to see Milliana coming their way. Cradled there in her arms...was Lector. The moment Sting saw Lector, he launched himself to his feet, tripping once, but Lector met him half way, jumping into Sting's arms. Gajeel helped Rette to her feet, pulling one of her arms around his neck to keep her there. Rette stood there, along with her teammates and watched the tearful Sting and Lector.

"I figured it was something like that...you should have just said so, silly boy." Rette said, more to herself as she watched Sting.

"You say somethin', Starrilia?" Gajeel asked.

"Not really. Just talking to myself. Can we head back now? I'd like to actually get a top on." Rette remarked.

Raising an eyebrow, Laxus, Erza, and Gajeel turned questioning looks on Gray.

"Lyon. It was an accident." Gray told them.

"Oh~ho! What were you up to, Starrilia? Showin' off th-"

Rette's arm around Gajeel's neck, tightened, until she started cutting of his air. Gajeel tapped at her arm as she yanked him down until he was in a full blown choke hold.

"Finish that sentence, Gajeel, I dare you, and Lily's going to have to find himself a new partner." Rette remarked. "Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Gajeel, since he couldn't breathe to speak, nodded his head. Rette released him, Erza slipping an arm around her waist to pull her back away from him. Gajeel glared at her as he rubbed his neck.

"At least it's over." Gajeel remarked.

"The tournament, at least, is." Rette agreed, leaning on Erza while Erza leaned on her, the two supporting each other.

"Did anyone see the signal?" Erza asked.

"No." Laxus answered.

"I haven't." Gray added.

Erza looked at Rette, who shook her head in answer.

"Thyme's hasn't answered me once either. She's probably busy." Rette replied.

"Uhm..."

Rette and her teammates turned to look at Sting as he rubbed at his face. Gajeel crouched down next to him, a frown on his face.

"Your face is irritating!" Gajeel told him.

Rette reached out, grabbing the end of Gajeel's hair. With a yank, she pulled him back.

"So is your voice. Leave him alone." Rette ordered.

Gajeel stiffened at the order. He had realized, lately, that whenever Rette gave him a direct order, he had the urge to do as told. It was like it he just couldn't bring himself to disobey her. He had also noticed that Natsu was the same way. So, despite glaring at her, he did as told. Sting looked between them before focusing on the others.

"I mean, why isn't Natsu participating? No offense to you, Rette!" Sting asked, adding in the last part when Rette raised an eyebrow.

Rette glanced at Erza. Erza returned the look, but none of them answered.

"Did something happen to Natsu?" Lector asked.

Rette took it upon herself to answer.

"He'll be fine. He always is. Now, how about we head back. I don't know about the rest of you, but a bath and a change of clothes sounds good to me." Rette said.

Her teammates quickly agreed with her. Erza and Rette lead the way, the two women supporting each other as they walked. Sting watched Rette from behind. There was definitely more to this and they weren't sharing.

Rette on the other hand, was lost in her own thoughts. She hoped to the grand skies above, that Natsu and the others had found Lucy and were alright. Rette had done her part, as had her teammates and the rest was up to Natsu and his group. Rette was sure they would be fine. After all, it was Natsu. He never failed when it came to his guild mates. As long as his friends believe in him, he would keep going.

All they could do now, was have faith.

END

Kyandi: I'm really enjoying this whole "losing my tops" running gag.

Rette: You wouldn't if it was you.

Kyandi: Very true, but it's not, so I'm good.

Rette: Goodie for you.

Kyandi: Anyway, I have other chapters to get to, so we'll be moving on.

Rette: That's right. So we are wrapping this chapter up?

Kyandi: Yeah. So everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	43. Night of the Dragons

Kyandi: I have returned!

Rette: And apparently there is something she wants to share with all of you.

Kyandi: Yep! Though this story hasn't been running long, some of you who read it, have been following me for a long time now. In fact, my six year anniversary of writing on this site is coming up in a few weeks.

Rette: You're point being?

Kyandi: A lot of my readers have been following me from the very start. I decided that I wanted a name to give to my loyal readers as a whole. So, from today onwards, my readers will be known as Kyandiacs.

Rette: You know, there for a moment...it sounded like you were quitting.

Kyandi: What!? **NEVER!**

Rette: Then shall we get to the chapter?

Kyandi: Yep! Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 43 Night of the Dragons

Returning to their lodgings, Rette switched her battle torn clothes for her usual, barely-there shorts and a royal blue, cropped, sleeveless top. She allowed her injuries to be tended to and was just about to sink into bed to wait for news of Natsu and his team, when soldiers came through town, requesting that all gulid mages report to the central square of Crocus, while everyone else was asked to evacuate the city.

Rette joined her guild mates as they reported to the square along side all the other guild mages. There, waiting for them with his own personal guard, was Toma E. Fiore, the king. Once everyone was present, he explained to them the current situation. The moment he mentioned the ten thousand dragons, Rette's eyes went wide.

"...So, I'm deeply sorry that we don't even have time to celebrate the Grand Magic Games...but this country is currently in danger." King Toma told them.

"Ten thousand dragons..." Makarov voiced.

"We couldn't even do anything against Acnologia." Evergreen muttered.

"Acnologia is a special type of dragon. He was, after all, said to be the strongest of the dragons." Rette replied.

"But still, ten thousand..." Cana breathed.

"It's certainly not a number I ever want to face." Rette replied.

They turned back to listen to the king as he went on to explain what was happening to prepare for the incoming invasion.

"At the castle they're currently getting ready to use our strategy. The Eclipse Cannon. Our objective is to wipe out all the dragons. However...considering the number of enemies, a few, or even a few hundred of them, might survive. Magic guilds...please, cooperate with us. I want you to use your power to defeat the dragons. Please...help save this country." King Toma begged, bowing to the people before him.

"Like you even have to ask." came the lone voice over the crowd that drew all attention to Rette standing up front with Makarov. "After all...it is our home too. I don't know about anyone else here, but...I don't like anything messing with what's mine."

Agreeing cheers sounded from others as everyone present agreed to help. Everyone began making plans, discussing what they would do.

"Our teammates were captured by the army." Erza said, turning to one solider.

"They're fine, I was told they joined the princess just now." the man replied.

"Well that's all my worries off my shoulders." Rette remarked. "Let's go kick some scaly hide."

"You can't be holding back now, Starrilia. Gotta show them your true colors." Gajeel called out.

Rette scoffed as those around her, including Sting and Rogue, turned to look at her. Rette's hands went to her hips.

"No thanks. I'll stick to the magic I already use, thank you very much." Rette retorted.

She said so, but if it came down to it...she would use her Dragon Slayer magic to protect her friends and home.

Thankfully, the king tearfully thanking all of them, drew attention away from Rette. She was not in the mood to explain that, technically speaking, she was a Dragon Slayer. As Rette stood there with her friends, the clock tower chimed midnight, drawing her attention, as well as Gajeel's.

"It's here." Rette remarked.

"Yeah...July seventh." Gajeel remarked.

"It's the day the dragons disappeared, isn't it." Levy stated.

"And on this same day, they will show up." Gajeel replied.

"The irony is not lost on me." Rette said sourly.

All of the other guilds began to trickle out of the town square, Fairy Tail remaining, waiting for orders from Makarov. When the old man came over to them, he informed them that they would remain where they were while the other guilds covered the other parts of the city.

"You should rest with that wound, Erza." Cana said.

"Don't worry." Erza replied.

"She's got a point, Erza. Even your body has a limit. Don't push it." Rette told her friend, making Erza smile at her.

"Thanks to that girl from Lyon's guild and the kingdom's healer we can somehow move." Gray said.

"Tell me about it. I, personally, would have been on my face if it wasn't for them. Though, if we had Wendy, we'd be better off than we are, but I'm not going to complain." Rette agreed.

"Still, the moon looks creepy." Freed remarked, looking up at the eclipsed moon above them.

Rette looked up at the moon, herself. She had a bad feeling about this. The magic in the air didn't feel right and it put a heavy frown on her face. She didn't like this feeling at all.

"Is something wrong, Rette?"

Rette glanced down at Makarov before looking back up at the sky. She couldn't really describe the feeling she was getting. It was like a bad premonition, an omen, and she couldn't simply ignore it.

"I have a really bad feeling about all of this, Master. My senses are screaming at me to run and never stop. I don't like this feeling. The last time I felt it...was the last time I stood face to face with my father." Rette remarked.

For Rette, simply because the feeling brought her father to mind, it was enough to make her really want to turn tail and run. But she wouldn't. As long as her guild needed her, Rette would remain where she was. It didn't make her feel any better about the situation, though.

A noise suddenly sounded over the city, loud and clear and it had sweat dripping down Rette's face.

"What was that?" Elfman asked.

"That, my friends...was a dragon's roar. They're here." Rette said lowly.

Not moments after that, a strong force ripped through the center of the city, destroying several buildings a few streets over from them.

"What was that just now!?" Erza asked.

"I told you I had a bad feeling. Nothing good comes from messing with dragons." Rette declared.

With a crash, one dragon landed near them, it's whole body covered in raging flames. Rette shielded her face as she looked up at the dragon before her. One thought went through her mind at that moment.

Where was Natsu when they needed him?

"Brace yourselves!" Makarov called.

"My name is Atlas Flame. You shall now experience...the flames of hell." the dragon told them.

Right before he let loose a roaring blast that had Rette and several of her guild mates, flying back a good hand full of feet. Rette caught herself by grabbing hold of a bent lamp post. Rette gripped the post tightly, Levy and Lisanna grabbing her waist to keep from being blown away as well. Rette didn't release the post until she was sure they would be able to remain on their feet.

"Let's reorganize our stance!" Erza called, Freed calling to see if everyone was alright.

"Rette!?" Freed called.

"I'm fine." Rette called back.

Elfman hurried to her and Lisanna, checking them over before looking up at the dragon.

"What's that thing!? It's no different than Acnologia!" Elfman snapped.

"No, this one's not as bad." Gray remarked.

"Doesn't even come close." Rette agreed.

The smoke cleared then, allowing the dragon to see them still standing and ready to fight.

"Are you still alive after my attack!? Are you mages?" Atlas Flame asked.

"We're not simple mages. We're comrades connected by the same bonds of a family!" Makarov declared his magic making his body grow until he was the same size as Atlas Flame, if not bigger.

Pulling a fist back, Makarov punched the dragon square in the face. It might have hurt the dragon...if he wasn't covered in flames from head to toe. As it was, the flames ended up burning Makarov's hand.

"No matter what power you use, you won't be able to defeat a dragon. As long as you're humans." Atlas Flame declared, unleashing more power.

The heat wave released from his very body was enough to send Rette sliding backwards. This was going to be a difficult battle, but Fairy Tail, at least, had the advantage in one way.

They had three Dragon Slayers gathered in one place and it was time to prove their worth.

-0-0-0-0-

In the skies over Crocus, Natsu battled with Future Rogue atop the dragon, Motherglare. Future Rogue grinned as he watched Natsu.

"Do you remember when I said that seven years from now the world would be dominated by dragons? But those dragons didn't come from the gate. The ruler is Acnologia. The world is dominated by one single dragon. There are no mages or guilds to fight it. People spend the days in fear. I invented a magic to control dragons...but it didn't work on Acnologia. Only dragons could defeat Acnologia." Future Rogue told Natsu.

"Is that why you summoned them?" Natsu demanded.

"Not only that. If I can defeat Acnologia, I'll be the King of Dragons. I'll be the one who dominates. That's quite thrilling. Ironically, it should have been Rette Starrilia." Future Rogue remarked.

"What are you talking about!? Rette wouldn't do such a thing!" Natsu snapped.

Future Rogue's eyes narrowed as he looked down at Natsu. The grin on his face faltered for a moment. Natsu believed he knew Rette, completely and absolutely. There had been a time when Future Rogue had believed the same thing.

He had been proved so wrong.

"You don't know her like you think you do. I have lived through the future. I know all she can and will do. She is nothing that you believe her to be! Unlike I, who had to learn magic in order to dominate over dragons, she has the ability already innate in her blood. The Dragon Queen, Mother of Dragons...that is only a tiny part of who Rette Starrilia really is! You know nothing of her!" Future Rogue snapped at Natsu. "I, too, thought I knew her, until **that man** showed up and showed all of us that we were blinded by the facade she showed the world! Everything you know about her...is a lie!"

Natsu looked up at Future Rogue. For a moment, a brief, very brief moment, Natsu could have sworn he heard hurt in Rogue's voice. Had he and Rette become friends in the future only for something to happen to drive a wedge between them.

"It was why I was grateful when he killed her. At least then she could no long deceive those who claimed to love her. She no longer had need to hide from the world the truth that was slowly killing her. Even now, in this day of your time line...she's dying. **It** is killing her. Believe me, when the time comes, you will be grateful she died, just as I was." Future Rogue added.

"Never...I will never be grateful for such a thing!" Natsu snapped. "You're really unlucky."

Future Rogue's eyes widened as Natsu drew a fist back, and with all the power of the Fire Dragon Slayer, punched the dragon on which he rode. The blow was enough to wring a roar of pain from the dragon. Opening his mouth, Natsu put his big mouth and seemingly endless lungs to use.

"Can you hear me!? Dragon Slaying magic can defeat dragons!" Natsu yelled, forcing Future Rogue to cover his ears.

All over the city, all of the other Dragon Slayers looked up into the sky as Natsu's voice reached them.

"There are eight Dragon Slayers!" Natsu cried. "The dragons are seven. We out number them! Our magic was created for this day! The Dragon Slayers exist to fight now! Lets go! Lets hunt the dragons down!"

Down below, Rette looked up at the sky, a grin curling her lips. Eight Dragon Slayers, huh? Rette could feel the magic of the final Dragon Slayer as he was brought to the battle field. With Natsu, Rette, Laxus, Gajeel, Sting, Rogue, Wendy, and finally Cobra, the Dragons Slayers out numbered the dragons. Just as Natsu said.

Future Rogue grinned, not taunted as he faced Natsu.

"It's useless. Humans can't win against dragons." Future Rogue said.

"No need to be humans, as long as they can protect everybody." Natsu replied.

"Motherglare." Future Rogue called, turning to the dragon.

Following the silent order, small pods all over the dragon's body, begun to fall to the world below. They smashed into buildings and streets before hatching into human sized, dragon spawns that walked on two legs.

Things just got more complicated.

-0-0-0-0-

Rette was really starting to hate this whole thing.

Not long after Natsu's voice had filled the air, egg-like pods had rained from the sky, dropping dragon spawns all over the place. Several members of Rette's guild-Jet and Droy-freaked out.

"One dragon alone was already too strong." Cana remarked.

Laxus and Rette stepped forth then, putting themselves between their guild mates and Atlas Flame.

"Stand back." Laxus called.

Pulling their fists back, Laxus and Rette let loose their Dragon Slayer magic, lightning mixing with ice to hit the dragon hard in the face.

"I'll take on the big one! You take care of the small ones!" Laxus called to his guild mates.

"You can't do it alone!" Romeo insisted.

"He's not alone!" Evergreen retorted.

"We'll support you, Laxus." Freed agreed.

"Leave it to the Thunder Legion!" Bixlow added.

"Did you hear what Natsu said? Only Dragon Slayers can defeat dragons." Mavis said, appearing out of nowhere. "Let's leave this to Laxus and the Thunder Legion. Rette, Gajeel, look for another dragon."

Gajeel and Rette looked at each other, both nodding in understanding. Though, Rette was pretty sure she would just end up helping out the other Dragon Slayers. It wasn't like she really used her Dragon Slayer abilities. Rette turned to Laxus.

"Laxus, I leave the guild's safety to you. Fail me and you'll be the next dragon I slay." Rette called.

Laxus grinned, letting out a small, mocking like laugh. He glanced over his shoulder at Rette.

"Yeah, like that's going to happen. Get the lead out, already." he replied.

Rette nodded. With that, she turned and headed off. Laxus could handle this dragon and defend their guild. Of that, she was certain. Rette found an area away from the dragons and the spawns and closed her eyes, spreading her senses and getting a feel for the battle field. Seven dragons, their magical energy raging like burning infernos, appeared on her senses. There were the smaller, different colored fires of all the mages in the city and then the sickly gray fires that was the spawns.

At best, the spawn numbered the same as the mages. At the worst...they out numbered them, at least, two to one. And then there was the dragons themselves. This wasn't good. From what she could tell, all seven dragons had been engaged by a Dragon Slayer by this point, but the Dragon Slayers were struggling just to injure their opponent. At this rate, it was going to be a hard press fight. If they were lucky, the Dragon Slayers would get the boost they needed to fight off these dragons.

Wait.

Boost?

Rette's eyes flew open as an idea popped into her head. That was right! There was the combined Secret Art that her dragons had helped her developed. It would boost the power of the Dragon Slayers while decreasing that of the dragons! First, she needed to locate a Dragon Slayer that needed more help then the others. With them at her side, she could connect to the other Dragon Slayers and boost their power. With a plan in mind, Rette took off running.

She encountered several spawn along the way. The things had a pack mentality for sure for they would all swarm her at the same time. She was getting rather fed up with it all. She would stop now and then to check the magical energies around her. It was while doing this that she finally found the Dragon Slayer she needed to help. There were three close to her, but she passed up one and ran straight for the others.

Even though there were two of them, she couldn't leave Sting and Rogue to fight off two dragons on their own. Just as she was nearing the spot where she could sense the energies of the two Sabertooth mages, she came to the top of a small hill of rubble and gazed down. There, before her, was Sting and Rogue fighting with two dragons and behind Sting...was a spawn opening it's jaws to attack. Rette's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to call a warning, but it was too late.

She doubted she would ever get the image of a laser blast cutting through Sting's head, out of her head.

Then Rette jolted and blinked. Before her eyes, she was once more on the hill, staring down at the spawn creeping up on a still alive Sting. There was no way what she had just seen could be a vision thought up by her own mind. There was no way at all. Rette didn't believe in coincidences.

So she acted.

"Look out, you idiots!"

Sting and Rogue grunted when something crashed into their backs, knocking them forward just as a beam from one of the spawn's flew over their heads. Something, or someone, landed on their backs, the full softness of breasts pressing into the back of their heads. There was a soft mumble from the person on their backs, followed by a blast and a cry of spawn that had attacked them as it was killed.

"Well that was close...and creepy. It was almost as if I could see a minute into the future." came a familiar voice.

Sting and Rogue looked over their shoulders, coming face to face with Rette. Lavender-magenta eyes looked back at them with their usual indifference.

"Are you two alright?" she asked.

Both nodded, too surprised by her sudden appearance to speak at first. Several questions ran through their heads. The foremost being, what was she doing there instead of with her own guild?

The second being...why was she still pressing her breasts into the back of their heads?

"You're Fairy Tail's Nexus Mage." Rogue remarked.

"Marvelous deduction there, but I prefer to be called Rette. If you two are alright then up we go." Rette said, easing herself off their backs and seizing them by their arms to help heave them up to their feet.

The two turned to fully look at her when they were back on their feet. She looked just as beat up as they did, but, save for one cut running from her right temple down to her cheek, her face looked untouched. She had probably defended it over anything else simply because she needed her eyes. The barely there, tight shorts and cut off, sleeveless top she was wearing were torn, her top nearly ripped to shreds and she was missing both shoes, her feet baring cuts and bruising, but she didn't seem to notice or care that her feet were bleeding.

"What are you doing here?" Sting asked.

"Providing back up to whatever Dragon Slayer I happen to come by. You two just happen to be the first two I sensed. Good thing too, or you would have been blasted from behind." Rette replied.

She half turned, her eyes going from one dragon to the other, taking in their current situation. A low whistle left her.

"You boys have gotten yourselves into quite the pickle, huh?" Rette asked.

"Nah, we got it." Sting said instantly.

He straightened up instantly when her eyes snapped to him sharply. Something about the sharpness of her gaze instantly made him feel like apologizing for fibbing. They always did that to him. She gave him a hard jab in the chest.

"You can't lie to me, Sting Eucliffe. I know dragons better than that. If you had it, you wouldn't be so beat up and they'd already be done for. Lucky for you, I can provide you with a little power up." Rette told him.

Sting was saved from having to reply when Levia, the dragon Rogue had been fighting, leaned down and gave Rette a sniff. His muzzle bumped Rette, almost knocking her over and making her turn a dark look on the dragon as he pulled his muzzle back.

"Hey, Scissor Runner, the female smells like Tundron." Levia remarked.

Rette was bumped the other way, as the other dragon, Scissor Runner, sniffed at her too.

"And Chrysalis too." he remarked.

"You know that's rude, even for a dragon!" Rette told the two dragons. "You can't just go around sniffing a girl."

The two dragons laughed at her, which didn't go over well with Rette. The girl huffed lowly to herself before dropping to one knee between Sting and Rogue.

"Whatever. I don't care if I smell like them. I'm going to do my job and be done with the situation. I hate using this magic." Rette muttered more to herself as she drove her finger tips into the ground.

"What are you doing?" Rogue asked.

"I told you that I could provide you with a power up, right? That's what I'm doing." Rette replied.

Sting and Rogue's eyes widened as Rette took a deep breath and cast her spell.

"Twin Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Territory of the Twin Dragons!"

A large magic circle that was a swirl of ice blue and purple in color, appeared in the sky over them, spreading to cover the city. Crystal and ice shot from the ground forming four pillars at the edges of the circle. A top of them sat statues of dragons. The pillars marked four, evenly spaced points at the edges of the wide magic circle and once they were fully formed, their eyes glowed the same color as Rette's eyes, Rette eyes flashing the same way, showing that the pillars were connected to her.

Taking a deep breath, Rette leaned her head back, opened her mouth, and let out the loudest, most dragon-like cry, Sting and Rogue had ever heard from a human.

All over the whole city, all the dragons and Dragon Slayers looked up as a cry echoed loudly over the city. It sounded like a dragon's war cry, but, at the same time, it almost sounded human made. Every Dragon Slayer knew from where this cry came from.

Rette.

All across the city, Dragon Slayers grinned at the sound of the cry and as power stolen from the dragons was fed to them through a connection with Rette.

A top Motherglare, Future Rogue turned, his eyes scanning the city as Motherglare gave a shiver under him. He didn't like the sound of that cry. It sent shivers down his spine and made his knees feel like bending. Not the mention that, along with the cry, he felt like something was starting to drain his magic.

"What was that? Future Rogue questioned.

"A Queen's Cry."

Future Rogue looked down at Motherglare as the dragon spoke, giving another shake.

"What?" Future Rogue questioned.

"That was a Queen's Cry...the cry of a dragon queen." Motherglare replied.

A queen dragon!? There was no way that could be. Future Rogue was sure of that. Natsu laughing and grinning, made Future Rogue turn to Natsu.

"That's Rette. She's letting us know that the increase in our power and the decrease in your's, are gifts from her and that we can't waste it." Natsu told him.

Future Rogue grit his teeth. Of course it was Rette. Everything always lead back to Rette! The girl couldn't keep her nose out of other people's business and never had been able to. But to call it a Queen's Cry?

No...no, that did fit. The way he felt whenever she gave him an order, her ability to take and give energy from and to dragons and Dragon Slayers alike, having a cry that affected dragons...it was like Rette was a queen, the dragons in her presence bowing to her will. She just didn't know it.

He knew she had had such an ability back in the future he came from, but he had never really stopped to think of how. Rette was a weird case. She always seemed to have something about her that normal people could never accomplish.

Like her Nexus magic.

She was a special case, always and forever getting in the way of those who, even in the slightest, had plans that could or would harm what she deemed as hers. She was like a queen dragon ruling over her territory and the gods help anyone who dared to question her rule for she would rip them apart.

"She's always been a pain in my side. But she will die less than a year from now. It is her destiny." Future Rogue remarked.

Natsu's head flew up. Less...than a year? Rette had less than a year to change her fate!?

No.

Natsu wouldn't think like that. It was Rette after all. Rette didn't believe in destiny, she didn't believe in fate. She believed in living each and every day as if it was gift from above and she believed in fighting, always fighting, for the next day. She had made it this far, fighting one enemy after another, always struggling to take her next step forward. No matter what weighted her down, no matter who or what fought to knock her back, she continued forward.

She survived.

He refused to think that someone, anyone, would steal Rette's future from her. Not when she gripped it so tightly and fought for it every day of her life. If anyone would survive and continue to fight until she left the world of ripe, old age...it was Rette. She wouldn't let her life end so easily.

With that thought, a grin curled Natsu's lips, making Future Rogue raise an eyebrow at him in questioning.

"If you believe that...then you don't know Rette. Rette doesn't play by anyone's rules but her own! I don't have to worry about someone killing her because Rette won't die so easily. She will continue to survive just as she always has. No one will steal her future from her!" Natsu snapped.

No matter how this all turned out, no matter what happened to the world, Rette would fight. She would never give up and lay down, would never take the world's abuse. She would refuse with everything in her body. The fight might be hard and trying, but she would stand and fight.

She wouldn't die.

Natsu would believe in her to the end.

That was all there was to it.

-0-0-0-0-

Back where Rette knelled between Sting and Rogue, the two looked down at their bodies when it suddenly felt like a rush of power filled them, their exhaustion leaving them. The dragons on the other hand, groaned, backing away from them a few steps.

"What is this!? My power is weakening." Levia snapped.

"Territory of the Twin Dragons. It's a spell that increases the power of fellow Dragon Slayers or dragons while decreasing the power of enemy Dragon Slayers and dragons." Rette said, standing and turning to Rogue and Sting to give them a wink. "Perfect spell for the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, no?"

"You're a Dragon Slayer?" Sting asked, surprised.

"Nope. I'm the Nexus Mage, through and through. I just...happen to know how to kick a dragon's ass." Rette replied with a shrug.

The comment put a smile on Rogue and Sting's faces. She was a Dragon Slayer, no matter what she said, but it was funny the way she put it.

"You two take care of the big boys. I'll keep you clear of the smaller ones." Rette told them, turning to do just that, waving a hand over her head. "Unless you want to leave all the work to the girl of the group."

Sting's smile turned into a grin as she hurried off toward the swarm of spawns heading their way. Both of her hands were already glowing, ready for her to cast one of her spells. She charged into the swarm, knocking several out of her way in one go before she vanished among fallen walls.

"Damn...that's one hell of a girl." Sting remarked.

"Think about that later. She's given us a power up, so lets use it." Rogue replied.

Rogue and Sting focused on the dragons while Rette, true to her word, kept the spawns off their heels. Now and then, Sting and Rogue would catch sight of a spawn being blown sky high before Rette would dart between fallen walls to take care of another one. With the extra power her spell granted them, they were able to, at least, push back their dragons.

Just when they thought they might have them, Scissor Runner half turned, reaching to snag something from among the rubble behind him. A gasp in surprise told Sting and Rogue what it was before the dragon pulled Rette up into the air by the back of her already ripping top. Rette twisted, trying to get free, but the dragon swung her forward to hang her in front of his face.

"Scissor Runner, what are you doing?" Levia asked.

"She may smell like two of our own, but she's human and I'm hungry. I always did like the ones with more meat on them." Scissor Runner said, poking at one of Rette's breasts with a single claw.

"Watch where you're poking with that claw! My top is already ripp-"

Rette couldn't even get that out before the dragon's claw ripped through what was left of her top, cutting her loose of his hold but also leaving her topless as she crashed down to the ground. Rette instantly wrapped her arms around her chest, but it didn't keep Rogue and Sting from seeing. The two's eyes widened as Rette cursed lowly under her breath.

"What is it with everyone and ripping my tops!?" Rette complained. "This makes twice today!"

She didn't have long to complain though. With one arm still wrapped around her naked chest, she scrambled to her feet and away from Scissor Runner as the dragon tried to step on her. Sting caught her by the shoulders, swinging her around to shield her between him and Rogue. Rette, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, pressed into Sting's back. He could practically feel the heat from her red cheeks burning into his back.

"I swear, we didn't see anything." Sting promised instantly.

"You're a bad liar." Rette told him.

"Here, put this on." Rogue offered, draping his black coat that had hung from his shoulders, around her shoulders.

"Thanks." Rette replied, sliding her arms into the sleeves before buttoning three of the buttons to hold it close over her chest.

"You covered?" Sting asked.

"Yeah." Rette replied.

"Good...then move!"

Sting grabbed Rette's arm, yanking her out of the way as Levia's giant paw crashed down on the spot where they had just stood. Rette let out a cry of pain when a spawn popped up and opened its jaws, shooting off an attack and catching one of Rette's legs. The beam pierced right through her calf. She stumbled forward, her leg no longer waiting to hold her up. Sting turned, catching her in his arms and pulling her out of harm's way while Rogue took care of the spawn.

Rette didn't allow herself to be a burden, despite the burning pain radiating its way up her leg. She reach down, touching the injured leg. Crystals spread from her finger tips, covering the wound and giving Rette the support she needed to stand. Though the pain was horrendous.

"I'm fine." Rette told Sting, pulling herself out of his grip.

Sting was sure that was a lie and she was just trying to make sure she didn't drag them down. Her face had started to drain of color from the pain, but she stubbornly remained on her feet and refused to be knocked down. Just like in her fight with Minerva during the Navel Battle, she took the pain, grit her teeth, and bared with it.

Sting and Rogue turned their backs to hers, backing up until all three of their backs were touching. Without a word between them, they split up and went back on the offensive. Rette was sure her leg would give any time now and, even with her spell in play, Rogue and Sting were starting to run on fumes. So was Rette.

Jumping to the side to avoid getting hit with another beam, Rette tripped and stumbled as her injured leg snagged on a jagged rock. Rette looked up as she regained her balance, only to find another spawn, mouth wide open, about to shoot a beam. She would have been hit, full on in the face, but, with a yell, Sting crashed into her, knocking her back out of the way and onto her back.

He instantly pushed himself up, thankful to find that Rogue had dealt with the spawn for them. He heaved a relieved sigh, glad he had turned to check on Rette when he had.

"That was close." Sting muttered.

"Yeah. Uh...I'm grateful and all, but...could you, maybe, take in the position you're in?" Rette asked.

Sting looked down at Rette, his eyes going wide and his cheeks going red when he found that, somehow, in their tumble, his hands had ended up on her breasts. He was now groping them, Rette's cheeks coloring a faint pink in her embarrassment. In horror, he froze, his hands still on her chest, his fingers twitching. Rette's cheeks only darkened.

"Could you please let go!" Rette pleaded.

Sting jerked his hands back, sitting back on his heels. Rette crossed her arms over her chest and rolled over to get to her knees, putting her back to him. Pretty sure she was going to hit him the moment she turned to look at him, he held up his hands.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" he instantly apologized.

Rette glanced over her shoulder at him. All he could see was her eyes through the fringe of her bangs, but it was enough to make him stiffen. But instead of hitting him, she struggled to her feet, refusing to face him.

"Just forget it and focus on the fight." Rette said, kicking back into motion.

Sting wasn't sure if he should apologize again or just leave it at that. Rette was unpredictable. The choice was made for him as the dragons attacked again. He jumped back into the fight along side Rette and Rogue. They were running on fumes and Rette was getting to the point where she couldn't stand the pain in her leg. Just when she thought they were in trouble and were going to lose the fight, the two dragons and all the little spawns, started to glow before fading out of existence. Rette took that to mean that the others had found a way to take out whoever it was that had brought the dragons to their time.

Grateful that it was over, Rette flopped back onto her back and laid there, her injured leg stretched out. Heaving a sigh of both relief and dejection, Sting crouched down not far from her, Rogue dropping to sit next to him. The three stayed there, trying to catch their breaths. Rette, with the last of her magical energy, extended her senses to see what she could feel. The power of Eclipse was gone and so was the magic of the dragons. She was able to breath easy when she couldn't feel any of it.

"How pathetic..." Sting said suddenly.

"It makes me doubt my worth as a Dragon Slayer..." Rogue added.

"That's just the power level of a normal dragon." Rette told them.

"The worst part is, none of them were even in Acnologia's league." Sting added.

"Seriously? You're both alive, aren't you? You're really going to sulk about it?" Rette asked.

Sting and Rogue looked at her where she lay sprawled on her back, staring up at the night sky over head.

"A victory is a victory. We're alive, so are our friends, the kingdom's saved, and the dragons are gone. I don't know about the two of you, but I'm going to call that a win. So what if you didn't kill the dragons you were fighting? You're here and they aren't. And you protected your comrades, right? That's a win all around." Rette told them. "Stop complaining because you get to live."

Rogue and Sting both couldn't help but grin in reply to that. She had a point there.

"Besides, if you really want to argue a case, I'm the one that had the worst day ever!" Rette said tartly, making the two look at her. "First I lose my top in the view of hundreds of people, then I get dragged out of bed because of a threat to the city, dragons show up, I have to use magic that I really don't like to use, I have a hole clean through my leg, lost my top...again, got groped, and now I'm pretty sure I can't even walked." Rette ranted.

Sting rubbed the back of his neck. He knew he was kind of responsible for at least a few of those. If she hadn't come to help him and Rogue, she wouldn't have lost her top the second time. Nor would she had gotten the hole in her leg. And it was kind of his fault that he groped her too.

"Sorry about that." Sting told her.

Rette just huffed, letting out a breath that blew her bangs up into the air. He took that as an off handed way of accepting the apology.

"Out of all of the others, why did you come to help us?" Sting asked, changing the subject.

Rette pushed herself up, leaning back on her hands so she could look at them. Her bangs were puffed away from her head, like she had just gotten out of bed and she ran a hand through them, pressing them flat against her head.

"You were the closest, though, truthfully, Gajeel wasn't that far from you two." she told them.

"Why not go and help him? He is your comrade, after all." Rogue added.

"Are you kidding me?"

The two stared at her when that was her retort. Her eyebrows were furrowed together in a look of disbelief. Rette threaded the fingers of one hand in her hair, shoving it back from her face as she leaned on the other hand.

"Are all guys this dense, or is it just Dragon Slayers? After all that and you still don't consider me a comrade. I'm hurt. Really, I'm wounded." Rette retorted.

Rogue and Sting just stared at her, waiting for her to get to her point. Rette heaved a sigh.

"Sabertooth, Fairy Tail...in a time like this in which it's the mages of Fiore against a common enemy, it doesn't matter, does it? We're all trying to fight to survive. Though I really don't like the title, for personal reasons, I am a Dragon Slayer, the same as the two of you. That means, despite our guilds being different...you are my comrades." Rette explained.

It surprised the two males, but at the same time...put smiles on their faces. Rette didn't seem like a person that threw those kinds of words around lightly.

"Now that you got it, do me a favor." Rette said.

"What?" Sting asked.

"Carry me back to the others? My leg won't support me, I'm out of magic, and Thyme's not here." Rette said.

Sting and Rogue chuckled to themselves as they got to their feet.

"Yeah, I got you." Sting agreed, crouching down in front of her.

He presented her with his back, letting her climb onto his back before lifting her up. Rette wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her chin on his shoulder. Taking it slow, Sting and Rogue made their way back to the others. Catching Sting's scent for the first time, Rette took a deep breath.

"Huh..."

"What is it?" Sting asked when she made the small noise.

"You actually smell a little like Tundron."

Rogue turned to look at Rette as Sting tried to twist to see her face. With the way her head was resting on his shoulder, though, he couldn't.

"Tundron...was he your dragon?" Sting asked.

"One of them."

"You had two?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah. I was taken in by a mated pair of dragons. The ice dragon, Tundron, and his mate, the crystal dragon, Chrysalis. I learned magic from both of them, but I don't like to use it." Rette replied. "But your scent...it reminds me a little of his. It's been so long since I've smelled it."

Rette's tone, to them, sounded a bit...sad. As if the memory of her dragons brought forth feelings of sadness.

"What happened to your dragons?" Sting asked.

"I'll tell you if you tell me what happened to yours. Natsu told me that you said you killed them, but I

get the feeling that's not the whole story, is it?" Rette asked.

"What makes you say that?" Rogue asked.

"To kill someone who raised you out of the kindness of their hearts...a person would have to be pretty evil and heartless. I know evil and heartless...and you two aren't it. No matter how big and bad you try to act." Rette replied.

"We could be!" Sting protested.

"If you were...you wouldn't be carrying me right now and you wouldn't have saved me earlier when I got hurt. Give it up. Laxus tried that big and bad crap with me too. He didn't get very far with it and neither will you." Rette said, sounding a bit amused.

"You have some confidence in yourself." Sting said with a laugh.

"Only in certain things. My ability to tell good from bad is just one small thing. But you heard my condition. I'll tell you about my dragons, but only if you tell me about yours." Rette told him.

Sting looked at Rogue. They didn't really have an issue with telling her and what she was asking was actually a fair trade. Rogue gave his comrade a single nod.

"We did kill them, but that was only a half truth. My dragon, Wiesslogia, made me do it. Said that my power would grow if I spilled the blood of a dragon." Sting said.

"Skiadrum, my dragon, was already on his deathbed." Rogue added.

"I see...I'm sorry. Such a loss...I can't even begin to imagine it." Rette said softly, her arms tightening slightly around Sting's neck.

They could tell, just from that, that Rette hadn't killed her dragons. Sting glanced back at her, or tried to, when he felt her arms tighten slightly around his neck.

"Dragons cause nothing but heartache, rather you love them or are tormented by them. I don't understand the pride in being a Dragon Slayer." Rette said lowly.

"Rette?" Sting called.

"...they left me. Even knowing what they did about me, about my state and my past, they left me and probably never even looked back." Rette said lowly.

"Rette-"

"That's just what happens sometimes. You trust the wrong people and it turns on you. Not everyone is like that, but...I guess I had bad luck in the past." Rette said, cutting Sting off.

Rette heaved a sigh when neither could think of anything to say. She lifted her head off Sting's shoulder and poked his cheek with one finger.

"Don't give me that look. Not everyone lives happily ever after, you know. Besides...I have my guild now. And if you promise to never attack my guild mates again, I'll even befriend you. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people messing with what's mine." Rette told them.

Neither really felt like disagreeing with Rette. They had seen Rette's determination of will when it came to protecting her guild. It wasn't a force they wanted to mess with. Especially not injured and low on magic energy like they currently were.

"You know, if you ever get tired of Natsu and Fairy Tail, you can always come to Sabertooth." Sting offered her, a grin on his face.

"Oh, you wish. Sorry, but I have my hands full enough at Fairy Tail between the various members. No offense, but you seem to have your fair share of weirdos and problem cases too. I'm just fine with my guild. After all...they're my family. I couldn't leave them. Ever." Rette said fondly.

"Family, huh?" Rogue mused.

"Yeah. That is what a guild is, you know. Blood may be thicker than water, but it washes away just the same. The bonds of those in a guild, of those who both support and lean on their comrades, the trust and the love. The bonds of people who will help you stand when everything comes crashing down, who will keep you from drowning in the darkness of the world...that's a guild. It's a home I'll always go back to, no matter what. They are the one that save me from the darkness, the reason I reach for the light." Rette said. "I'm sure, if you wanted, that you could accomplish this in your own guild."

Sting and Rogue smiled. They would try. They wanted to make a guild where each member cherished the bonds with their comrades. Just like in Fairy Tail. Sting glanced over his shoulder when Rette completely laid her head on his shoulder.

"I could never trade my guild for anything in this world or the next. So, yeah...I'll stick with Fairy Tail." Rette remarked before heaving a sigh. "I'm exhausted. Today has been a long day."

"Yeah, it has." Sting agreed.

" **Rette!** "

All three looked up when they heard a voice call Rette's name from the sky above. Thyme came rocketing down towards them and almost knocked Sting over when she hit Rette. Rette gasped in pain as the exceed clung to her.

"Thyme, what are you doing?" Rette asked.

Thyme's paws went to waving, tears pooling in her eyes, but no words left her mouth. Sting and Rogue shared a look as Rette watched Thyme. Finally, Rette heave a sigh and laid a hand on Thyme's head.

"I get it, no need to yell. I'm fine, really." Rette assured her.

"Yell? She didn't say anything." Sting remarked.

"Thyme has the ability to from connections to those closest to her. Through those connections, she can speak to you telepathically. She's not a big fan of verbally talking." Rette told them.

Thyme sniffled, gripping Rette neck. Rette rubbed at the spot between her ears. Despite being able to tell that Rette was alive, Thyme got worried so easily and had feared that Rette had been seriously injured when she had felt Rette's pain through their connection.

"Honestly, Thyme, I'm fine." Rette told the exceed.

Thyme's paws went to waving again as she silently spoke to Rette again. Rette reached up and scratched at one cheek.

"Well...I wouldn't say that. There was one incident." Rette replied to Thyme's unspoken words.

Thyme tilted her head to the side. Instead of answering out loud, Rette told her through the connection. Rogue and Sting watched Thyme as her eyes widened and then she was turning on Sting, her nose wrinkled in anger and her ears laying flat against her head. Sting leaned away from her as she started waving small paws balled up into fists at him.

"How dare you! How dare you grope Rette!" Thyme squeaked in a tiny voice.

"You told her!?" Sting demanded.

"She can read my mind and my emotions through the bond. It was recent enough that she would have found out without me telling her. Might as well be honest with her." Rette replied before reaching out to grab Thyme by the back of her dress. "That's enough, Thyme. It was an accident. He was trying to help me."

Thyme huffed and let herself hang from her dress, her paws falling to her sides. When Sting was sure that Thyme wouldn't try to claw his eyes out again, he started walking again.

"Apologize, Thyme." Rette told her partner.

"...sorry..."

Sting grinned at Thyme. It was easy to tell that Thyme was just being protective of her human partner. He couldn't really fault her that. Especially when he still kind of felt bad about groping Rette, himself.

He would never admit to anyone...that he had found Rette to be incredibly soft.

"Don't worry about it." Sting told Thyme.

"Though, I do have one question for you." Rette said, peering at Sting.

Before he could react, Rette reached out and grabbed his cheek, pulling it.

"Exactly why did you hold on for so long after I pointed out where your hands were?" Rette demanded.

Sting shot Rogue a look pleading for help, but Rogue pretended not to see it. Sting would have to deal with this one on his own. He laughed to himself as they stumbled back to the others, Rette playfully pulling Sting's cheek until he apologized again. Rette was blissfully unaware of Future Rogue's final warning to Natsu.

-0-0-0-0-

All across the city, the dragons had vanished completely, as if they had never been there. Even the smaller spawns vanished with them. Natsu, though he hadn't purposely done so, had crashed Future Rogue and his dragon into the Eclipse Gate, destroying it and altering the future. As a result, the dragons and the spawn vanished back to their own time line.

Natsu, glanced over at his friends, making sure they were alright. Once he was sure, he looked down at Future Rogue, who had yet to vanish.

"The Rogue I know...won't turn into 'you'." Natsu told him.

"Shadows...the shadows...they're trying to consume me. They've come for me...time and time again. The darkness within me...is permanent. And the day I lost Frosch...I became one with the shadows." Future Rogue said.

"Frosch won't die." Natsu assured him.

"In one year's time...make sure to tell 'me' to protect Frosch...in a year's time. Or Frosch...will be killed." Future Rogue said.

He said something else, low where Natsu could barely hear. Something that shocked Natsu. While Natsu stared at him in shock, Future Rogue, whose body had started to glow, thought of one last thing that he needed to tell Natsu.

"I know what I said, but...I always regretted her death. Rette, I mean. It was...so cruel how she died. Protect her, Natsu Dragneel. In less than a year... **he** will come for her. The man with the four scars down his face and nightmares in his wake. When he does...she'll give up all resemblance of a fight. She will let him take her life. Don't let her." Future Rogue told Natsu.

With that, Future Rogue vanished as well. Natsu turned, his eyes going to the distant parts of the city where he was sure Rette was rejoining their guild mates after a hard fought battle with dragons.

Rette would...give up?

No...that couldn't be. Rette never gave up...on anything. Watching Rette over the time she had been with Fairy Tail, he couldn't imagine anything that could make her give up. Yet, Future Rogue had insisted that Rette would give up. That she would, in the face of this mystery man, let herself be killed. This man, whoever he was, would come and kill Rette, he would take her away from them.

Well...that wasn't going to happen!

Whoever this man was, whatever he wanted, he wasn't going to take Rette from them. No way, no how.

Natsu would never allow it.

-0-0-0-0-

Over the next few days, repairs to the city took place. Thankfully, the only ones that remembered anything were those mages that fought against the dragons. There was no panic from the city's inhabitants over remembering about the dragons. After repairs were done, the king, as a thank you to the magic guilds that helped in the fight with the dragons, held a ball for the magic guilds and all of their members.

Everyone was excited about it and dressed up in fancy dresses and suits for the ball. By the time Lucy, Mira, Wendy, Lisanna, and Yukino joined the others, Natsu still hadn't made an appearance. While the others wondered where Natsu was, friends from different guilds were taking the chance to party together, Freed was running interference on keeping women away from Laxus, and Erza made up with Millianna by handing over Happy, Carla, Lily, and Thyme for her to hug.

It was then that Sting approached the members of Fairy Tail with a bottle and a couple of glasses, wondering where Natsu was.

"Salamander ain't here." Gajeel told him.

"What!? I was about to put a seal on him to close the gap between us!" Sting admitted bluntly.

While Sting sulked for a moment, Gajeel turned to talk to Rogue. Recovering from his sulking, Sting clapped a hand on Gajeel's back.

"I'll settle for Gajeel! Let's drink!" Sting cheered.

"Settle? I have this sudden urge to smack you. Go find Starrilia! She'll entertain you!" Gajeel retorted.

"Oh yeah, were is Rette?" Sting asked, looking around.

"Rette insisted, to the very last moment, that she wasn't going to come." Lucy said from where she stood nearby.

"She said she had better things to do with her time than to be pranced around in a fancy dress that she had no business being in." Mira added with a small laugh.

"So she's not coming?" Laxus asked.

"Oh, no, she's coming. It's just taking her a little bit longer to get dress since she kept insisting until the last moment." Mira replied.

Sting lit up. He couldn't wait to see what dress Rette showed up in.

It was then that Sting and Rogue caught sight of Yukino. The moment she saw them, she turned on her heel.

"A-apologies...I shouldn't have come here after all..." she said, hurrying to make her escape.

"Wait!" Sting called after her. "I'm sorry...I didn't know you were here. Master and our lady have both vanished. We're going to start over from scratch and rebuild Sabertooth from the ground up."

Yukino, surprised by what he said, turned to look at him.

"You know...we've been quite...cold towards you. But we're going to become a guild that treasure and values our comrades from now on." Sting told her.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Yukino asked.

"We want you back...I guess that's kinda how it is if we go with the flow." Sting told her.

A drunk Kagura entered the conversation at this point, her hands on her hips.

"Of course that's how you'd want the flow to go! Yukino's life belongs to me! She's Mermaid Heel property now! I won't stand for any back talk on that matter!" Kagura insisted.

"You're drunk as hell!" Sting snapped.

"Shaddup! Yukino's Mermaid Heel's now!" Kagura snapped back.

"Please wait a second! We can't just sit idly by on this." Erza said, jumping into the conversation now.

"That's right! If you want to follow the flow, then she should join us!" Lucy added.

With both Mermaid Heel and Fairy Tail throwing in their opinions, that invited Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Quarto Cerberus to weight in on the debate. Even the guild masters joined in. With that, a brawl broke out and Yukino, happy that so many people cared, broke into tears and a smile.

"Just what on earth are all of you doing?"

The demanding voice carrying out over the dance hall, had everyone coming to a stop. Coming their way from across the hall, high heels clicking against the marble, was Rette. Jaws dropped and everyone completely forgot what they were doing.

Rette was stunning in her choice of a dress. It was a royal blue affair that clung to her form until it reached her hips where it fell to the floor in an A-line. One high rising slit rode up the right side of the skirt baring the length of one leg that was made to look longer thanks to the silver, strappy heels she was wearing. It was sleeveless and backless in a halter top fashion, with a high neck line and large diamond cut out in the front that showed off her guild emblem and enough cleavage to make a man's mouth water. The open back was even so low that everyone could seen the two dimples just an inch or two above the crack of her backside.

She had paired it with silver gloves that reached up to mid-forearm and had all of her hair swept over to the right, the hair along the left side of her head braided back and secured with a bejeweled brooch. Long, dangling earrings hung from her ears and she had added her charm necklace.

Despite her reluctance to be dressed in a fancy dress, she came towards them with confidence in her stride, the lights twinkling off a small tiara that had been nestled among her hair on the top of her head.

Rette scanned them all as she approached, her hands going to her hips.

"What are all of you doing? We're in the king's castle for crying out loud and you're all acting like your five year olds fighting over a shiney toy." Rette remarked.

"That would be my fault." Yukino told her, quickly explaining to her what was going on.

"Really? That's the reason behind this?" Rette asked, one eyebrow raising. "The solution is simple."

"Oh? What solution is that?" Mira asked.

"Easy...it's Yukino's life. She decides. Personally, I have no doubt she'll go back to Sabertooth. It is her home, after all. Home is where the heart is and her heart is with Sabertooth. End of story." Rette said confidently before turning and walking away from the mess.

Yukino laughed lowly. Rette was certainly right about that. Rette ignored the looks she got as she passed and went to the refreshment table, getting her some punch to drink since she wasn't about to willingly drink alcohol.

"Rette! You look so pretty!" Wendy said, approaching Rette with Chelia behind her.

"You really do!" Chelia agreed.

"Really? I feel positively stifled in this thing." Rette said, tugging lightly at the front of the dress.

"How can you? If the back was any lower and if the front was anymore open, everyone would see everything you have." Gray remarked.

"I'm not use to dresses. Especially not floor length dresses. This was the only one I could find that came anywhere close to being comfortable." Rette told him.

Before anyone else could approach her and comment on her dress, Arcadios appeared on a balcony over head, calling their attention to him.

"For your bravery in the Grand Magic Games, and for saving this country from mortal danger, his majesty has come here in person. Let that sink into your very hearts." Arcadios announced before turning to introduce the king.

Instead of the king, Natsu appeared wearing the king crown and cape.

"What's up bitches!? Let's crank this up a notch!" Natsu declared.

Several members of Natsu's guild broke out into a nervous sweat, their jaws dropping open. Rette blinked as she stared up at Natsu and then looked down at the cup of punch in her hand.

"You know, I'm half tempted to say, "Screw this" and grab the strongest alcohol they serve here and down the whole bottle." Rette remarked.

"He's always crossing the line." Lucy said, as if in agreement with Rette.

"That he is. But it's what makes the days exciting." Rette replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

With everyone in a good mood, the party began anew. Rette stood off the side, watching her friends had fun, talking dancing, and drinking the night away. It was like the celebrations back in Fairy Tail's guild hall, but on a grander scale. It was certainly fun to watch.

"Hey Rette."

Rette looked up as someone approached her, calling her name. She looked up into the grinning face of Sting.

"Oh, hey Sting. You clean up nice." Rette remarked, looking him over.

Sting rubbed the back of his head, his grin growing wider. Rette folded her arms lightly over her stomach as she looked up at him.

"How's the leg?" he asked.

"Between Wendy, Chelia, and our own medical adviser, I'm all good." Rette answered.

Sting was glad to hear it. Without the healing magic of Wendy and Chelia, the injury would have been awful. Rette would have been lucky to ever walk again.

"Did you need something?" she asked.

"Yeah...want to dance?"

Rette blinked down at Sting's hand as he held it out to her, asking her to dance with him. For a moment she just stared at his hand before she raised her eyes to his face.

"I can't dance." she told him.

"Neither can I. The point is just to have fun!" he told her.

Rette stared at him for such a long time that Sting was starting to think she was going to turn him down. Then she turned towards him and laid a hand in his.

"Alright, but I'm warning you...I might step on your feet." she told him.

Sting grinned, closing his fingers around her hand. For a chance to dance with her, he'd take a couple of bruised feet. Pulling on her hand, he led her out onto the dance floor, pulling her into his arms as the music played. Despite her protest, Rette wasn't really all that bad at dancing. At least, she didn't step on his feet. With one hand on her waist and the other holding her hand, Sting spun her around the dance floor, grinning.

When Natsu came charging by, swinging Lucy around and almost knocking into them, Rette plastered herself to Sting, the two of them turning to watch Natsu and Lucy crash into Gajeel and Levy. They watched as Gajeel and Natsu started arguing while Lucy tried to get the room to stop spinning. Looking up at each other, their faces close to each other, Sting grinned, Rette unable to help the small smile on her face as they inwardly laughed at Natsu and his hijinks.

For now, right then and there, Rette was happy. She had her friends, her family, around her, was watching as they laughed and enjoyed their life. They were all alive and happy. For that alone, she was alive and she was happy.

She didn't know that it would all come crashing down around her soon enough.

END

Kyandi: The next hand full of chapters are going to be, somewhat, filler chapters. They're going to add to the plot, but...

Rette: But it's mostly for fluff and amusement purposes.

Kyandi: Exactly.

Rette: There's one up coming chapter that I'm not looking forward to.

Kyandi: Huh...OH! I know which one it is!

Rette: Can we cut that chapter out?

Kyandi: _**NO!**_ That chapter is staying in.

Rette: ...At least I tried.

Kyandi: Hehe! Anyway, everyone pleased enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	44. Village of Ice

Kyandi: Hello, Kyandiacs!

Rette: We have returned.

Kyandi: Yep! Oh, and I have news! It was recently been brought to my attention that I'm behind the times.

Rette: Especially considering how many people love your stories and constantly want to know when the new chapters are coming out.

Kyandi: Right! So, in hopes to better keep you all informed on when new chapters are coming, I have made a Twitter account.

Rette: Just go to her bio for the link.

Kyandi: On this account, I will keep you all updated on the progress of your favorite stories and, once I enter the editing stage of a chapter, I will tweet that I have an upcoming chapter almost ready and then I will hashtag the story that chapter belongs to.

Rette: You all can also use this account to ask questions or simply to chat.

Kyandi: Right. Now, with that news out of the way, everyone please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 44 Village of Ice

After everything was said and done with the Grand Magic Games, the members of Fairy Tail returned home. They had been greeted, upon returning, by the inhabitants of Magnolia all cheering for them, lining the streets. Even the members of Twilight Ogre where there to cheer for them. There were even several there that weren't even from Magnolia and had only shown up to welcome Fairy Tail back home. Rette had been mildly embarrassed the whole time with so much attention on her.

What finally, kind of choked Rette up, was that, as a way to show that Fairy Tail was the pride of the town, the mayor had their old guild hall reconstructed and returned into their care. Fairy Tail was back in it's original home.

Even after the big celebration and party at the king's castle, coming home lead to another round of celebrations. Rette was just glad to be home again. That gratitude didn't last long as Natsu shared with the guild what Future Rogue had told him about her future. They all knew that Rette knew exactly what he was talking about when her face drained of color after Natsu mentioned the man with the four scars over his eye. Even more so when she tried to dodge the conversation.

"Come on, Rette! Answer the question!"

Everyone in the guild hall stopped talking, turning to look at Natsu as he called across the room to Rette, who was busy cleaning off tables. Natsu had his hands braced on a table, glaring at Rette as she pretended not to know what he was talking about.

"Oh? And what question was that?" Rette asked, continuing about her work without looking at him.

"The man with the four scars over his eye that the future Rogue mentioned. The one he said would kill you...you know who he is, don't you?" Natsu asked.

Rette froze in what she was doing, her hand hovering over a glass she had been about to pick up. That moment of hesitation, was all the answer Natsu needed. Rette flexed her fingers for a moment before she went back to clearing dishes.

"Who is he Rette?" Erza asked. "If we know, we can find him and stop him before he can hurt y-"

"I don't know who you're talking about." Rette said.

"That's a lie!" Natsu snapped.

Rette didn't turn to face him. She knew, at that moment, that if she did, they would be able to read her like a book. Just keeping her tone even was taking effort.

"He's not anyone of importance, so leave it." Rette said finally.

She didn't turn around to face them, just kept picking up dishes to be taken back and cleaned. Her friends stared at her as she worked. They couldn't simply just leave it at that. Future Rogue had claimed that Rette's death had absolutely nothing to do with the dragons he unleashed on the world, meaning that there was a high possibility...that it would still happen. He had also said that Rette would allow her life to be stolen from her.

"Rette, there's still a chance that it could happen. We really should find him before he can find you." Erza insisted. "Whoever he is, we can protect y-"

" **I said leave it!** "

The sound of shattering glass filled the air along with Rette's darkly snapped reply. Shards of glass fell from Rette's hand where she had shattered the glass from gripping it too tightly. Crimson red drops of blood dripped onto the floor from the cuts that the glass had left in her hand. Rette looked down at her hand and clicked her tongue in annoyance. She stepped around the broken glass on the floor and headed for the bar, setting her tray down before turning to start picking glass shards out of her flesh.

"Rette...what aren't you telling us?" Makarov asked from where he sat on the bar.

"It doesn't matter. I told you...he's not of importance. He's someone that won't approach when he knows I have the name of a guild associated with my own." Rette replied, rinsing her hand with water to make sure she got all the glass.

"Rette, if you're in some kind of trouble..."

"I'm not." Rette insisted, looking up at Erza when she spoke. "It's nothing. I have the future Rogue's warning. I won't fall into any traps. Leave it as it is."

"He said you would give up, Rette. That you would let this guy kill you." Gray remarked. "Knowing you, knowing how stubborn you are about giving up, the thought of someone being able to make you go that far...it's reason enough for us to worry."

Rette let out a humorless, curt laugh at that and shook her head. Pulling a clean cloth out from under the bar, she wrapped her still bleeding hand in it.

"You just said it yourself, Gray. When have you ever known me to give up on anything? I honestly don't think you have anything to worry about." Rette told them. "So, please...leave it alone."

With that, Rette grabbed a broom, swept up the glass and retreated to a back room. Her friends looked at each other. Something wasn't right. Rette was never that sketchy. She had clearly been on edge since they had returned home and it seemed that the girl was almost always tense. Lately, every time she came to the guild hall her color was bad, she looked tired, and she was sluggish. She jumped at the slightest thing and almost always seemed to be looking over her shoulder. Some days, she even looked like she had been through a week long bout of a stomach flu in the course of just about ten minutes. Other times...she just vanished, only to show up hours later looking deathly pale.

Something wasn't right at all.

In the back room, Rette braced a hand on the wall, trying to catch her breath. She could feel another sharp pain ripping its way through her chest. Stumbling, Rette headed for the backdoor of the guild hall, slipping outside unnoticed. It was dark out, the night air carrying a cooling breeze. Rette didn't noticed it, though, as she hurried away from the guild hall. She had been doing this a lot since the Grand Magic Games.

Since she had heard Future Rogue's warning to her.

It seemed that, since then, her fits had been getting worse. She was having them almost daily now. And they were intense. It was all she could do to get away from the guild hall unnoticed. She didn't want anyone to know about them. Didn't want anyone to know something was wrong. Rette didn't bother trying the stairs up to her house. She would never make it. Instead, she headed for a back alley. Somewhere she could pass the fit without anyone being the wiser.

She was blindly stumbling into walls by the time she reached a reasonable hiding place. There, she sank to the ground, reach up to pull her choker off. She felt like she couldn't breath. Hard to breathe, burning pain...Rette couldn't even see straight. The fits were getting worse. It almost felt like she was choking on her own tongue.

"Rette?"

Rette snapped up straight, whipping around, her eyes wide and one hand snapping up to cover her throat. She was sure she had slipped out of the guild hall, unseen. Her eyes found, not Mira, or one of her teammate, but Mavis. Mavis looked back at her with a concerned look on her youthful face.

"Rette, are you alright? You're pale." Mavis said, floating over her.

"I'm fine, First Master. You can return to the others. I'll be in shortly." Rette told her.

Though she tried for her usual blank tone, Mavis could hear the clipped off end to just about each word she spoke. She could hear the pain and, though she was hoping she imagined it, fear, in Rette's tone. Something was wrong and Rette was trying to get rid of her. Seeing that Mavis' concern wasn't going away, Rette tried to give her a tiny smile.

"I'm fine, I promi-"

Rette cut off, unable to finish the sentence as another ripping, burning pain shot through her, making her gag and gasp in pain. She gasped as she wrapped both hands around her throat, coughing as she choked. Mavis hurried to her side, crouching down next to her.

"Rette!?" she asked.

Rette gasped and coughed, removing one hand from her throat to brace herself. It was then that Mavis noticed that Rette wasn't wearing the usual choker she wore and with the choker missing, it revealed what usually remained hidden beneath. Mavis' eyes went wide.

"Rette!" she gasped.

Rette's wide and panicked eyes flew up to Mavis and she instantly covered her throat with both hands once more. She even shrank back from Mavis, fear clear in her eyes.

"P-please...I can explain..." Rette gasped out.

Mavis shook her head. She could tell that Rette had been terrified someone would see. It was why she had slipped out of the guild hall unseen. Upon seeing what Rette had been hiding, so much fell into place about Rette. How sometimes she came to the guild hall looking like she had just been run through a week long stomach flu in the matter of ten minute, why Rette never let anyone touch the choker, her overly volatile tempers that were completely out of her character, why, lately, she had been suddenly vanishing, more and more...everything.

"Oh, Rette!" Mavis said softly, reaching out to Rette.

Rette shrank even more, folding in on herself until her forehead was pressed to the ground. Mavis had never thought to see Rette in this kind of position and it cut at her heart to see it now. It hurt to seen the usually confident, straight forward girl reduced to a huddled up form on the ground.

"Please, don't...I can't stand pity." Rette said lowly.

"I don't pity you, Rette. I'm only sorry you have to suffer this. Tell me what's going on." Mavis coaxed.

For a long moment, Rette didn't speak, she didn't move, Mavis swore she didn't even breathe. Finally, Rette turned her head to peer up at her from behind the screen of her hair.

"You can't tell Master or anyone in the guild." Rette told her.

"Rette, I don't think-"

"Please, Master Mavis! Swear it." Rette pleaded.

"Rette..."

Mavis didn't want to agree to this and Rette knew it. Rette silently pleaded with Mavis. She couldn't tell Mavis if she was going to tell the others. She couldn't let the others know what was going on with her. They wouldn't understand.

"I can't do this to them, Master Mavis. I can't drag them into my world. Not after everything they've done for me...after all they've given me. It's not right. Please!" Rette pleaded.

Mavis could see Rette's conviction. If she didn't promise and keep her promise, Rette would walk away now without getting any help that Mavis could possibly offer her. She might even vanish completely. And that could end up being detrimental to her health...and possibly her sanity. So, even though the words tasted like ash in her mouth, she promised Rette.

"I promise I won't say a word to anyone." Mavis told her.

Rette seemed to relax with that promise. She managed to shift into a sitting position and moved her hand from her throat to show Mavis what lay there. Black symbols wrapped completely around her throat, spelling out a spell of some kind that was etched firmly into her skin. Normally it remained fully hidden under her choker.

"It's a seal." Rette told her lowly.

"A seal for what?" Mavis asked.

Rette shook her head. That was one thing she refused to tell Mavis, or anyone for that matter. It was a secret she would take to her grave. Mavis knew she would have to deal with what she could get from Rette and try to piece the rest together herself.

"I've had it for as long as I can remember. Now and then, I would have small fits, burning pain and shortness of breath, but recently...the stronger my magic gets, the weaker the seal seems to be. It also seems to respond to certain emotions, too. The fits have gotten worse. I can't breathe, the pain drives me to my knees...I have no strength afterward. There are even times when I pass out from the pain." Rette told her.

It sounded like whatever was sealed was slowly trying to kill Rette and the stronger her magic got, the stronger it got. If this kept up, it would kill Rette, but it was a secret Rette would rather take to her grave than burden her guild with. Mavis thought hard. How could she, who didn't even have a real body, help Rette without getting the rest of their guild mates involved?

Then the idea hit her.

Mavis knew this would help Rette, but it would be breaking a rule that had been high among rules for masters of Fairy Tail for decades. Mavis looked at Rette as the girl tensed up when another fit hit her. She couldn't leave Rette like this no matter what the rules said.

Rette would die if she did.

"Come with me, Rette. I can help you." Mavis told her.

Rette looked up at her, confused, but with some urging, Mavis got her to her feet and got her to follow her. She sneaked Rette down a long stone stair way that lead deep beneath Fairy Tail. Rette stumbled along behind her, her strength already beginning to fade. By the time they reached the room far below Fairy Tail that was crumbling away from age, Rette was barely able to stay on her feet. She looked around, the magic around her so strong it was over powering.

But Rette knew this magic.

She had felt it from the very first time she had stepped inside Fairy Tail.

"Master Mavis, is this...?"

Mavis turned to her, standing before a door way on the other side of the room. She gave Rette a wary smile.

"This is Lumen Historie. You can't tell anyone of this Rette. Not a soul." Mavis told her.

Rette nodded, joining her before the door. When the door opened, Rette stared wide eyed at what sat before her. She turned those wide eyes on Mavis. Shock, questioning, and understanding, in her two toned eyes.

"This is why it feels so much like you." Rette said lowly.

Mavis nodded. Before them stood the tall crystal in which was preserved Mavis' real body. Following Mavis, Rette stumbled over to the crystal. Raising a hand, Rette pressed it lightly to the crystal. Through the power in the crystal, Rette could tell that the body inside the crystal...was alive.

"You're still technically alive?" Rette asked in wonder.

"I can explain this to you another time. For now, we're here for another reason. You're a Crystal Dragon Slayer, right?" Mavis asked.

"Yes." Rette replied.

"And you can eat crystals?"

"Only those I don't create myself." Rette answered.

"Good...then eat part of the crystal."

Rette whipped her head around to stare at Mavis, but she seemed perfectly serious. The clear, dumbfounded look on Rette's face was enough to make Mavis feel like laughing.

"I'm sorry...what?" Rette asked.

"Eat part of the crystal." Mavis repeated.

"But Master Mavis...that would be like eating part of you, part of your power! I would be basically absorbing part of you into my body." Rette replied.

"I know. By doing this, part of me would be in you and from there...I can help to control the fits." Mavis told her.

Rette looked from her to the crystal encasing her body. She didn't feel right about this, knew it would create another bond that she wasn't sure she could handle. That was basically what it would become. With this, she would be linked to Mavis and Mavis to her. Rette wasn't sure about it.

"I know what you're thinking, Rette. And yes, it would link us. But wouldn't it be worth it to be free of the fits?" Mavis asked her.

"Not necessarily, First Master. There is so much about me that I would not wish on another person, a hell in my own mind that I even keep from Thyme. To even consider putting even the tiniest bit of that on you...I'd rather stay in the hell of my own mind." Rette said.

"Rette, please. In exchange for me keeping your secret, allow me to do this for you." Mavis insisted.

Rette looked at her, a torn look in her eyes. Deep down, Rette was touched and she knew Mavis was right. Silently thanking Mavis with her eyes, Rette turned back and, as quickly as she could-because she knew the magic she was consuming would hurt going down-she took five big bites, the crystal breaking off easily under her sharped incisors, and swallowed quickly. For a moment, nothing happened, and then it hit.

Rette let out a cry of pain as her body suddenly throbbed and pain filled her from her head to her toes. She crumpled to the ground, gritting her teeth as she curled in on herself. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. But even so...it wasn't the worst pain she had ever felt. Since the magic trapped in the crystal technically wasn't her own or even similar, it pained her as it fought to settle in her body. As the magic settled, Rette felt like there was a burning sensation settling on the skin of her stomach.

Mavis sat at her side the whole time, speaking to her lowly and reassuringly. When finally the pain passed, Rette lay on her side, breathing hard. Mavis sat beside her, reaching out to run ghostly hands over Rette's hair. Maybe it was because she bore the emblem of Fairy Tail, or maybe it was because of the trial she had just gone through, but Rette could actually feel her touch.

"I'm sorry for the pain." Mavis told her.

"It's not the worst pain I've ever felt." Rette replied lowly. "But that feels nice...you petting my hair. I never had anyone to do that for me."

"That's right...your mother died when you were young." Mavis said.

Rette glanced up at her before letting her eyes drift close. She didn't really like talking about her parents. Either set, for that matter. But Mavis was curious. Rette had told her a little about her father, but she had a feeling that Rette was leaving out a lot.

"Rette...tell me about your father." Mavis suggested.

Rette heaved a sigh. It wasn't a subject she liked speaking about, and he wasn't a man she liked thinking about, but she was sure that Mavis wouldn't let it go with a "no".

"I think I told you this once, but in case I didn't...my father was a cruel man. Especially to me. He wanted someone of his blood to use as a part of his grand master plan, so he forced my mother to have me. She died shortly after I was born. I never knew her." Rette said.

"And your father was so cruel to you." Mavie stated.

Rette nodded her head. Mavis stared down at Rette. She felt so bad for what Rette had to go through growing up. Rette refused to open her eyes, didn't want to see the look on Mavis' face.

"To him, I was nothing more than a tool. Not even human. Torture, pain, fear...that was all he ever gave me. I suppose I was a smart child. I ran away when I was five and a year later, I was taken in by Tundron and Chrysalis, my dragons." Rette went on. "So, no...I've never had anyone to just pet my hair in comfort."

"Was your father responsible for the seal?" Mavis asked.

"Yes."

Mavis, looking down at Rette's face, had a feeling that that was all she was going to get out of her about this. For a moment, they remained that way, sitting there in silence while Rette tried to gain some strength back. When she had enough energy to stand and walk, Rette staggered to her feet, slipping her choker back on to hide the seal around her neck. Rette found out, very quickly, that getting down the stairs was a whole lot easier than getting back up them. Her legs felt like jelly. Just lifting them to get up the stairs was a task in and of itself. Mavis stayed with her the whole way, speaking to her gently and coaxing her onward.

By the time Rette was back outside in the open air, she knew she wouldn't make it up the stairs to her own house. She barely made it within sight of the back door to the guild hall.

"Sit here. I'll get someone to take you home." Mavis told Rette.

Rette's eyes flew up to Mavis, their depths filled with concern. Mavis gave her a reassuring smile before pointing to the ground, silently telling her to sit.

"I'll only tell them that you're sick. Nothing more. I promised after all." Mavis told her.

Rette heaved a relieved sigh and slide down to the ground, her back against a crate.

"Thank you, Master Mavis." Rette told her.

Mavis nodded and vanished. Rette leaned back against the crate, letting her head hang forward. She had absolutely no strength left and she could swear she was freezing while her head felt hot and heavy. She was in and out of consciousness when she heard someone approach. The next thing she knew, Mira was next to her, tipping her head back to look at her face. Erza, Lisanna, Lucy, Wendy, and Levy stood behind her and Thyme landed on Rette's other side. Mira pressed a hand to Rette's forehead, her skin feeling cool against Rette's own.

"She has a nasty fever." Mira remarked. "Rette? Rette, can you hear me?"

"...cold...I'm cold..." Rette mumbled.

"I bet you feel that way. You have a high fever. Why didn't you tell us you were sick?" Mira asked.

"Didn't want...anyone to...worry..."

Mira looked back at her friends and smiled. That was so like Rette. More concerned with causing trouble for others than her own health.

"What are we going to do?" Erza asked.

"We'll take her home with us and take care of her." Mira offered.

"I'll get big brother to carry her." Lisanna said before turning and running back into the guild hall.

She returned shortly with Elfman on her heels. The girls moved out of the way as Elfman leaned over to scoop Rette up into his arms. Rette was mumbled once again.

"Just want to...go home..." she muttered.

"Well, you're too sick to take care of yourself. You're going to stay with us for a little while." Mira told her sternly.

Rette heaved a sigh. She didn't feel anywhere good enough to put up a fight or argue. Rette turned her head, looking for Thyme. The exceed flew up until she was level with Rette.

"Stay with someone. I don't like the idea of you staying by yourself." Rette told her.

"She can stay with me and Carla." Wendy offered.

Rette nodded and thanked Wendy before Elfman carried her away. Rette was just grateful that Mavis was keeping her secret and that her friends had simply accepted that Rette had worked herself sick and nothing more. Rette just hoped that Mavis' solution was enough to stop the fits.

Only time would tell.

-0-0-0-0-

Rette's fever broke and she finally fully came awake about three days later. Rolling over in bed, Rette groaned. Her body felt sore and she was sweaty all over. She glanced around the room, trying to remember where she was. The frilly white curtains, small but overly fluffy bed, and purple-pink walls were completely different from what was in her own room. She was sure she wasn't at home.

"You're finally awake. Good."

Rette turned her head towards the door, finding Mira standing there with a tray in her hands. It took seeing her for Rette to remember that the Strauss siblings had taken her home to care for her. Rette eased herself up into a sitting position, pulling at the front of the frilly white nightgown to pull it away from her sweaty and sticky skin.

"Yeah...and I'm a sweaty mess." Rette remarked.

"That's good. It means your fever finally broke. We were really worried. How are you feeling?" Mira asked.

She sat the tray down on the bed side table and perched herself on the edge of the bed. Reaching out, she pressed the back of one hand to Rette's forehead.

"I feel sticky and sore. At this point, I just want a bath." Rette remarked.

Mira covered her mouth as she laughed. Rette just sulked. She was sweaty and sticky and she didn't find it funny in the least. Reaching out, Mira pat her knee through the blankets before turning to the tray.

"Eat first and then we'll take care of the bath. You've barely ate anything the last few days." Mira told her, sitting the tray in Rette's lap.

The moment the smell of food hit Rette's nose, her stomach gave a loud growl. Rette pressed her hands to her stomach as Lisanna stuck her head into the room.

"Was that a tummy growl I just heard?" Lisanna asked.

Rette wrinkled her nose making the sisters laugh at her. She lost no time in digging into the food provided to her. Lisanna came into the room, pulling the chair away from the desk to sit down beside the bed. Rette glanced towards the door.

"Where's Elfman?" Rette asked.

"He's out on a job. We've had a lot of requests come in over the last couple of days. We've all been so busy but, thankfully, at least one of us has always been here to look after you." Mira told her.

"Sorry." Rette told them.

"Don't worry about it. We're sisters, right? We'll always take care of each other." Lisanna told her.

Mira nodded in agreement. Rette gave the two a small smile. She couldn't ask for better adoptive siblings then the Strauss siblings. Rette knew that, even though they didn't have the room in their house, if Rette wanted to live with them, they would welcome her with open arms. Mira turned to Rette then, her expression going serious.

"Rette."

Rette knew she was in for it now. Whenever Mira said her name like that, it usually meant that she wanted to talk about something she knew Rette didn't want to talk about. Rette glanced up at her before focusing back on her food. She had a pretty good idea on what Mira wanted to talk about.

"I already said I didn't want to talk about this, Mira." Rette remarked.

"We have to talk about this, Rette. As unlikely as it is for you to give up on anything, let alone give up your life, we've seen your face whenever that man with the scars is mentioned. You turn ghostly pale." Lisanna remarked.

"She's right, Rette. It's easy to tell that this warning actually scares you." Mira agreed.

Rette heaved a sigh and sat down her fork. She couldn't tell them the truth. She couldn't tell them who, exactly, this man was. Though, if truth be told, she was pretty sure a few of them had already figured it out. Despite how they acted sometimes, the members of Fairy Tail were far from being stupid.

Though there were a few special cases.

"What do you expect me to say? I'd be an idiot to ignore a warning from the future, but the chances of this warning coming to pass is so limited, it's laughable. He would never approach me knowing just how public my life has become. There are too many people that would get in his way, too many people who would come after him if he tried anything. He won't risk it." Rette told them.

"And you won't tell us who he is?" Lisanna asked.

"I don't need to. Even if I told you who he was, you would never find him. The man is a master at hiding until he's good and ready for you to know he's there. Though the idea of him looking for me, scares me, its just because the thought of him makes my stomach turn. I'm not really worried that he'll confront me. If I'm not worried, you shouldn't be." Rette told them.

"But we are. Rette...you're important to us. We love you just like we love each other. To us...you're our sister." Mira told her.

"I know, and I love the three of you too. I love everyone in Fairy Tail. It's why I'm telling you that it's not important. Trust me. Though he scares me, in truth...he's a coward. He attacks those he knows he can beat when it's one-on-one. But I'm never alone. I have the whole guild at my back and I know that with one call...any one of you would come to my aid. Fairy Tail is well known for defending it's members fiercely. He would never challenge that." Rette insisted.

Mira and Lisanna looked at each other as Rette went back to eating. While they wanted to argue, wanted Rette to let them in and tell them who this man was, they knew she wouldn't. If Rette refused to say something, it was for a reason. It was that reason that they feared. Despite how much she had opened up, how much closer she had become with the guild, Rette was still keeping a key part of herself at arms length away from the rest of them. She would rather face it alone, keep it locked up inside herself, than let them see the most crucial, as well as the worst, part of herself.

The click of a fork on plate, had Mira and Lisanna looking up at Rette as she sat her fork down on the, now empty, plate. Rette let out a grateful sigh now that her stomach was no longer growling.

"I'm done eating now. Can we talk about that bath?" Rette asked.

Despite having a real bad feeling about Rette's reluctance to talk, Mira couldn't help smiling at that comment. She stood up and took the tray from Rette's lap.

"Alright. Let's go." Mira told her.

Rette would talk if, and when, she was ready too.

They just hoped she did it before something bad happened.

-0-0-0-0-

"Who wants to go out working when you have a place like this?"

Rette was inclined to agree with Cana. After stopping by her house for a change of clothes, Mira and Lisanna had taken Rette to the guild hall. When it had been reconstructed, a large set of baths, one for the males and one for the females, had been added on. At the very moment, Rette was reclining in the large, shared bath with her other female guild mates.

"After the Grand Magic Games we're getting so many requests." Lisanna remarked from where she sat, scrubbing herself with soap.

"I'm so busy I don't know where to start." Mira added, washing her hair on the stool next to Lisanna's.

"With all this work we have to rest too." Levy insisted.

"I don't even want to see the stack of request for me that have piled up in the days I was sick." Rette muttered, heaving a sigh.

She sank in the water until it was up to her nose. She had been told there were personal request for her and that there had been quite a few. Rette wasn't all that excited to see what they were or how many there were.

"Levy, weren't you working today?" Lucy asked, turning to Levy.

"Jet and Droy said sometimes they want to go alone." Levy replied.

"They're just trying to impress you." Rette remarked.

"By the way, Natsu and Gray too went out to work together." Lucy said.

"Those two? That's rare!" Lisanna said, turning on her stool.

"They get along better recently, but it's still weird that they'd go together." Mira added.

"I think Happy is with them too though." Lucy told them.

"Won't make much of a difference." Rette remarked.

Lucy was sure that Rette was right. Happy usually didn't do much to stop the fights. If anything, he kind of egged them on. Suddenly, Cana moved close to Lucy, pressing up against her side. It was obvious the woman was already drunk.

"More importantly, Lucy. Is it true that Natsu groped your boobs?" Cana asked.

Lucy's face went blood red as she gasped in surprise. How did Cana know about that!? Then it came to her...Happy.

"It's not like you think! He just-"

"Oh, who cares. Let me have a taste too~." Cana remarked, reaching around Lucy to grab her bare breasts.

"Wait, Cana...!"

Rette heaved a sigh as Lucy protested Cana's invasion of her personal space. She turned away from the two, about ready to get out of the bath. Cana turned on Rette then, a sly grin on her face. Her arms wrapped around Rette's waist, pulling her back into the water. Rette turned to look at the sly grin on Cana's face.

"And I heard that Sting from Sabertooth groped your boobs as well as saw you without a top on." Cana remarked.

Rette's expression was not one of someone who was amused. She was pretty sure that Thyme, in her distress over the situation, had probably said something to Lily and Happy had probably over heard.

"It was an accident when he knocked me over to save me from an attack from behind." Rette remarked.

"Oh~? I heard he held on even after you pointed it out. He liked them?" Cana asked.

"I couldn't even begin to tell you." Rette replied.

Truth was...she didn't want to think about it. Rette about jumped out of her skin when Cana's hand's moved to her breasts. Her cheeks coloring a light pink, Rette twisted her away out of Cana's grip and turned, splashing water in Cana's face.

"I think now is about the right time to go check out what requests I have backed up." Rette remarked, heading for the edge of the bath.

"Take it easy and don't push yourself." Mira called to her.

"I'll be careful. I'll focus on joint requests for now." Rette assured her.

With that, Rette grabbed her towel, wrapped it around herself and left the bathroom. She took the time to dry herself and get dressed before she went about getting her short hair to lay flat on her head. Rette was sitting at a table, flipping through the stack of requests for her when Lucy showed up.

"Hey, Rette. That's a lot of requests." Lucy remarked, sitting across from her.

"Yeah. It seems that people like the fact that I'm the Nexus Mage as well as a Dragon Slayer. A lot of these requests have me paired with other Dragon Slayers in joint missions. There's some that even request me working with Sabertooth's Dragon Slayers in a collaboration mission." Rette told her as she sat the stack down.

"You sound like you could use a cup of tea and some girl talk." Lucy offered.

"As long as the subject doesn't cover future warnings or breasts groping." Rette agreed.

"Deal!" Lucy agreed.

Rette gathered up her requests and the two headed out for Lucy's house.

"We never really get to talk all that much." Lucy remarked.

"No, we don't. It seems that we always have Natsu and Gray around and that means that our time is filled with keeping those two from killing each other." Rette agreed.

"They certainly keep us busy."

"That they do."

The two arrived at Lucy's and Lucy opened the door. Upon stepping into Lucy's room, they found Erza and Wendy with Carla and Thyme, already waiting. Thyme flew out of her seat the moment she saw Rette and crashed into her chest.

"I missed you too." Rette told Thyme.

"I'm sorry, we entered without asking." Wendy told Lucy.

"It's a nice house." Carla complimented.

"The sweets we got as a reward are a little too many for us. We came to share some with you and Thyme said she could feel Rette heading this way. We hoped she was with you." Erza said.

"Waah, thank you." Lucy cheered.

"Thanks." Rette said, taking a seat next to Wendy.

"Are you feeling better, Rette?" Wendy asked.

"Much, thank you." Rette told her.

Lucy sat her bag down and joined them.

"Does that mean you did a good job?" she asked, pointing to the case of desserts.

Despite Erza insisting that it had been a perfect job, the look on Wendy's face said else wise. Rette was more inclined to believe Wendy. Erza had a way of missing key pieces of the picture when she was sure things had gone well.

"By the way, aren't Happy and the others back yet?" Carla asked.

"They're late considering they said it was an easy job." Lucy answered.

"It's been three days already." Erza said.

"They shouldn't be far away, shall we go check?" Wendy asked.

"It's not like I'm worried..."

Rette was half tempted to call Carla out on that.

"Indeed...considering their skills, it's weird that they'd be so late." Erza remarked.

"Maybe they had some trouble." Wendy suggested.

"Mabye they **caused** some trouble." Rette remarked, Wendy giving a nervous laugh because she **knew** that that was plausible.

The six of them decided to head out and see what was going on. What they found, had Rette tilting her head to one side. the large, pig-like monster that Gray and Natsu had been requested to take care off, was lying on it's back, completely done for, but Natsu and Gray were nowhere in sight.

"It's already over." Carla remarked.

"Yeah...but where are they?" Rette asked.

"Carla...help me..."

They all turned as Happy, using a stick to keep him up, came their way, looking like he had seen better days. Erza crouched down in front of him.

"What happened?" Erza asked.

"Well..."

Happy explained to them what had happened before he took them to Natsu and Gray. The two were all beat up, their faces swollen from where they had been punched multiple times.

"Stop fucking around, you shitty flame!" Gray was shouting.

"I should say that, you bastard perv!" Natsu yelled back.

The two were locked in a fist fight, constantly trading off blows. Rette knew this was probably what had kept them. They two couldn't go out on their own without ending up in a fight.

"Three days of this?" Carla asked.

"They do sleep and eat." Happy replied.

"I told you they were probably fighting." Rette said.

Erza stepped forward then to stop the fight. Three days was long enough. Without realizing who was talking to them, Natsu and Gray both turned and punched Erza, yelling at her to shut up. It took them a moment to realize what they had done, but by then, it was too late. In that moment, they were sure of one thing and one thing only. Something that Rette was more than happy to point out.

"Oh...you two are so dead."

-0-0-0-0-

"I'm never working with him again."

"Yeah, yeah, Natsu. We've heard it all before."

Rette said this from where she sat across the table from him, shifting through her requests once more. After the whole incident with Erza, Wendy had healed their injuries and they had, as a group, returned to the guild hall.

"I don't want anything to do with that idiot." Gray insisted.

"You two say the same thing every time. Try not to act like children, will you. We have better things to do then to constantly have to break up your fights." Rette told the two.

Neither felt like arguing with Rette. For one, they were tired, for two...Rette always won arguments. There was no point in trying to pick an argument with her. Just then, Makarov called across the guild hall, waving a job request over his head.

"Natsu! Gray! Rette! They're requesting you three!"

Rette looked up, Natsu and Gray turning around in their seats, the two of them yelling, "Again!?" at the top of their lungs.

"Be grateful and don't fight, next time! Rette, keep them in line." Erza said.

"Yeah, I will." Rette said.

She got to her feet, Natsu and Gray following her as she walked across the guild hall to Makarov. Makarov was reading over the request, his face taking on a nervous, sweaty look.

"This is..."

"What, Grandpa?" Natsu asked.

"I'm not going with him anymore." Gray said.

"Same here." Natsu agreed.

"You will go and you will behave yourselves, or I will crystallize you both." Rette told them, making the two take a step back from her.

Rette glanced at them, making sure they weren't fighting, before turning back to face Makarov who still looked a little nervous.

"What's wrong, Master?" Rette asked.

"No...you all three have to go...and also, you mustn't fail...The request is from Warrod Seeken. He's the fourth rank of the Ten Wizard Saints, one of the Ishgal's Four Gods." Makarov said.

The room errupted into a loud explosion of voices. Rette didn't need to ask. She knew who Warrod Seeken was. She had heard about him when she had asked about the Ten Wizard Saints once before.

Whatever the job was, Rette knew that, under no circumstance, could they fail.

Her life just had to get more complicated.

-0-0-0-0-

"This is such a peaceful place."

Rette had to agree with Wendy. Clear skies, beautiful scenery abundant with animal life, the air clean and fresh...Rette couldn't really be all to upset with the job when she was in such a peaceful place. She would agree that the place was perfect...if it wasn't for the bickering and fighting going on, on either side of her.

"You ate my meat, didn't you!?"

"I'm not eating your stuff!"

"And wear some clothes!"

"Do something about your hair color, it's an eyesore!"

"You're both an ear sore!"

With a loud smack, Rette knocked the two over the head. Both dropped into a crouch, rubbing at the back of their heads. Rette cracked each of her knuckles, heaving a sigh of relief now that she didn't have them bickering in her ears.

"Now cut it with the bickering. Master holds this man in high regard. Make him look bad and I'll make that swat look like a love tap." Rette warned them.

"We came with you because we were worried, but...it might be worse than we expected if the two of you are going to argue with Rette between you." Lucy remarked.

Rette remained between the two as they started off again. With Rette, and her threat, between them, the two settled for just glaring at each other.

"The Ten Wizard Saints are the continent's ten most powerful mages chosen by the council. Right?" Lucy asked.

"Yes. Our master and Lamia's Jura are among them. In the past Phantom's Jose and Jellal were as well. The highest ranked four are Ishgal's Four Gods." Erza remarked.

"Ishgal?" Wendy asked.

"It's the old name of this continent. You'll come across it in several history books." Rette explained.

"Why would such a person nominate someone like them?" Lucy asked, turning to look at Natsu and Gray.

The two had purposely fallen behind and were quietly bickering where they thought Rette wouldn't hear. Rette heaved an annoyed sigh and turned on the two. Natsu and Gray yelled as Rette pounced. She managed to get an arm around each of their necks, putting them in a headlock. Tightening her grip, she cut off their air, making the two tap her arms to try to get her to let go.

"I told you two to stop. Now either you're going to do what I tell you, or I really will crystallize you and leave you in the wild for animals to mark their territory on." Rette told them.

When she released them, the two moved apart from each other, quietly doing as she told them. Wendy pointed out a house at the top of a hill just ahead of them, then.

"That must be it." Rette remarked.

They approached the house. Opening the front door, they called out.

"We're from the magic guild Fairy Tail." Erza called.

Across the room, a man stood before a row of plants, watering them. He shushed them then, never turning to face them.

"Be quiet. Plants like silence. If you understood, close that annoying mouth." the man, Warrod, said.

Rette was just thinking that they might be dealing with a serious man...until he revealed it had just been a joke, his magic causing plants of all kinds to sprout across the floor. When he turned to face them, Rette had to blink. The man...looked like a walking, talking tree.

"Well, thank you for coming. Mages of Fairy Tail. Who are Natsu, Gray, and Rette?" Warrod asked.

His eyes landed on Happy, Carla, and Thyme then. He picked the three up, holding them out at arms length to look them over.

"Ohh! You're more cat-like than I thought." he said said, before breaking out in laughter once more. "It's a joke, you know! Wahahaha!"

Rette really wanted to go home now. Just being near the man made her feel tired and she hadn't done anything yet. The others seemed to share her sentiment. Warrod invited them to join him outside at a table for tea while he explained his request to them.

"After retiring I've been working to bring back trees in the desert." Warrod told them.

"Retire? You were a guild mage, then?" Rette asked.

"Hahaha. It was a nice guild. I'm preventing deserts from spreading with my Green Magic. It sounds like philantropy, but it's just a hobby of mine. Anyway, for this reason I've been traveling across deserts. And some time ago I found a strange village." Warrod said, pulling a book out and opening it to a marked page. "According to the documents, it's the "Village of the Sun". A village that in the past used to worship an ever-burning flame as it's guardian deity."

"An ever-burning flame?" Natsu asked.

"Yes...but that village is now frozen." Warrod told them.

That explained why Gray was there. If anyone could tell them about something frozen, it would be Gray. Rette too, if she wanted to put her Ice Dragon Slayer powers to use.

"I don't know if it was a natural or man-made disaster. But people, animals, plants...even buildings and rivers...even the eternal flame that protected the village is frozen." Warrod explained.

"A flame froze!?" Lucy asked.

"I highly doubt it was natural then." Rette muttered to herself.

"Perhaps not. I don't know what happened. However...people were alive inside the ice." Warrod replied.

"People living inside the ice..." Happy repeated.

"What do you mean?" Carla asked.

"The villagers were frozen alive. I can't leave it like that, I want you to save that village. That's my request." Warrod said.

"I see! It's simple then! I'll just melt all the ice with my flames!" Natsu said.

"Then I'm not needed." Gray remarked.

"No...that's not simple ice. We will definitely need your power too." Warrod told him.

"What role could I possibly play here?" Rette asked.

"I had heard that you have studied many types of magics." Warrod replied.

"I have." Rette confirmed.

"Perhaps, once you see it, you might know what it is or a way to fix it." Warrod explained.

Perhaps, but Rette wasn't going to hold her breath.

"I might sound impertinent, but can't a mage with your power just solve the matter on their own?" Erza asked.

"I think you might be misunderstanding something...The Ten Wizard Saints aren't almighty, they're just ten people chosen by the council. There are many mages stronger than me in Ishgal, and I can't even compete with the ones outside the continent. I don't even have magic suited for attack. I'm not even confident I could win against an armed youngster." Warrod answered.

"But..."

"Everyone has something they're good or bad at. Friends, and the guild, exist to make up for that." Warrod said when Erza trailed off.

With that, Rette's friends accepted the request. Rette sat there, silent. To agree would be to contradict what she was doing now. It would contradict how she was fighting so hard to keep secrets from her guild mates.

"Where is this village?" Rette asked, instead of agreeing with her friends.

"About two thousand kilometers south of here." Warrod told them.

"That's quite far." Erza remarked.

"I'll help you at least with that." Warrod said, getting to his feet. "Gather over there. Don't forget your luggage."

They gathered where he told them too. They stood there as Warrod chanted something. Under their feet, a tree began to sprout, carrying them up into the air.

"Do your best, Fairy Tail youngsters." Warrod told them.

With that, the tree's growth shoot up, rocketing them through the air at a fast pace. Rette latched onto a branch, one arm wrapped around Thyme so she wouldn't be knocked off. Natsu, at the front, stood there, arms raised in the air, cheering and laughing like a loon.

"He was humble...but he was really something. Magic that can control the nature..." Erza remarked.

"I can see why Master holds him in such high regard. Despite his constant bad jokes...I like him." Rette agreed.

About half way, the motion sickness kicked in and Rette started feeling a little sick to her stomach. By the time they reached the end and were able to climb off, Rette was starting to get dizzy.

"Is it here?" Gray asked.

"I think so. Look. There's ice on those rocks." Rette said, pointing out some nearby rocks.

Following the trails of ice, they soon located the frozen village. Everything was covered in ice, the sun shining off the surface.

"It's true, the buildings and everything are frozen." Lucy remarked.

"I wonder what happened." Wendy mused.

"According to Warrod people are frozen too, but I don't see any." Erza said.

Rette was peering upward, at the buildings when something caught her eyes.

"Uh, guys," Rette called, making them look at her. "I found the inhabitants."

Rette pointed upward. Following her gesture, the others looked up...and up...and up, until their eyes finally landed on the giant man that stood frozen before them. They were in a giants' village.

"Why is that information like this always seems to get left out?" Rette asked.

Rette turned to say something to Gray and stopped when she noticed the look on his face. It was easy for her to tell that he was having flash backs to Deliora and his teacher. Rette reached out, laying a hand on his arm. Gray jolted, snapping out of the flashback and looked down at Rette, as Lucy turned towards him too.

"What happened?" Rette asked.

"Nothing...When I see big frozen things I just...yeah." Gray said.

"I get it. It's the same when I'm stuck in the dark." Rette told him.

Rette gave his arm a squeeze, letting him know he wasn't alone. Gray gave her an, although weak, smile of gratitude.

"I'm surprised to see such huge people." Erza remarked.

"Dogs are big too." Wendy said, pointing out a frozen dog.

If it could be called a dog.

"Anyway, we should save them." Natsu declared.

Rette left Natsu to attempt, and fail, to melt the ice. She walked over to another giant and laid her hands on the ice coated foot, closing her eyes and letting her senses spread. Just as Warrod said, she could feel the heartbeat, strong and steady, beneath the thick shell of ice.

"The old tree guy said it's not normal ice. This feeling...It's magic I've never sensed before." Gray said, hand on the ice.

"You can't melt it with your magic either?" Erza asked.

"..."

Gray didn't answer.

"I guess it won't be that simple." Lucy remarked.

"But...it feels similar to someone's magic." Gray remarked.

Gray turned, looking towards Rette who still had her eyes closed. He called out to he then, the others turning to look at her too.

"You got anything, Rette?" he asked.

Rette opened her eyes, looking up at the giant she stood before. Closing her eyes once more, she pressed her forehead to the ice, reaching deep to feel what lay beneath the ice. Several heart beats echoed back at her, but there was something else. A voice, a magical power she had felt before.

"It's not magic I've encountered before, but something trapped under the ice...it's just...I don't know. Familiar? I feel like I've felt this before." Rette remarked.

Just then, something else came to her. A scent on the wind that was definitely above the ice. Three scents she had never smelled before but were definitely human.

"Someone else is here." Rette warning, whipping around.

The others turned, following her gaze. Above them, on a cliff over looking where they stood, stood three men.

"Who are you?" Erza asked.

"I don't sense any magic from them." Rette remarked.

"We're a guild of treasure hunters." one man with long hair said.

"Sylph Labyrinth." the second one added., the third adding a "Duun.".

When neither Rette nor her companions said anything, the three repeated what they had just said. As if they thought Rette's group hadn't heard them.

"We got it." Rette told them.

"A guild of treasure hunters?" Wendy asked.

"Does it mean their specialty is finding treasure?" Lucy asked.

"Takes all types in this world, I suppose." Rette remarked.

"I'm sorry, but the treasure sleeping here is ours. Don't get in our way." said the one with the long hair.

Rette decided to refer to him as Girly, since his hair was longer than her own.

"Treasure?" Natsu asked.

"Who cares about that." Gray retorted.

"Aren't you here for the eternal flame?" Girly asked.

"If we were, you'd be able to tell. We would be searching the village instead of talking to you." Rette retorted.

"Then what are mages doing here?" the second guy, a man with spiky hair, asked.

"We came to melt the ice and save the villagers." Happy told them.

The three treasure hunters looked at each other, before turning on them with sweaty, somewhat annoyed look on their faces.

"That's getting in our way!"

"Oh well. Deal with it." Rette said idly, not really caring at this point.

"Why you...! The eternal flame is a legendary flame that's been burning for centuries. To us treasure hunters it's an s-class super treasure." Spiky said. "We were never able to get close to it because of the giants protecting it."

"But now for some reason they're all duun! Frozen."

Rette decided, since he kept saying it, that she would refer to the third man as Duun. It wasn't like she was going to take the time to ask them for their names.

"In other words, it's the perfect chance to get the flame." Girly added.

"But that flame is like the protecting god of this village. It's very important to them." Wendy remarked.

"If you take it away you'll be like thieves." Lucy agreed.

Again, the three shared a look before turning back on them with somewhat annoyed expressions. Rette was starting to get a little fed up with these three. They claimed that they were treasure hunters, doing their job, and that they couldn't let someone else take the flame before them. They turned to take off and get a head start.

"You are aware that the flame is frozen just like the rest of the village, right?" Rette called after them.

The three turned back to look at her, grins on their faces. Rette didn't like those grins. Spiky held up a small, corked bottle in his hand.

"Don't underestimate our super treasure hunting skills. With this super treasure, "Moon Drip", we can super melt the ice." Spiky said.

"Say super again, I dare you." Rette told him.

She was becoming a little annoyed with the word now. Her teammates, though, were more focused on the bottle of Moon Drip. With Natsu declaring that that tiny amount could save the village, he lead the charge after the treasure hunters to claim the bottle. Rette and Erza stayed behind, Erza claiming that they would search the village. Thyme went with Carla and Happy as well. Rette and Erza watched as their friends vanished, Rette's expression flat.

"They are aware that that much wouldn't melt the whole village, right?" Rette asked.

"I wonder about that." Erza replied with a sigh.

"Oh well. It'll give us time to search for clue without Natsu nearly demolishing one of the giants." Rette remarked with a shrug of her shoulders. "Shall we split up and search?"

Erza turned and looked at Rette. Though Rette had just recovered from being sick, and even though she looked well and healthy once more, Erza didn't like the idea of Rette going off on her own. Not with her just recovering and certainly not with the future warning that was looming over her head. When Erza didn't say anything at first, Rette turned to her, blinking in confusion.

"Something wrong, Erza?" she asked.

"Uh, no...nothing. Are you sure you'd be alright on your own?" Erza asked.

"What are you talking about? Of course I will be. I'm all better, Erza. You don't have to worry so much. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if all of you think I'm made of glass or something. It wouldn't be the first time I've done something on my own, you know." Rette remarked.

She turned to head in one direction, patting Erza on the shoulder as she passed her. Erza turned and watched as Rette headed further into the village.

By herself.

Rette was always trying to do things by herself. **That** was what worried Erza. While she had worried only slightly before, now, with this foretelling of Rette's death hanging over their heads, Erza really worried. Rette wouldn't tell them if something was wrong. She didn't think it was important enough to worry them.

That was what worried Erza.

But there wasn't much she could do about it. By forcing herself on Rette, it would only cause Rette to push them away even more.

"Call me if something happens!" Erza called after Rette.

Rette simply rasied one hand over her head and waved to show that she had heard her, before she vanished around a corner. Erza really hoped Rette would. She hoped Rette was right and that man, whoever he was, wouldn't really approach Rette.

Hoping and praying was all she could do as she turned to do her own job.

END

Kyandi: And there's that chapter done.

Rette: And you have another ready to be edited and posted, right?

Kyandi: Yep. So everyone keep an eye on my Twitter. It'll let you know when a new chapter is coming.

Rette: Until then, we have work to do.

Kyandi: Yeah, we do. I have other stories to work on too.

Rette: Then shall we wrap it up?

Kyandi: Yep! Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We will come back as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	45. Foreboding

Kyandi: Sup Kyandiacs!

Rette: We returned after a long break.

Kyandi: Yeah, I've been working on several chapters for several things.

Rette: She is attempting to move faster.

Kyandi: Yeah, but I had a depressed moment...THE LAST CHAPTER OF FAIRY TAIL CAME OUT!

Rette: She has been a bundle of emotions since.

Kyandi: AGUWOIGHrwioU(# ru0*$gu0wigh!

Rette: See?

Kyandi: It doesn't matter! I'm good.

Rette: You sure?

Kyandi: Yes. So everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Kyandi: The ending wouldn't have been different if I did!

Rette: *sigh*

Chapter 45 Foreboding

Quiet.

The whole village was awfully quiet. And cold...so cold.

Rette shook her head to clear the thoughts out of it before the string of thought could bring flashbacks of her childhood to mind. Wandering through the village, she studied each giant, pausing now and then to touch one and stretch out her senses. She had noticed, at one point, that every giant she passed, was facing the same direction, away from the center of the village where a large mountain rose. Rette stopped and turned to look towards the mountain.

Perhaps, that mountain was where the eternal flame was and the giants had been defending it against something when they had been frozen. Erza had been heading that way when they split up and knowing Erza like she did, she had probably caught on to the same thing Rette had. That meant she would be checking out the mountain. When Rette stretched out her senses, she could feel Erza quickly heading in the direction of the mountain. Leaving that to Erza, Rette continued to search the village, trying to figure out what could have caused the ice that now covered the village.

Pausing next to a spike of ice junting out of the ground, Rette reached out to touch it. She ran her fingers over the cold surface, her skin not even really registering the cold thanks to her Ice Dragon Slayer abilities. Crouching down next to it, she peered at the ice.

"You most certainly are not natural. Who, or what, caused you?" Rette asked, speaking to herself.

Humming lowly in thought, Rette leaned forward, opening her mouth to sink her teeth into the ice. Her dragon-like teeth managed, barely, to cut through the ice and Rette swallowed, rolling the taste over her tongue. A moment passed, then another before Rette gagged as a horrible taste settled over her tongue. Her stomach rolled, revolting against the ice she had just devoured. Whatever had created the ice, the magic in the ice didn't sit right with her dragon-like stomach.

"Alright, so that wasn't such a good idea." Rette remarked, pulling a water bottle out of her bag to try to wash the taste away from her tongue.

Worse yet, it made her seal around her neck, as well as a spot just above her navel, throb. Rette feared, for a moment, that she would have another fit, but just as quick as the single throb came, it was gone. No pain, no shortness of breath, nothing. Rette heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that Mavis' solution to her fits, really did worked.

For that, Rette was grateful.

It was when she turned to look at the ice, that she noticed something on her stomach. Leaning back, Rette looked down at the shining design that had appeared just above her navel. To Rette, it looked like the wing adornments that Mavis wore in her hair just over her ears. The design consisted of those sweeping outward away from an elegantly carved "M". Rette had no doubt in her mind that this was the cause of the burn she felt when Mavis' magic in her stopped the fit. As she watched, the mark glowed a bright gold and faded from her skin, leaving no trace of it behind.

It was strange, and Rette didn't know what to make of it. It was probably just a mark to show that the magic was working. As long as no one else caught sight of it, Rette didn't really mind. Besides, she had other things to think about at the moment.

Rette kicked back into motion, continuing to search the village. Stopping by a giant, she laid a hand on it. As she stared at the ice, something else caught her attention. Right before her eyes...her hand was shrinking. Not just her hand...Rette looked down to find her whole body aging backwards. She had to grab her shorts to keep them from hitting the ground as she reverted back to what she could only assume was somewhere around the age six to nine. She knew that had to be the age range, because her hair began to grow in length until it pooled on the ground around her feet.

Rette's hair had been so long, it trailed behind her as she walked, up until she was ten and she cut it for the first time in her life. Rette quickly tied one side of her shorts into a knot to keep them in place. Thankfully, she was wearing a halter top and it stayed in place. Turning towards the reflective surface of the ice, Rette peered at her reflection, her eyes wide in shock and disbelief. Staring back at her, with wide doe-eyed eyes the same color as Rette's, was Rette's younger self, with her massive length of silver hair and far too tiny and thin frame.

She was her child self again. Backing away from the ice, Rette tripped over her too large boots and fell on her butt. Even sitting on the ice, she scrambled back away from the reflection until her back hit a wall. Shaking was starting to over take her body as she raised her hands to stare at the tiny things barely remaining covered by her gloves. It couldn't be, it just couldn't! Rette's hand flew to the front of her shirt, gripping as she started hyperventalating.

Images, horrible images of her childhood, came flying back to her. They were so vivid, so real, it felt like they had happened just yesterday. Rette couldn't think straight, she couldn't rationalize the situation, couldn't tell herself that this wasn't her childhood. Her head whipped side to side, trying to find somewhere to hide. Her eyes landed on a small crack in a wall. Scrambling across the ground, her limbs not wanting to work like they should, she darted into the crack, huddling herself up. She drew her knees to her chest, her hands diving into her hair as she gripped her head, trying to process all the memories flashing by in her head.

"...help...please...someone...I-I can't..."

Rette's voice choked off with a sob. She couldn't make her brain function. She found herself calling for help, just as she had done as a small child, even knowing that no one would come to help her. Fighting these memories, the swarm of feelings and thoughts, made her feel like she was drowning. She found herself cast back into the feelings she had felt swarm her everyday of her life before she ran away from her father and all she could do was the one thing she had done everyday.

"...Help..."

-0-0-0-0-

"That voice...who is it!? And when the hell am I gonna go back to my normal size!?"

Natsu was getting frustrated as he ran through the village. He was still stuck in his child size. He was trying to follow a voice he had heard from beneath the ice when the Moon Drip the treasure hunters had, had shattered and melted a small patch of ice. He was running down a road when he heard a tiny voice calling for help. He paused for a moment, turning to look around him. The voice was almost familiar to him. He turned a corner, something catching his eye. Something was laying on the ground ahead of him. Natsu approached it and knew what it was instantly. He bent to pick up the belt, recognizing the sword attached as well as the pouches.

Laying on the ground with it, was a familiar travel bag and a pair of boots laying on their sides. Natsu looked them over. He was sure...these were Rette's. Future Rogue's warning suddenly flew through his head and Natsu started looking around in a panic.

"Rette!? Rette, where are you!?" he yelled.

There was no answer. Natsu was about to take off running, when he heard something, low and soft. He drew still, listening. Sure enough, there it was again. Soft sniffles and low sobs, like the crying of a child. Natsu followed it towards a building. There, deep in a crack in the wall, he found a small child with a massive amount of hair. It took Natsu a moment to realize...the child was Rette.

"Rette!?"

Rette didn't answer him. She had her knees drawn up tight to her chest, her hands pressed tightly to her head as she rocked back and forth, low sniffles and sobs leaving her. Now that he was close, he could tell it was less sobs and more gasps for air. She was hyperventilating. She was also muttering to herself. Natsu reached out, to shake her and snap her out of whatever she was in, but the moment his finger tip touched her, Rette jolted backward, plastering herself to the very back wall of the little space she was hiding in.

He could see her eyes now and they were wide with horror and fear, as well as glazed over, as if she was stuck in a vision of the past and couldn't escape it.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please...Father, I'm sorry!" she half screeched, huddling further in on herself.

Natsu froze. Something about the magic that returned them to their child forms, must have cast Rette deep into her memories of her childhood. She was now stuck there, unable to see that it was a friend before her, not her father. He had to snap her out of it. Reaching out, Natsu grabbed her by the shoulders. Rette instantly started fighting, but she was so thin in this form. Has she really been like this as a child!? Natsu looked her over.

Her hair was impossibly long. It would trail a good foot behind her on the ground when she stood and her frame was thin, pretty much just skin and bones. If they really reverted back to the form they had had in their childhood...Rette must have lived her life always being half starved.

Natsu gave her a firm shake, making her draw still.

"Rette! It's Natsu! Snap out of it! You're not with your dad!" Natsu snapped at her as he shook her.

It took a moment but her eyes started to clear until she was blinking up at him in a daze. The way her mouth twisted, Natsu was sure she was about to cry. Just as he had done for Lucy in the past, he hugged her, feeling as the tension in her small body, slowly leaked away.

"N...Natsu...?"

"Yeah. You're fine." he told her.

Rette pressed a hand to her face, letting him hug her as she tried to calm down. Now that he had snapped her out of it, she could see just how irrational she had been. She had let the memories sweep her away, back to the dark place she had been stuck in for so long. As she calmed down, she frowned.

"Natsu...let go...I...I'm going to be sick."

Natsu released Rette, letting her scramble past him. She made it as far from him as she could, leaning over a chunk of ice, before her stomach revolted against her. For the most part, it was dry heaving, but she did lose most of her breakfast. Natsu watched her from a distance.

"The memories are that bad?" he asked.

"You have...no idea." Rette said between heaves.

When she was sure she could heave no more, Rette plopped back on her butt. Natsu joined her, crouching next to her. It was then that Rette got a good look at him.

"So you got turned into a kid too." she remarked.

"Yeah. Some big guy did it. Said it lowers our abilities." Natsu told her.

"Sounds about right. Though, truthfully...I've always had a larger than normal amount of magical energy. The only thing that's going to be lowered...is my control over it." Rette remarked, heaving a sigh before turning to Natsu. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Lucy and Wendy."

"I heard a voice and I'm trying to find who it belongs to." Natsu told her.

"A voice?"

"Yeah. The Moon Drip those treasure hunter guys had, dropped and melted away a small patch of the ice. I could hear a voice calling out through that hole." Natsu explained.

"Any idea where it's coming from?" Rette asked.

She wasn't going to question him about the voice. If Natsu swore he heard something then, most of the time, he heard something.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure it's coming from that mountain there." Natsu said, pointing off towards the mountain at the heart of the village.

Rette pushed herself to her feet, finding it a little strange since she was no longer use to a body as small as the one she currently had. She also realized just how much lighter her chest felt without the added weight of her breasts. Going back to that was probably going to be the only thing she would dislike.

"Well, then let's go check it out. I need to do something." Rette said.

Natsu popped to his feet and nodded. Rette collected her bag, shoving her boots inside, and grabbed her belt. They took off, Natsu leading. A couple of times, Rette tripped and fell forward after stepping on her hair. Natsu turned to look at her after the fifth time.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah. I always had hair like this when I was little. Now, I can't remember how the hell I dealt with it back then." Rette said, getting to her feet.

She reached back, scooping up her hair and tied it into a knot just so it wouldn't keep getting under her feet. With a nod, they set off again. They hadn't been running for more than maybe five minutes when suddenly, Rette lost her balance as her chest began to swell and her limbs began to grow. They were on an incline, heading down, so she tumbled forward, crashing into Natsu, sending them both tumbling down to the bottom.

"Ow! Sorry, Natsu." Rette said, untangling herself from him.

"It's fine. Our bodies just went back to normal." Natsu remarked, looking down at himself.

Rette looked down at herself. The knot she had tied one side of her shorts in, had come undone so that her shorts fit perfectly now. Her chest once again filled out her top and her hair was back to it's short length. Though, Rette was sure it was a few inches longer than it had been before she had reverted back to her child form. The ends of her hair now curled around her face at a little above chin length. Rette's hands settled on her breasts and she heaved a sigh.

"I did **not** miss these." she muttered. "I wonder what happened."

"No idea. But let's not sit around and find out." Natsu said, getting to his feet.

"Good idea."

The two dusted themselves off and started off again. They didn't get far before they crashed into each other again as they were reverted back to their child forms. Rette laid on the ground, her expression blank aside from one small annoyed tick mark in her left temple, Natsu draped over her back.

"This is getting rather annoying." Rette remarked.

"Got that right!" Natsu retorted.

"Natsu."

"Yeah?"

"...Get the hell off me."

Natsu quickly scrambled off Rette, letting her sit up. Rette dusted herself off. Natsu looked at her, noting the annoyed tick in her temple.

"Well you did say you wouldn't miss your grown chest." he remarked.

Rette picked up a rock and threw it at Natsu. The rock hit him square in the middle of the forehead, knocking him back. Natsu, now angry, scrambled up to his feet, both hands pressed to his forehead where the rock had hit.

"What's your problem!?" he snapped.

Rette jumped to her feet, her hands holding her shorts up and faced him. She didn't even have to change her expression for Natsu to take one look at her expression and back down, his anger washing away.

"I can say it. You can't repeat it." Rette told him.

Then Rette's eyes traveled down his form and Rette heaved a sigh, turning her back on him.

"Natsu...pull your pants up."

Natsu looked down, noticing that when his body had shrank again, his pants had fallen down. He quickly yanked them up while Rette tied another knot in her shorts. Once they were sure their clothes would stay up, they headed off again. Rette cursed darkly under her breath when, just a few minutes later, she was sent stumbling over her own feet as she was returned to her normal form. Natsu shared her annoyance as he righted his pants and scarf.

"Makin' us big, makin' us small...we really should've beaten the crap out of 'em when we had the chance." Natsu muttered.

"Agreed." Rette replied, fixing her shorts and wrapping her belt back around her waist.

She couldn't feel the cold on her feet, so she didn't bother with her boots. Who knew if they would be changed again.

"Natsu! Rette!"

Natsu and Rette turned when they heard Lucy's voice calling their names. Coming their way was Lucy and Wendy with Flare from the former Raven Tail guild just behind them. Natsu freaked at the sight of Flare and Rette had to grab him by the back of his scarf to keep him in place.

"It's okay, she isn't our enemy. Flare is actually from the village." Lucy explained.

"Uh, so are you suppose to be a giant too?" Natsu asked as Rette released him.

"Nope." Flare replied.

"She was raised here by the giants." Wendy told him.

Natsu walked up to Flare, leaning forward to look her in the face. Flare leaned back, a little nervous after he had reacted badly to the sight of her.

"Wh-what?" she asked.

"So then, the whole village situation...must be pretty tough for you. Fairy Tail's reputation is at stake...so we'll definitely get things back to normal around here." Natsu promised.

"He might be thoughtless at times, but he's good to his word." Rette assured Flared.

"Rette, are you feeling alright? You're really pale." Wendy said in concern as she looked up at Rette.

"She's right. You're not feeling sick again are you?" Lucy asked, pressing a hand to Rette's forehead.

"Not for the reason you're thinking. There was some magic earlier that kept switching Natsu and I between our current bodies and those of our childhood selves. When it happened the first time, I had a lot of really strong and vivid flashbacks to my childhood. It's made me feel a little sick, but I'll be fine." Rette assured them.

"So we weren't the only ones." Lucy said.

"Is your hair longer, Rette?" Wendy asked.

Rette reached up. It seemed that when she had last switched back, her hair hadn't been returned to the super short style she had had it in. It now reached to her chin.

"Yeah. When I was little my hair use to be so long, it would trail on the ground behind me as I walked. Apparently that was too much hair to keep switching back and forth between. It's fine." Rette said. "More importantly, we need to think of how to return the village to normal."

"The eternal flame might be able to get the village back to normal." Wendy said.

"So Flare is going to guide us to it." Lucy added.

"I see...I could've sworn I heard a voice coming from this mountain though." Natsu said, turning to look up at the mountain.

With all the changing back and forth, Rette hadn't noticed that they had arrived at the base of the mountain. She looked up at it.

"That's not a mountain." Flare said. "That's the village's guardian...the eternal flame."

Rette let out a whistle as she leaned back to look at the very top. What they had thought was a mountain, was really the frozen form of the flame itself. That was a lot of fire.

"How's that not a mountain!?" Natsu asked.

"That giant flame is frozen solid...that's why it looks like a mountain." Lucy remarked. "We placed our hopes on the eternal flame returning the village to normal but if even the flame itself is frozen, then-"

"Guys, look out!"

Everyone turned when Gray's voice sounded cutting Lucy off. They turned to find Gray running their way, Happy, Carla, and Thyme behind him. Behind them...came some kind of huge, one eyed bird that looked like it was hungry.

"What is that!?" Lucy yelled.

"I don't know, but it definitely wants to eat us!" Happy cried.

"Gray! Knock it out or something!" Natsu yelled.

"I can't use magic power I don't have." Gray retorted. "But...perhaps I could melt the ice around here..."

Gray...could melt the ice?

"Really?" Flare asked.

"That's awesome! You can actually melt this crap!?" Natsu asked.

"Not entirely sure...but I'll sure as hell try!" Gray told him.

"Cool! Me and Rette will take care of this friggin' bird then!" Natsu said.

"Leave it to us." Rette agreed. "The mountain is the flame."

"What?!" Gray yelled, looking up at the mountain.

"Can you do it?" Natsu asked.

"Hell yeah!" Gray replied.

"Then let's take care of our business." Rette said.

Gray held up his hands, Rette and Natsu slapping his hands with their own as if they were tagging into a fight. Rette and Natsu shared a look before, with a kick off, the two launched themselves into the air, both landing a solid kick to the bird's single eye. The combined force sent the bird rocketing backwards, but with a simple flare of its wings, the bird came back at them, catching the two of them in its talons. It swung its foot up, sending Rette and Natsu flying into the air.

"Natsu! Rette!" Lucy cried in concern.

"We're good! The ice...the eternal flame has to be restored!" Natsu replied.

"Natsu!"

Natsu turned to Rette as she held her hands out. The two linked their hands, and with as much force as they could muster, they hit the bird with linked fists. The bird went flying toward the ground. Rette conjured her wings of light and caught Natsu to keep him from following the bird down.

Down below, Gray focused on melting the ice. By channeling the magic of the ice through his body, he was able to melt the ice...only for there to be no flame. It was gone, leaving only bare ground behind. They all stared in horror.

"The flame is...gone..." Lucy gasped.

"There's still residual magic! I can feel it...there's still a flame there!" Rette called below.

"She's right! It's not gone! There's still some strong residual thought! It's proof that it's still alive!" Wendy said.

"'Alive'? What is?" Carla asked.

"There...look!" Lucy called, pointing.

In the center of where the flame should have been, rested an altar. In the center of the altar, was a small flame, still burning brightly despite its small size.

"Natsu can...Natsu can definitely restore that flame!" Wendy called.

Lucy whipped around, looking upward where Rette and Natsu were still fighting with the bird. She called out his name.

"Hell yeah! I got it!" Natsu yelled before turning to Rette who was currently on the bird's back. "Rette!"

"Got it!"

Rette used her conjured wings to upset the bird, spinning it in mid air. She then shot free of the bird. Natsu latched onto it's tail and with a swing, sent it flying down towards the ground. It was then that they learned about a special little ability of the bird. It's one eye lit up, trapping Natsu in a laser of some sort. With that, it was able to swing Natsu down, dragging him across the ground towards a giant. At the last moment, Natsu let loose an explosion that blew him away from the giants.

"Natsu!" Rette called.

Natsu turned as Rette flew into his flight path and offered him her feet to use as a spring board. His feet meet hers and with a kick of from them both, Natsu rocketed back towards the bird, hitting it hard. His next attack sent the bird, alight with fire, crashing into the fire altar below. Rette landed on the ground along side the others as Natsu let loose one fire burst after another, hitting what was left of the eternal flame with as much fire power as possible.

He was probably over doing it if the trembling of the ground was any indication of that. Rette raised her arms, shielding her face from flying bits of rock and the smoke his attacks raised. With one final blast, the fire roared to life. What came out of the flames, had a small smile curling the ends of her mouth. Now she knew what felt so familiar.

"It's him...Atlas Flame." Rette said, looking up at the fire dragon that appeared in the depths of the fire.

"That's..."

"One of the dragons that came out from the Eclipse Gate." Wendy said, finishing the sentence for Gray.

"So it should have gone back four hundred years." Carla remarked.

"Four hundred years...yes...for four hundred years I have continued to burn strong." Atlas Flame said.

"So you're still alive, uncle." Natsu said.

"Alive? No...that isn't entirely correct." Atlas Flame corrected.

"What we're seeing is a form I brought forth with my Milky Way spell." Wendy explained.

"That means..."

"I am no longer of this world. But that is something from the distant past." Atlas Flame said, confirming what Carla had been about to say.

"I don't think he's firing on all cylinders." Gray remarked.

"My awareness...or rather, memory, it's all a bit...jumbled...hmm...this...I..."

Atlas Flame couldn't seem to get his mind all together. Rette knew the feeling, really she did.

"Pull yourself together, Uncle." Natsu told him.

"I remember...Igneel's son." Atlas Flame said finally.

"What do you mean? Zirconis' memory was much more lucid!" Carla said.

"It's probably because of the ice. Right, Wendy?" Rette remarked.

"Yes. At its core, residual thought may be based on strong will but it's still a very fragile magic. By being frozen from the ice magic for so long, part of his memories have clearly been damaged." Wendy agreed.

"Ice...yes, ice. The world was covered in ice." Atlas Flame remarked.

"Uncle, are you talking about the village?" Natsu asked.

"What happened, please tell us." Flare pleaded.

"Hmm...that guy, I...mistook him for something else." Atlas Flame told them.

"That guy?" Lucy asked.

"Yes...a single human changed the world to ice." Atlas Flame answered.

"One mage did all that to the village?" Lucy asked.

"Wh-why would he?" Flare demanded.

"That man thought...he thought I was a demon. He froze the entire village to eradicate me. An exorcist mage...a Devil Slayer."

With these words from Atlas Flame, Rette's hand flew up to her throat, as if she was take off guard by the idea. Her fingers twitched as they touched the choker around her neck. A Devil Slayer? She had never heard of such a thing. There was magic to defeat dragons, magic to defeat gods...and now magic to defeat demons.

"Hmm...it's all a bit...foggy...I am...what was I..." Atlas Flame mumbled.

"You are the guardian of this village! The flame of the giants!" Flare told him, dropping to her knees to bow to him. "Somehow, I beg of you! Shine your light upon this village once more! Please save this village!"

For a moment Atlas Flame only stared down at her. Then he spoke.

"I am...yes. My name is Atlas Flame. I created this village. My village's misfortune is my pain...my village's sorrows are my tears. I...hold the lingering scent of my final spirit along with the fire of Igneel's son. I shall set this village free. I am the fire dragon Atlas Flame. The guardian dragon of this village!" Atlas Flame roared.

With his roar, a wave of heat burst outward. Rette grit her teeth as the heat hit her, almost knocking her off her feet.

"Igneel...dragon king...Acnologia...Zeref...the second Dragon Queen...I remember...I remember it all. The most vile dark magic from the Book of Zeref...E.N.D. Four hundred years ago...Igneel was unable to destroy E.N.D. The second Dragon Queen...there are many who would wish for her end. It can't be allowed. She will save the dragons that follow her." Atlas Flame said as a final parting.

All over the village, the ice melted, freeing the inhabitants of the village from their frozen prison. And with this final act, Atlas Flame's spirit passed on.

"Atlas Flame's residual memories have completely vanished." Wendy said.

"To think he'd be able to muster up that much power with what little spirit he had left." Lucy remarked.

"Be they human or dragons...everyone can muster up more power than you think to save those they love. Even if that means using the last of their own life to do so. To protect what's dearest to them...even I would be willing to give up my life to protect those I love." Rette remarked as she watched the flames burn.

Those words, the way she phrased it, had her friends turning to stare at her. "Give up my life to protect those I love", she said. The words had a really bad feeling settling in the pit of Natsu's stomach.

Hopefully it didn't come to that.

-0-0-0-0-

After everything was said and done, the giants invited them to join them for a celebration. It was during this celebration when Rette and her teammates agreed that the one who caused the ice, had to be from Tartarus, the last remaining, major dark guild. Flare was reunited with her adoptive family, the giants welcoming her back as if she had never left.

The smile Flare had sported, was one of the brightest Rette had ever seen.

While the other had fun with the giants, laughing and joking until the first rays of dawn, Rette couldn't forget the ominous words foretelling of Tartarus' coming appearance. Something about the dark guild, just hearing it's name, made Rette's skin crawl. She didn't know why, and truth be told...she didn't want to. The guild was a problem that didn't, yet, involve her. She would only worry about it if, and when, it involved her in some way.

The next day, they returned to Warrod's, where they told him of their success with the village. Warrod was over joyed.

"I knew sending you guys was the right decision. How nice, how nice!" Warrod cheered.

"It was a piece of cake." Natsu said.

"I'm just relieved that we finished Warrod's request without further incident." Erza said.

"Personally, I don't know how we accomplish things like this sometimes. It completely blows me away how we manage to get in and out of these kinds of situations." Rette remarked.

On that, Rette had a point. They didn't manage to find themselves in some of the craziest, most absurd situations at times, and yet, they always came out of it in one piece.

"It really caught us off guard when we found out that Tartarus was involved though." Wendy remarked.

"Hm...I wouldn't worry too much about them...let the senate handle the investigations regarding that." Warrod told them. "More importantly, there's still the matter of your payment."

They watched as Warrod turned and dug through something, turning back around with a potato in his hand. He claimed that was their payment only to turn around and say it was a joke. After everything in the village and the bad jokes, Rette felt like she could use a nice long soak in a hot bath. Thankfully, Warrod told them of a nearby, natural hot spring. The girls decided to take the chance to take a soak. The view, when they reached it, was breath taking.

"As expected of Warrod, to know of a secret hot spring like this." Erza remarked, dipping a hand into the water.

"Look Wendy! It says this place is not only good for your health but works wonders on your physical beauty as well." Carla pointed out.

"Some of us don't need that." Rette remarked, glancing in Erza's direction.

Rette sat her towel down on the side of the spring where it could remain dry, and slipped into the water, the others joining her. Rette sank down in the water with a sigh.

"There's nothing like taking a dip after an assignment." Lucy remarked.

"On that, I have to agree." Rette said.

"It helps rejuvenate a tired body and soul, allowing us to face our future trials refreshed." Erza agreed.

"I can't help but feel bad for Natsu and Gray." Wendy said.

"They'll be fine. I doubt they have any interest in a hot spring anyways." Carla told her.

"I don't know about that. It might not be the hot spring so much that would interest them." Rette remarked.

She had been so relaxed in the hot water that she hadn't bothered to keep tabs on the magical energies around her. So when the next voice spoke, she jolted to alertness.

"Shows how much you know." came Natsu's voice.

"We can enjoy stuff like this from time to time as well." Gray's voice joined in.

All of the girls turned to the far end of the spring where Natsu, Gray, and Happy sat. With a scream, Wendy turned her back to the boys, ducking down while Lucy threw things at the two. Rette snatched her towel and plastered it to the front of her body, not caring that it got wet.

"Why the hell are you in the female baths!?" Lucy demanded.

"We were here first." Natsu said idly.

"You guys were the ones that came in after us!" Gray added.

"A true gentleman would have left the moment he saw women arrive, not just sit there as if nothing were wrong." Rette retorted.

"Oh? I did tell you it was unisex hot spring, didn't I?"

The new voice had them whipping around to where Warrod was getting into the spring. Rette pressed the towel more firmly to her body. She was usually very comfortable in her own skin. Her lack of proper clothes was enough to show that. But she was completely naked at the moment. The difference was that, even with so little covering, her clothes hid what needed to be hidden.

"Guys, just...get out for a bit." Lucy said, hugging Wendy to her.

"That's right! It's embarrassing!" Wendy agreed.

"We've seen your naked bodies lots of times already though." Natsu said.

"Honestly, the novelty of it wore off a while ago." Gray added.

"You've never seen **me** naked." Rette snapped.

"Yeah, but you lose your tops all the time." Natsu remarked. "All we haven't seen is the lower half."

With this, Natsu idly reached out, pulling back the bottom corner of Rette's towel, like he was trying to sneak a peek. Rette hit him across the head as hard as she could before dunking his head under the water and holding it there for a moment, making Natsu flail his arms about.

"Just because you haven't seen it doesn't give you the right to try to look!" Rette told him when she finally let him come up for air. "Only a woman's lover should see such things."

"Ah well, it's nothing to lose your composure over. We are all comrades here, a little skinship is normal." Erza remarked.

"You are far too casual for this." Rette told her.

Erza stood up, baring herself in all her glory as she walked towards the boys.

"I used to get into the baths with Natsu and Gray all the time." Erza said.

From the looks on the two boys' faces...it wasn't a memory that they liked. Natsu and Gray tried to get away from Erza as she tried to get them to let her wash their backs.

"Hahaha, aren't comrades the best?" Warrod asked.

"This has nothing to do with you!" Lucy snapped.

"You don't know, Lucy?" Rette asked.

Lucy turned to look at Rette, a questioning look on her face. Warrod grinned.

"Now that you mention it...I haven't told you guys yet." Warrod said, lifting his left arm up out of the water.

There, stamped on his skin...was the Fairy Tail emblem. All of Rette's friends stared in shock as they saw the stamp.

"He's one of the founding members of the guild along with Master Mavis. I read it in one of the books in the guild's archives." Rette remarked.

"You knew this whole time and didn't say anything!?" Gray asked.

"I thought you all knew. All of you, save Wendy and Carla, have been in the guild longer than I have." Rette replied. "But think about it...it explains why Master was so anxious for us to do a good job on this request."

Now that Rette pointed it out, it did make sense. Warrod agreed with her that it was all true.

"It is safe to assume that is the reason why you requested Natsu, Gray, and Rette?" Erza asked from where she was scrubbing Natsu's back.

"Hmm...pretty much. When you entered my home, I caught a nostalgic whiff of the guild's wooden smell...just kidding. To have met you young fairies, really made my heart skip a beat. The peace that Mavis sings about...Fairy Tail, a guild with bonds between the souls of mages which are even thicker than blood. That spirit carries on even now, and you have all succeed that. That very spirit will become the key to your successes and triumphs, I felt that, in the moment I met you all. Mavis once said, comrade isn't simply a word. Comrades are about heart. It's the unconditional trust in your partners. Please, feel free to lean on me and I, too, will lean on you as well." Warrod told them.

It sounded like something that Mavis would say.

"The words that created Fairy Tail...it really hits you deep...brings a tear to your eye." Lucy remarked.

"Though, in truth, there was another reason I requested one of you." Warrod said.

"Another reason for one of us? Who?" Rette asked.

"You."

Warrod turned and looked directly at Rette, surprising her and making her plaster her towel more firmly against herself.

"Me? Why?" Rette asked.

"I was curious when I heard of the type of magic you use, but I was more so when I heard about your eyes." Warrod told her.

"My eyes?"

Rette never had a good feeling in her stomach when someone wanted to see her because of her eyes. They were, after all, one of the few physical traits she had from her father. Warrod locked his eyes on hers.

"They're a pretty color, not one naturally found on this continent. You aren't from Ishgal, are you, Rette?" he asked.

Rette jolted a little as attention was brought completely to her. Her shoulders hunched slightly and her expression completely went blank before their eyes. It was a defensive reaction, her friend knew that.

"My mother was...but no, I'm not. I don't really know where I was from. I only remember crossing a great stretch of sea before I came to this continent." Rette admitted.

"I see. Though it is still rare, there is a small island nation a great distance from this continent in which there have been people known for the magenta color of their eyes. Those rare individuals, as legends and myths say, are suppose to have a more vast store of magic and are suppose to be able to use grand and great magic beyond our imaginations. Which was why I was curious when I heard of the nature your magic takes. I have seen one or two people like you in my life, but I have never seen any with lavender mixed in." Warrod said. "I assume that was from your mother?"

"So I'm told. She died when I was only a few days old." Rette replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Warrod told her.

"Yeah...so was I." Rette admitted.

"And I assume you would prefer not to talk about the marks of the Banesbloud clan on the backs of your hands?"

When Warrod said this, Rette looked down, forgetting that she wasn't wearing her gloves. She twisted her hand up in the towel as best as she could while still covering herself.

"You would be right." Rette said lowly.

"There is no reason for you to be so defensive. If there was one thing I learned in my time in Fairy Tail, it was that everyone who comes to Fairy Tail has something in their past that they aren't proud of or would rather forget. It is why no one in Fairy Tail will ever judge another for what they have been through." Warrod told Rette.

"So you say, but there are some sins, some stains, that can never fully be washed away or accepted." Rette muttered lowly.

"Rette?" Lucy asked, turning to look at her.

"It's nothing. Just muttering to myself." Rette said, sinking into the water until she was sitting, the water up to her nose.

The look on her face said, plain as day, that she didn't want to talk anymore. The others accepted that and the conversation moved away from Rette. It was then that something finally caught Natsu's attention.

"Wait, so that means..you're even older than Gramps!?" Natsu asked, turning to look at Warrod.

"That's rude, Natsu." Erza told him.

"That means...if he's been around that long...he might know about E.N.D and the demons." Natsu told her.

"E.N.D? Demise?" Warrod asked.

"Apparently it's got something to do with Zeref's book of demons." Natsu told him. "My dad, the dragon, tried to defeat it or something."

"The Book of Zeref...another unsettling word." Warrod remarked.

"If I know what E.N.D is then I might be able to figure out where Igneel is...I think, anyway." Natsu said.

"That's what Atlas Flame told us." Wendy added in.

"My apologies, but I have no idea. But when you told me about Tartarus this afternoon, I remembered something. We know next to nothing about the true form of their guild. Not of their base of operations, their members, or even their actual numbers. But from various people who claim to have witnessed their meetings...they all say...those gatherings are a worshipping for demons." Warrod said.

Rette wanted to call a big, fat "nope" right then and there.

Nope, nope, nopity-nope-nope!

She **did not** mess with demon worshippers. That was a bunch of people that it was just insane to mess with them. There was no telling what they might do and Rette had enough crap in her life.

"This is a prophecy from the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgal, so take it for what it's worth. It's possible they have the Book of Zeref in their possession." Warrod added.

Rette shivered despite the warm water all around her. Whenever Zeref came up in a conversation, her first instinct was to back out and run. She didn't want to be caught up in something involving the dark mage. And to hear that a guild might be in possession of the Book of Zeref...Rette could already feel the goosebumps spreading over her skin.

"So you don't know jack shit about where it is! Damn it!" Natsu yelled, pounding his fist against the nearest surface. "When I find them, I'll make them spit it all out! I'll give 'em some of this! And some of that!"

Everyone, by now, was focused on Natsu, most of them watching with horrified looks on their faces. Natsu didn't even realize what he was doing, which made it so much worse.

"Oi...Natsu..." Gray called.

"What?" Natsu asked.

Rette pointed downward, making Natsu look down...to where Erza lay on the ground, bruises already rising on her skin from where he had beat his fist against her without noticing it.

It was in that moment that Natsu knew...he had fucked up.

END

Kyandi: I would not want to be in Natsu's position.

Rette: Nor I.

Kyandi: But, then again, I wouldn't want to be in your position in the next chapter.

Rette: Don't remind me!

Kyandi: Is that groaning I hear?

Rette: Yes.

Kyandi: You poor thing. The readers will find it entertaining.

Rette: Goodie for them.

Kyandi: Yep! So everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	46. Parenthood

Kyandi: I have returned!

Rette: Her muse exploded on another story.

Kyandi: Plus, I've been working on putting together a Q&A youtube video for all of you lovelies. So if you have a question, whether it's about my characters or myself, or even my opinions or something, then throw the question my way and I'll answer it in the video.

Rette: And the poll and contest.

Kyandi: Right! There's a new poll on my bio page, so go vote on that. As for the contest...I'm holding a contest for all of you artists. Draw a picture of any of my characters, in a Halloween costume, and send it to me. Or link me. I'll pick my favorites and feature them in a video!

Rette: Even if you can't draw, you can still go vote.

Kyandi: Yep. And you might want to hurry. The pole will be coming down October 1st.

Rette: Got to have time to put the video together.

Kyandi: Yep! With that, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 46 Parenthood

After all the chaos and...liveliness, of her last request, when Rette got back home, she decided it would be best to focus on a request that didn't have her paired up with one of her usual teammates.

For the sake of her sanity, that is, or...what remained of it.

Rette found herself seated at her kitchen table, her stack of requests spread out across the surface of her table. The first one that caught her attention, was a collaboration request with the last person she had expected to be paired with.

Sting.

Rette sat aside her coffee mug and picked up the request. She had a few others that requested her to work with both Sting and Rogue as well as Gajeel, Natsu, and Wendy, but this was the only one she had that requested just her and Sting. Half of the job request was written in a strange language she didn't know. It looked interesting though, and if she was being honest...she was kind of curious to see how Sting was doing in his new position as guild master.

"Hey, Thyme."

Thyme came flying into the room from the back patio where Rette had a small garden. Thyme had been busy picking fruits and vegetables. She sat the basket she was carrying, on the table and landed next to it, giving Rette a questioning look.

"I decided on my next job request and it's going to have me working with Sting from Sabertooth. Do you want to stay here, or come with me?" Rette asked.

Thyme, who had been going on more and more jobs with Lily and Gajeel or Carla and Wendy, explained that she had already arranged to go on another job with Wendy and Carla. Rette was more than happy to let Thyme do as she wanted. Rette would just have to go by herself. With that decided, Rette packed a travel bag, called her farewells to Thyme, telling her to let the others know where she was, and, taking the request with her, Rette set out.

As normal when she was traveling alone, Rette flew. No sense in taking the train only to be sick. Besides...she was quicker when she flew.

The town that Sabertooth called home was a busy, little city filled with all kinds of vendors, milling people, and cheerful voices. Rette's eyes were constantly sweeping her surroundings as she followed directions to the Sabertooth guild. She did notice, a couple of times, that some people stopped to stare at her. Maybe it as the barely-there shorts and plunging neckline of her halter top, or maybe it was the Fairy Tail emblem she bore when she was in Sabertooth territory. Rette didn't know.

Nor did she really care.

Rette found the Sabertooth guild hall with ease. The build was as large as her own guild hall and the closer she got to it, the more people she saw baring the guild's emblem. Standing in front of guild's doors, request in hand, Rette took a deep breath and headed inside. The moment the doors opened, several people turned to look at her. As they fell silent, the others all, slowly turned to look at her, falling silent as well until the whole room was quiet.

Rette felt like she was on display in a glass case or something. She couldn't sense any hostility, but it still made her uncomfortable. Though she didn't let it show. She simply searched the faces before her, looking for the crooked grin and blonde hair that would lead her to the guild's master. But **he** found **her**.

"Rette!"

Rette turned when she heard her name called. Sting was heading her way, a grin on his face. Rogue and Yukino were just behind him. Thankfully, both were smiling as if they were happy to see her. It made her a little more comfortable. Seeing their master greet Rette cheerfully, everyone else in the room went back to doing whatever they had been doing.

"Hey." Rette greeted when the three reached her.

"What are you doing here?" Yukino asked.

"I received a joint job request for Sting and I. I would have gotten it sooner, but I spent a couple of days, sick in bed." Rette replied, holding up the request in her hand.

"Oh dear! You're alright now, right?" Yukino asked.

"Of course. It was just a short illness." Rette replied as Sting took the request.

"Oh yeah! I remember getting this. I was close to contacting you and asking if you wanted to take it or not." Sting remarked.

"Well, I'm here. At this point, it's better than taking another job with Natsu. He gets the more impossible jobs done, but he makes me feel so tired afterward." Rette remarked, her hands going to her hips.

Sting's grin grew. He invited her to join them for lunch. Rette found herself seated at a table in the very heart of the guild, requesting a large cup of ice with her meal. Lector, Forsch, Rufus, and Orga joined them by the time the food was sat before them.

"I remember Sting getting that request. We were starting to wonder if you would avoid doing a job with a Sabertooth member." Rufus remarked.

"Why would I? I've got nothing against your guild. Not anymore, at least. Honestly, and here I was thinking the whole mess had become water under the bridge. That's what I get for thinking." Rette remarked.

Though her expression was blank, they could tell, by the way her eyes cut up, that Rette was joking. It put smiles on all of their faces. They knew that if Rette, who was one of the most over protective of her guild, forgave them, that her guildmates would be of the same opinion.

"Is Thyme not with you?" Lector asked, excitedly, looking around.

"Sorry, no. She had a job lined up with Carla and Wendy." Rette said before popping a cube of ice into her mouth, her sharpened inscors shredding it in a mere second.

They enjoyed their lunch, Rette sitting back and watching the members of Sabertooth while they joked and laughed just like her own guild mates did. Rette was sure that they were well on their way towards becoming a guild that really cared about each other. It was nice to see. When they were done eating, the others left Rette and Sting to pondered over their request.

"I thought this when I first saw this, but what is this?" Sting asked, pointing to the request.

Rette leaned towards him, looking at strange form of script at the bottom of the request. Rette could have sworn she had seen something similar to this before. She was trying to place it when, trying to figure it out himself, Sting started trying to read the words aloud. Rette swore she had seen this kind of request before.

That was right!

It had been a job request that had come into Fairy Tail just shortly after she had joined her guild. It was a request that when read aloud by Natsu, had swapped the bodies of several of her guild mates.

Wait...

"Don't read it, Sting!"

It was too late. Sting had just finished the last line, looking up at her in confusion. Rette stared at the request as the letters lit up and there was a sudden explosion of light and smoke. The explosion knocked her into Sting which sent the both of them tumbling to the ground. Coughing, Rette waved smoke out of her face.

"I told you not to read it." Rette remarked.

"Sorry." Sting replied from right behind her.

In the fall, Rette had ended up in his lap, her back to his chest, so his voice sounded right behind her head.

"What did it do?" came Lector's voice from somewhere in the fading smoke.

As the smoke cleared and Rette was able to see in front of her, she got a pretty good idea on what the spell did. She reached behind her, yanking on Sting's arm.

"I think I know." she said.

The smoke finally, completely cleared revealing...a little boy about four or five years old with a mess of blonde hair and two toned eyes of magenta and lavender. Sting leaned around Rette, peering over her shoulder at the boy with wide eyes.

Everyone froze as the boy looked around, slightly confused. When those eyes, so much like Rette's, found Rette and Sting, he let out a squeal of joy and threw himself at Rette with a cry, knocking her back into Sting's chest.

"Mama! Daddy!"

" _ **Say what!?**_ "

Rette and Sting stared at the child before looking at each other. There was no denying the big doe eyes so similar in color and shape to Rette's, but Rette was pretty sure she had never done anything to gain a child. She didn't know about Sting, but she was positive about herself. But this child was sure that she was his mother and Sting was his father.

Could it be...?

"Let me see that!" Rette said, snatching the job request from Sting.

Between Levy and Freed, the two had been teaching her about script magic. Rette might not get it perfect, but now that she was sure she knew what language it was, she could translate some of the text. With a lap full of a wiggling, little boy and Sting leaning over her shoulder, she worked through the text, muttering random lines.

"Speakers make the couple...for the course of half a fortnight...caregivers of probable offspring..."

Rette turned white as she moved the paper to stare at the little boy smiling back at her with the same quirk of the lips that Sting had when he smiled or grinned.

"Oh...My...Gods!"

Rette dropped her face into her hands, crumpling the request in her hand.

"Rette?" Sting questioned.

Rette didn't answer or move.

"Mama? Mama, are you okay!? Daddy! Mama's not answering!"

Horrified at the sound of tears in the boy's voice, Rette couldn't ignore him. She could handle Mavis crying, but she couldn't handle a child's crying. She dropped her hands, finding the teary eyed, little face just inches from her own.

"No tears! I'm fine." Rette quickly assured him.

A big grin, so much like Sting's, spread across his face and he threw his little arms around her neck, nuzzling up to her. Holding the boy, Rette let Sting help her to her feet.

"What does the request say?" Yukino asked.

"It's a spell, which is why I told Sting not to read it aloud. That activated it. Basically, the spell takes the reader and the nearest person of the opposite gender and produces any possible, future child the two could have." Rette said.

Oh...OH!

Uh-oh...

Sting gave Rette a sheepish smile when she turned a sharp look on him. He knew he was in trouble when that look landed on him and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I told you not to read it." Rette told him.

Her tone wasn't happy in the least and it was shown when she started swatting him with the crumpled job request, as if he was a bad dog.

"I'm sorry!" Sting replied, covering his head as she hit him.

"This is why I avoid close quarters with male Dragon Slayers. You never listen and I swear, it's like you all attract chaos. Natsu didn't listen either." Rette remarked.

"You've been through this before?" Rogue asked, choosing to ignore the comment about male Dragon Slayers.

"Not me. Shortly after I joined Fairy Tail, a request similar to that, but with a different effect, came to our guild. Natsu read it after being told not to and ended up switching the bodies of everyone present. I had, thankfully, left for the day." Rette replied.

"So this little guy is the possible child of you and Master Sting?" Yukino asked.

Rette nodded. The child obviously didn't know what was going on, but was just happy to be in his mother's arms. He smiled brightly at Yukino when she looked at him.

"He's adorable!" Yukino said.

That only made the child's smile grow. Even though the child was only the result of a spell, Sting puffed out his chest with pride. Rette had to admit...the child did have his father's adorable face and grin.

"How long does the spell last?" Orga asked.

"Half a fortnight, so...one week." Rette replied.

Rette heaved a sigh. She suddenly felt so exhausted. More so than if she had gone a job in which she had to fight a strong and presisent opponent. She was now regretting picking the request.

"We'll just have to take care of him until then."

Rette looked up at Sting who was smiling confidently after speaking those words. She couldn't believe how confident he was as he suggested that. Rette doubted her ability to care for a child, completely. Horrified at the possibility of screwing up, even more horrified at the possibility of being a parent like her father, Rette dropped her face into her free hand.

"Mama?" the child asked.

"Yukino, could you please take him for a moment, I beg of you. I just need a moment." Rette said, holding the boy out to Yukino.

"Uh, sure." Yukino agreed.

She took the boy, telling him that they were going to get snacks while his "parents" talked. The moment Yukino and the boy were gone from sight, Rette dropped heavily into a chair, flopping forward to drape herself over the table.

"Rette?" Sting called, concerned.

"I know it's only a week, but...how the hell am I suppose to take care of a child? I didn't have a mother. I don't have the first clue. I've fought bandits, monsters, other mages, a dragon bent on my destruction, and have lived through situations that would have killed any number of other people, but for the life of me...this is **not** a job I can do." Rette said lowly. "This will be the death of me."

Sting and Rogue looked at each other. Neither of them had really had parents, but their dragons had been close enough.

"Come on, that can't be true. What about your dad?" Orga asked.

Rette raised her head, a look on her face that none of them really could place. It was hard to tell if it was put out or annoyed, or something completely different.

"My father, my biological father, was a dark mage that ran an underground facility that kidnapped and raised children into corrupt mages. He was a follower of Zeref that was responsible for my mother's death just a few days after my birth and he is, by far, the most cruel and abusive person I have ever met. And in case you forgot, I fought against Minerva. You tell me...what kind of parental influence is that?" Rette retorted, dropping her head back onto the table. "The thought of possibly being a parent like him, is the most terrifying thought in existence."

"What...really!?" Sting asked.

"You would have found out eventually. It's a really long story that I don't want to get into." Rette mumbled.

"Well...what about Chrysalis?" Rogue asked.

"You want me to laugh at the poor child while Sting hangs him from an icy spike for misbehaving?" Rette asked.

Rogue made a face. Apparently Rette hadn't had the best luck with parents and her dragons had had an unorthodox way of raising her.

"Perhaps not." Rogue replied.

Rette heaved a sigh and pushed herself up as Yukino came back with the child. Yukino handed him to Rette, who sat him in a chair beside her before turning her chair to face him.

"I'm sure you can survive a week with this little guy." Orga said, laying a hand on the back of the child's chair. "What's your name, kid?"

"Weiss! I'm this many!" the boy replied, holding up five fingers, two on one hand and three on the other.

Sting came to stop, pausing when he heard what the boy's name was. Weiss? Sting's dragon's name had been Weisslogia and the similar name was a bit surprising. Though if he thought about it, this boy was suppose to be his child. It was only natural that he had a name like that of Sting's adoptive father.

"Weiss?" Rogue asked, glancing at Sting.

A big, happy and proud grin lit the child's face. He puffed out his tiny chest with as much pride as he could and raised his chin.

"Mama named me! She said it was in honor of my grandpa, the mighty dragon, Weisslogia!" Weiss proclaimed.

All eyes turned to Rette whose face went a little red in surprise and embarrassment. She had to admit...it was the perfect name for a son of Sting. Rette cleared her throat, deciding that now was the best time to bow out. She couldn't stand anymore embarrassment.

"Yes, well...we have a long trip home. Let's go, Weiss." Rette said.

Weiss looked up at Sting as Sting started to protest.

"Daddy...isn't coming?" Weiss asked.

"No. Your...father, lives with his guild, here." Rette told the child.

"Mama and Daddy...don't live together?" Weiss asked. "Do you hate Daddy?"

"That's not the case in the least. We just live in different towns to be closer to our guild." Rette said, trying to reason with the child.

Rette flinched when tears started to pool in Weiss' big eyes. There was a flash of panic across her face as she silently begged the child not to cry. She doubted she could handle it.

"I'll explain later. Let's go." Rette said, trying to speak softly and gently as she had seen Bisca do with her own daughter.

She was sure she could better handle this at home. There Mira and Bisca and others in the guild could help her get through the week.

"No!" Weiss shouted.

"Weiss-"

"No!"

"Weiss-"

" **No!** "

In a display of anger, whatever magic Weiss had, exploded out from his wide open mouth, the beam shooting right past Rette's right ear. The close call, as well as the sheer light from the beam, blinded those nearby. Rette blinked, trying to clear her vision while Weiss pouted, sniffling. Rette rubbed at her eyes.

"Well...you are most definitely Sting's child. Who else would teach a five year that kind of magic?" Rette remarked.

"You have light based magic too. How do you know he didn't get it from you?" Sting asked.

"Yes, but there's a difference between Light of Creation magic and White Dragon Slayer magic and **that** ," Rette said, gesturing to Weiss. "That was White Dragon Slayer magic."

Rette could finally see again and when she looked at Weiss, the boy was pouting, his arms crossed. Rette heaved a sigh. How was she going to do this?

"Rette, let's talk for a moment." Sting said, grabbing her wrist.

He pulled her to her feet and pulled her away from Weiss. Rette didn't have much of a choice but to follow him. When they were across the room, Sting turned to her and so bluntly stated his next sentence, as if he was ordering it, that Rette hauled off...and slapped him across the face.

"Come live with me."

 _Smack!_

Everyone turned as Sting let out a loud curse and plastered a hand to his now red cheek. He bent forward slightly, muttering under his breath about how he couldn't believe Rette had that much power behind a simple slap.

What could she say?

She slapped some of the men in her guild...a lot.

The forefront being Natsu and Gajeel.

"Excuse you, but I don't take kindly to being a ordered around, Sting. **Especially** if **that** is the order." Rette told him, her hands on her hips.

"I didn't mean it like that! I swear! I meant that, until this is over, you should stay with me. Just so he doesn't get upset and blow another hole in a wall." Sting told her, still rubbing his cheek. "We're suppose to be teamed for this request anyway."

"And why do **I** have to come stay with **you**?" Rette demanded. "I'm the one with an actual house."

"Because I'm the one that's their guild's master. I can't be away for a week." Sting replied. "But **you** can."

Rette stared at him, her expression not giving anything away. Sting was a little concerned that she was going to hit him again. Finally, she heaved a sigh.

"Fine, I see your point." she conceded. "Doesn't mean I like it."

Sting was just relieved that she didn't hit him again. That had hurt. Rette glanced towards Weiss who was watching them with wide eyes over the back of his chair. All Rette could see what his mess of blond locks and his wide eyes peeking over the back of the chair.

"This is going to be a very...interesting week. **Long** , but interesting." Rette remarked.

Boy was it.

Sting was a mix of emotions at the moment. Rette and a little boy that was suppose to be **their** son, were going to be living with him for the next week. There was a mix of nervousness and excitement boiling up inside of him.

"Weiss, come on. Your father is ready to go home." Rette called, pulling Sting from his thoughts.

With a little cheer, the boy flew out of his seat and ran across the room and smacking into Sting's legs, throwing his little arms around them.

A week.

For a week they would have to be a family.

It was going to be a long week.

-0-0-0-0-

"By the icy tundra..."

Rette stood in the door way of Sting's room, staring at the room beyond. Two things hit her all at once. The first was the sheer size of the room. It was easily the size of the whole first floor of her house. The second was the state of the room.

Sting was a young, single man living with only his exceed partner. Rette had expected discord on some level, of course, but **this!?**

Rette felt like she was standing in a tornado zone.

The trash can was filled to the point of over flowing, there were clothes everywhere, the sink was over run with dirty dishes, tables were covered in used glasses, food wrappers, and trash, and for some odd reason, the couch was laying on its back.

Sting, embarrassed and rubbing the back of his head, turned to look at Rette who could only blink at the scene before her.

"Sorry, it's a little dirty." Sting said.

" **A little!?** " Rette repeated.

Sting opened his mouth to speak, but Rette simply held up one hand. Sting closed his mouth as she resettled Weiss on her hip.

"If we're going to live here, it's going to be clean. I can understand some clothes thrown on the floor because I do that myself, but this is ridiculous. Now, I'm going to give you a list of cleaning supplies. Please go get it." Rette told him.

Sting hadn't known that Rette was a little bit of a neat freak. She obviously couldn't stand being in a place that was as messy as his room was at the moment. Not that he could blame her. He really should have cleaned his room a while back.

Rette gave him the list and sent him and Lector out. They found most of the supplies in the storage room of the guild dorms, though there were a few things they had to go buy. When they returned, Sting found that his clothes had been picked up, the trash had been picked up and taken out, and the couch had been corrected. Weiss was currently following Rette as she swept the floor. He was carrying a dustpan for her, ready to help in any way he could.

Rette had tied her shoulder length hair back and was focused on her work. It was then that Sting really noticed that her hair had grown considerably since the last time he had seen her and that hadn't been that long ago. Sting's eyes drifted from Rette to his room. Already it was looking better. Sting had to admit one thing.

Rette would make a good wife.

Not that he would say as much to her.

It was then that Rette finally spotted him and took the cleaning supplies from him. In return, she gave him another list.

"You have next to nothing to eat in your kitchen but junk food. Don't you ever cook for yourself?" Rette asked.

"I go to the guild hall for that." Sting replied.

Rette heaved a sigh. She looked a little put out, but covered it quickly. What could she really expect? Most of the young, single men in her guild were the same way. Freed was just about the only exception.

"Well, I'll be cooking during my stay. You actually save money buying and cooking your own food." she told him, sending him back out.

That was one good thing about this. Sting wondered if Rette was a good cook. During the king's ball after the Grand Magic Games, he had heard Rette's teammates remark that they would prefer to eat Rette's cooking over anything they could find in, or out of, Magnolia. If Rette was really that good, then eating her food every day for the next week, would be heaven.

It took Sting a little longer to gather the food. When he got back, the whole place was clean and his clothes were drying. Rette was draped across the couch, one arm draped over her eyes and Weiss sitting on her stomach, staring down at her. Weiss looked up as Sting and Lector sat the bags on the table.

"Shh, Daddy! Mama is resting." Weiss said, holding a little finger up in front of his lips.

"Yes... **resting**. We'll go with that." Rette remarked lowly.

She moved her arm then and sat up, wrapping an arm around Weiss to keep him from falling. She pegged Sting with a look that he couldn't read.

"You know, I had to do less cleaning after coming home from Tenrou Island to a house covered in seven years worth of dust, dirt, and cobwebs. How in the world did the couch ended up on its back?" Rette asked.

Sting grinned sheepishly, explaining that he and Lector had been fooling around, playfully fighting, the night before. The couch had got knocked over and they hadn't corrected it. Rette shook her head at him, a hand pressed to her face. She removed the hand and looked at Weiss.

"Your daddy is a bit of a slob." she told Weiss.

Weiss snickered, but Sting couldn't really argue with her on that. With that, Rette handed Weiss to Sting and got up to make dinner. When they sat down to eat, they had to stack books in a chair for Weiss to be able to see over the table top. Weiss, when he saw what was for dinner, lit up.

"Mama made an all white dinner! My favorite! Daddy's too!" Weiss cheered.

Sting hadn't noticed it, but everything Rette made, was white. Sting, as the White Dragon Slayer, ate white things like Natsu ate fire and Gajeel ate iron. Rette, herself, ate crystals and ice. Both of which decorated her plate in a colorful display.

"I know." Rette said idly.

"You know it's my favorite?" Sting asked.

"I do have Dragon Slayer magic and I have lived with Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, and even Laxus, for a while. I know what Dragon Slayers eat." Rette remarked.

Both turned to look at Weiss when the child snatched a clear crystal off Rette's plate and popped it into his mouth, chewing on it cheerfully.

"Weiss...did your mommy teach you Crystal Dragon Slayer magic?" Sting asked.

"And Ice! Mama said Grandpa Tundron and Granny Chrysalis would roast her hide if she didn't!" Weiss replied happily.

Rette slapped a hand to her face.

"I know how destructive and hard it is to have two Dragon Slayers elements. I fear for the future with a child with three." Rette remarked.

Weiss grinned, oblivious to the meaning of Rette's words or the distress behind them. They finished eating and Rette, while she cleaned up, demanded that Sting give Weiss a bath. Sting didn't argue. He was starting to realize that when Rette ordered something, he just **couldn't** disobey her. He felt compelled to do as she said. Just like Natsu and Gajeel. He had a feelign it was a Dragon Slayer thing because even Weiss rushed to do as his mother told him.

Though that could just be a child doing as his mother said.

Rette caught herself about to heave another sigh as Sting and Weiss vanished into the bathroom.

"Something wrong, Ret?" Lector asked.

"Aside from that weird nickname? Not really." Rette replied as she gathered dishes. "It's just...not how I imagined spending my time this week."

"It's the same for Sting." Lector replied, sitting on the bar that the kitchen sink was built into.

"Perhaps so, but I feel like he's adjusting a lot quicker than I am. I feel horribly out of place. Especially since I'm not with my own guild." Rette said, as she started washing dishes.

"Then try relaxing." Lector suggested.

Relaxing.

If only it was that easy. Rette had never pictured herself as a mother and now, here she was with a child. And the father was Sting Eucliffe! It could have at least happened with someone from her own guild. At least then she could have stayed in her own house. Not to mention that, Rette was honestly, completely, terrified of being a mother. She didn't want to be a parent like her father was, but his blood ran through her veins. In her mind, it was an unavoidable future if she had children.

Rette was yanked out of her thoughts when the bathroom door flew open. She turned, plate in hand, to see what was going on and froze, dropping the plate.

"Weiss, get back here!"

Sting, covered in soapy water and as naked as the day he was born, chased an equally soapy and naked Weiss, into the room. Sting caught Weiss, lifting the now laughing child into the air.

"Got you!" Sting declared.

"Sting." Lector hissed.

Sting looked over at Lector who was gesturing frantically towards Rette. Sting realized, then, that he was standing, completely naked, in front of a wide eyed Rette. For a long moment, Sting just stood there, staring back at her, holding Weiss.

"Uh...Rett-"

"Just go." Rette said, cutting him off as she covered her face.

"But-"

"Sting... _ **GO!**_ "

Sting turned on the spot and ran back into the bathroom. Rette waited until she heard the bathroom door close before she removed her hands from her face and turned to get the broom. She frowned as she swept up the shards of the plate.

"This is going to be the death of me." Rette remarked.

"What? You've never seen a naked guy before?" Lector asked.

"Unfortunately I have, but it doesn't mean I want to. In case you haven't met my guild mates, I've had more pressing things to do than to mess with men." Rette told him. "You try dealing with my team. They kind of kill any chance of romance."

"Do you even pay attention to chances of romance?" Lector asked.

"If I say no, will you leave me be?" Rette asked.

"Is it true?"

Rette turned her eyes to look at the exceed. Instead of answering, she bent to sweep glass into the dustpan.

"Go away, Lector." Rette replied.

Lector, laughing to himself, left the kitchen. Rette returned to finishing dishes. She had just finished when Weiss came running out of the bathroom, fully clothed.

"Mama!"

Newly clean, Weiss jumped at Rette, hitting her at the stomach and wrapping his arms around her waist to dangle. Rette stumbled a step, but stayed on her feet.

"I'm all clean!" Weiss declared as Rette hauled him up to prop him on one hip.

"I see that. Did you remember to get behind your ears?" Rette asked.

"Yes, Mama! I'm cleaner than Uncle Natsu!"

"Well, I would hope so." Rette replied.

Sting watched from across the room as Rette spoke with the child. She claimed she couldn't do this, couldn't be a mother, but she seemed to be doing just fine.

"Come on buddy. It's Mama's turn to use the bathroom." Sting said.

Weiss squirmed until Rette sat him down. The boy ran to Sting.

"Don't forget behind **your** ears, Mama!" Weiss called.

Rette shook her head as she walked over to her travel bag. Taking what she needed, she vanished into the bathroom. Not long after she vanished into the bathroom, Weiss turned to Sting. A serious-as serious as a look could be on a five year old-fell on his face.

"Daddy...how'd you meet Mama?" Weiss asked.

"Uh..."

Sting could remember, perfectly, the day Rette had walked into his life. She had come to his guild's lodgings to get Natsu who, in anger, had challenged Jiemma over his mistreatment of Yukino. Sting had been intrigued by Rette from the start. She was beautiful, she was confident...and she scared the living day lights out of Natsu.

Always a funny bonus in his book.

"Well, it was during a magic tournament. Natsu was destroying things at the lodgings where I was staying with my guild. Your mama came to get him. Scared him to death too. It was funny. It was the fastest I've ever seen him run." Sting told the child with a grin on his face.

"What did you think of her, Daddy?"

That was a hard question to answer. He had thought a lot of different things about Rette when he had first seen her. A person couldn't meet a girl like Rette and only think one thing about her.

"Well...not much at first. I thought she was pretty and unusual, but, aside from that, I didn't really think much of her." Sting answered honestly, scratching at one cheek.

"When did that change?" Weiss asked.

"A few days later, after she fought against the young miss, Minerva." Sting answered instantly without thinking about it.

That, he was sure, was when his opinion of Rette had started to change. Her resolve to fight to the bitter end, her refusal to give up for the sake of her guild, her devotion to her friends, the strength of her will and faith...they had given him a glance of the heart behind the indifferent mask.

A fiercely loyal and devoted heart.

One capable of light and hope.

And then there had been that moment in the market the next day. Whoever had said "what you see isn't always what you get" had to have been talking about Rette.

"Mama fought against Auntie Minerva!?" Weiss squeaked, eyes wide.

"Yeah...she was beaten, but from the way she carried herself and from the way the crowd cheered, you'd think your mama had won. Even in pain and badly beaten, she picked herself up and walked out of the arena under her own power." Sting replied.

Weiss' face lit up with pride in his mother. Now that Sting knew Rette, he was proud of his friend too. And she was his friend, had even said she would be his friend. She might have not had the power to beat Minerva then, but Rette had true strength. The strength to fight for her friends, for what was hers, and for what she believed in.

"Mama's so cool!" Weiss cheered, bouncing around on the couch.

"Yeah, she is. She's something else. She has Natsu and Gajeel scared of her too." Sting said with a grin.

"Are you and Uncle Rogue scared of her, too?" Weiss asked.

Sting didn't want to answer that question.

Yes, Rette scared him. Not so much Rette as a person, but just the magic, the aura, he felt from her sometimes scared him. Rarely, but she did scare him some. It was just something about her that compelled him to obey her. If he didn't, her mere presence became an intimidation. From what he knew, Rogue, Gajeel, Natsu, and even Laxus, felt it as well. Wendy never had to because she never did anything to upset Rette. Sting was sure, though, that it had to be a Dragon Slayer thing.

"She does, doesn't she?" Weiss asked, sporting a wide grin much like Sting's.

"I better."

Both males turned when they heard Rette's voice. Sting's jaw dropped. Rette came out of the bathroom, toweling her hair dry...wearing a short, too small for her frame, white nightie. He noticed instantly that she was wearing gloves again and wondered if she ever took them off.

Rette dropped the towel, letting it hang loosely around her neck. She propped her hands on her hips then, one cocking slightly to one side.

"I better scare him senseless." Rette remarked.

"Daddy and Uncle Rogue are scared of you!" Weiss said with a giggle.

"Want to know what's even funnier, Weiss?" Rette asked.

"What, Mama?"

"Your Uncle Natsu and Uncle Gajeel are too. Even Laxus is. And...I'm weaker than Natsu and Laxus." Rette replied, holding a finger up in front of her lips as a way of saying it was a secret.

Weiss clapped both hands over his mouth and snickered. To him, it was funny that usually big and bad Dragon Slayers, were scared of a small girl. Especially when in, at least, two cases, she was weaker than them. Sting didn't think it was all that funny...when it was him.

It was hilarious when it was Natsu and Gajeel.

"Anyway, enough of that. It's time for bed for you, little mister." Rette said.

Weiss ran over to Rette, holding his arms up to silently ask for her to pick him up. Rette leaned over, lifting him and propping him on her left hip. Her eyes then went to Sting. She didn't need to say a word for him to know what she was silently asking.

"Bedroom." Sting told her, pointing towards his room.

He would let Weiss and Rette have his bed until this whole thing was over. In the meantime, he would sleep on the couch with Lector. Lector was already asleep on one of the armchairs, as it was. The thought of Rette sleeping in his bed gave him a feeling he couldn't put a name to. It was strange, but, at the same time, put a grin on his face. The closest he could think of, was excitement.

When Sting didn't move to follow them, Weiss looked over Rette's shoulder. He reached out, tugging lightly on Rette's hair to gain her attention, at which point, he pointed to Sting.

"Mama, isn't Daddy coming to bed too?" Weiss asked.

"He's going to sleep out here and let us have the bed. There's not much room." Rette told him.

"But we always sleep together!" Weiss whined.

Rette looked at Weiss, the look in her eyes verging on uncomfortable and put out. She was already having to stay at Sting's for the moment. She didn't feel comfortable sharing a bed with someone she had known for less than a month. The one time with Laxus had been a different case. She knew Laxus better than she knew Sting. Laxus was family in the sense that her guild was family.

Sting didn't even dwell in the same town, let along the same guild.

But Weiss was getting worked up again, getting fussy and throwing a fit. He was being stubborn. There was no denying he was her child. At this rate, she would never get him to calm down and go to bed. Heaving a sigh, Rette hung her head in defeat.

"Looks like we don't have a choice." Rette muttered.

"We really don't have to sleep in the same room." Sting said, trying to give her a way out.

"Apparently, we do. I'm tired and don't want to deal with another fit. I told you before, I don't have a clue about this stuff. Let's just do it and get through the week with as few fits as possible. For the sake of my sanity, please." Rette replied.

He couldn't really argue with her. With Weiss, a fit meant holes in the walls and a cranky Rette. Two things Sting would like to avoid. Feeling awkward, Sting got to his feet. Instead of adding to the already going to be cramped space of the bed, they left Lector asleep in his chair. Sting joined Rette and Weiss as Rette sat the boy on the bed.

Weiss climbed up into the middle of the bed as Rette sat down on one half of the bed. It was awkward, but the three settled in for the night with Weiss sleeping between Rette and Sting. Sting left a light on in the living room when Rette asked, giving the otherwise dark bedroom, just enough light to see by.

With a low "good night" to each other, they went to sleep.

-0-0-0-0-

The next morning, Sting awoke feeling a heavy weight on one side of his chest and on his stomach. Opening his eyes, he found Weiss laying across his stomach, sprawled on his back. The boy seemed comfortable, snoring lightly with a huge grin on his face. That accounted for the weight on his stomach. Shifting his eyes to his chest, Sting encountered the reason behind the weight on one side of his chest.

Rette.

Rette had her back to him, but the top half of her body was half on his chest and she was using his shoulder as a pillow. She was sound asleep, Weiss' legs thrown over her hip.

One part of Sting wanted to laugh because of how Weiss was laying. Another part of him was anxious, yet excited to wake up with a girl like Rette at his side. Though awkwardness was also present.

It almost felt like he was really married and he had just awoken in bed with his wife and son.

He couldn't help the grin on his face.

And then, as one, Rette and Weiss rolled over, both snuggling up to Sting before taking a deep breath and releasing a sigh.

They were definitely mother and son.

It was then that Sting caught sight of Lector at the foot of the bed, grinning and snickering quietly as he looked at Sting. Sting held a finger up to his lips. He had no way of knowing what kind of morning person Rette was and he would really rather she didn't wake up in a bad mood. Not that it mattered, Rette chose then to wake up.

Pushing herself up, she rubbed at her face, one strap of her nightie sliding down her shoulder and her hair in a mess about her head. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around her before her eyes landed on Sting. Sting stared in amazement as her lips quirked, fighting back the urge to smile. Finally, feeling like she was about to fail, her hand came up to cover her mouth.

"You've become a body pillow for a child." she remarked.

"I noticed. Should we let him sleep?" Sting asked.

"For as long as possible." Rette agreed quickly.

She left Sting to ninja his way out from under the child and retreated into the bathroom with her toothbrush and a change of clothes. When she came out, Sting had already gotten dress. They switched off, Sting going to the bathroom while Rette started breakfast. When Sting came out, Weiss was still asleep and Rette and Lector were in the kitchen, Lector commenting on how good the food smelled. Sting raised his nose to sniff.

"It does smell good. Where'd you learn to cook?" Sting asked, sliding onto a bar stool.

"Tundron."

Sting looked up at Rette. Wasn't Tundron one of her dragons?

"Tundron...as in...your dragon?" Sting asked.

"Yes. Believe it or not, but he was actually very good with what plants, what herbs, made food taste better. He taught me what he knew and I just added on to it. He was a very picky eater, so making food that tasted good to the both of us, was rather difficult." Rette remarked.

With the ease of practice, Rette gave the skillet in her hand a shake, flipping the eggs inside. She sat it back on the burner and added a pinch of salt. Her expression was blank, as if she was trying not to show how she felt when talking about one of her dragons.

"You don't like your dragons, do you?" Sting asked.

"I liked them well enough until they left me. As if I didn't have enough trust issues back then." Rette remarked.

"Your real dad?" Sting asked, taking a guess.

"The man is a bane to my existence." Rette confirmed.

"Yesterday you said he was a dark mage. Was he...did he hurt you?" Sting asked.

Instead of answering the question, Rette sat her skillet aside and tugged off one of her gloves. She held her hand up for him to see the brands burned on the back of her hands. Sting and Lector practically leaned across the bar to stare at her hand. Rette let them look at it for a moment before she tugged her glove back on.

"I have another scar around one ankle from where he use to shackle me to a wall. He was a cruel man, which was why I ran away. Tundron and Chrysalis found me a year later. I was six at the time. Use to be, I couldn't speak of my father. I'm ashamed of him, terrified of being judged for his actions and choices, horrified at what's he's done and the possibility that one day...he'll find me. It's no stretch to say that the man is what my nightmares are made of." Rette said as she went back to cooking. "Now a days, I have my guild at my back and I feel bolder, more confident, because of that. The mere thought of him still scares me to death, but I'm not constantly looking over my shoulder anymore."

Sting stared at Rette. To think, this girl who he had thought fearless, had such a horrible fear. No child should have to fear their own parents. Rette not only feared him...the mere thought of the man was enough to horrify and terrify her. Sting didn't want to know what he had done to Rette to make her so scared of him. He didn't want to know what her father could have possibly done to her to push her that last stretch to make running away, and possibly starving to death, seem like her best option. Sting did know one thing, though.

It serious pissed him off.

Sting watched Rette, his eyes dropping to her feet as she lift one leg clad in thigh-high stockings, to idly rub the foot against the back of the other leg. With the stockings, he couldn't tell which ankle had the shackle scar. Rette was waiting for him to say something. Everyone always had something to say. Everyone always felt the need to say they were sorry, to feel either pity or sympathy for her. When he didn't say anything, she turned towards him.

"You're not going to say something? Everyone usually has something to say." Rette remarked.

Sting's eyes lifted, landing on her face. Rette was surprised not to see pity or sympathy...but anger. It shocked her. What was he angy about? Had she said something to make him mad at her. Suddenly, she felt very self conscious in front of him.

"You didn't deserve that. You don't deserve the fear you feel now. Someone who would do that to someone like you...it makes me mad." Sting remarked.

He blinked in surprise when, right before his eyes, Rette's cheeks went a soft pink with a blush. She had never had anyone automatically jumped to anger for her sake. Of course, now, her friends only felt anger for the man that was her father, but the first thing they had all felt for her, was sympathy. Sting had by-passed that completely and had jumped straight to anger. It made him mad that someone, anyone, had hurt her. The thought that he cared so much when she had known him such a short time...Rette couldn't help the blush on her face.

Clearing her throat, she turned and faced her cooking once more.

"Yeah, well...what's done can't be undone." Rette remarked, reaching up to rub at one arm like she was trying to rub away goosebumps. "I have my friends now. My life is nothing like it was and...I'm happy."

Sting watched her as she went back to cooking. She claimed she was happy. On some level, he guessed she was happy with her life and with her guild and friends.

But he could see it.

She was still afraid.

She still lived her life looking over her shoulder.

Sting had heard about the warning that the future version of Rogue had given on Rette's fate less than a year into the future. He had heard about the man with the four scars over his eye. It was then that it hit Sting.

Was the man Rette's father?

Was that why she was so fearful, even now?

Sting fixed his eyes on Rette. If he had come to this conclusion, he was sure her guild mates had too. But he doubted that Rette would tell him if he asked. All any of them could do was be on watch. Even though he hadn't known her long, Rette was fast becoming a friend.

Above all else...Sting would help to defend his friend.

END

Kyandi: I don't know about you, but...I would love to have a family with Sting.

Rette: Sting isn't bad, just immature at times.

Kyandi: But that's what makes him cute!

Rette: Honest to God, could you deal with him twenty-four/seven?

Kyandi: Honestly?

Rette: Yes.

Kyandi:...sorry, but no. While he's adorable, honest, and so sweet once you get to know him...I could not live with that immaturity.

Rette: Wow...hey, Mr. Kettle, Mr. Pot called.

Kyandi: Yes, I know, he says I'm black.

Rette: You're not that much more mature.

Kyandi: I can be plenty mature, thank you. Like right now. I'm making the **mature** choice to drop this conversation. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Wise choice. We shall return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	47. Calm Before The Storm

Kyandi: Hey everyone! Sorry I've been gone for so long.

Rette: She lost internet for the time being.

Kyandi: And it doesn't look like I'll be getting it back any time in the next month.

Rette: For now, we'll have to rely on library internet.

Kyandi: And I hardly ever get around to the library since it's twenty miles out of my way.

Rette: We will try to update as often as we can, though.

Kyandi: Please be patient with us.

Rette: With that said, we should move on.

Kyandi: Right. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 47 Calm Before The Storm

The next couple of days passed without much awkwardness. Rette and Sting soon fell into a bit of a routine. They would wake up each morning, careful not to wake Weiss until the last possible moment. Rette would use the bathroom first and then switch off with Sting, who would take over the bathroom while Rette made breakfast. They would wake Weiss for breakfast and then Sting would head off to do his Master duties at the guild while Rette did whatever came to mind to entertain Weiss for the day. At lunch time, she and Weiss would show up at the guild hall to have a homemade lunch with Sting.

Sting couldn't help but grin at the jealous looks some of the guys in his guild would give the homemade meals Rette would bring him.

Afterward, Rette and Weiss would head out again. Yukino, Lector, and Forsch would sometimes go with her, showing her around their town. Sting would come home around dinner time to find Weiss being entertained by Lector as Rette was sitting out dinner. They would all eat together and then Sting would give Weiss a bath while Rette did dishes. After that, it was Sting's turn to entertain Weiss while Rette bathed. Then they all climbed into bed.

If this was what married life with a child would be like, Sting didn't mind it.

They were four days in when Rette came into the guild hall around ten a.m. with Weiss in her grip. She walked across the guild hall to where Sting was sitting with Rogue, Rufus, and Orga and held out Weiss to him. It was then that Sting noticed that Weiss had tears in his eyes.

"Take him, I beg of you. He has been crying for you, none stop, since you left this morning and I cannot, for the life of me, get him to stop. I beg of you, take him off my hands for the day." Rette said.

Sting took Weiss from Rette, sitting the boy in his lap. Weiss instantly scrambled forward to stand and wrap his arms around Sting's neck, sniffling as he did so. Sting looked from Weiss to Rette who looked like she had been running her hands through her hair nonstop. A few strands of her hair were standing on end. Sting turned to Weiss then.

"What's wrong, buddy? Why are you giving her a hard time?" Sting asked.

"I want to stay with you, Daddy! Mama's mean!" Weiss cried.

"Well excuse me! I was only trying to get you clean after you spilled melted ice cream all over yourself. You were sticky." Rette retorted.

It sounded like, in her attempt to clean the boy, there had been a little difficulty. Sting had a feeling it was due to Weiss never wanting to sit still. From the moment he woke up until the moment he went to sleep, Weiss was all energy, all the time. Sting could see how it was wearing Rette out. Sting had a feeling that Rette needed a day off. He turned and looked at Yukino, tilting his head towards Rette. Yukino nodded, showing that she understood what he wanted.

"I'll keep Weiss here with me today." Sting told Rette.

"Thank you." Rette said, heaving a relieved sigh.

"Why don't we have a relaxing girls' day?" Yukino offered.

"Thank you, Yukino." Rette told her.

Rette removed one of the two bags hanging from her shoulder and handed it to Sting, telling him that it had a change of clothes just in case there was another accident, as well as a few other things for Weiss that she had collected over the last few days. With that, she and Yukino turned and left. When Rette was gone, Weiss perked up and turned a large grin on Sting.

"You really gotta take it easy on your mama." Sting told the child as he sat him in his own chair. "Let's see what she left for you."

Sting dug through the bag with Weiss. There were a couple of different toys for a child, including build blocks, a coloring book with crayons, a change of clothes, and Weiss' favorite snake and juice. For someone who claimed she didn't know what she was doing, Rette certainly had adjusted to motherhood. Weiss lit up when he saw the coloring book and reached for it, making "give me" motions with his hands. Sting sat the book and crayons on the table in front of Weiss and the boy went to work coloring pictures.

"You know, this is still really strange." Orga remarked.

"You have no idea." Sting replied.

"So where does she and the kid sleep?" Orga asked.

"In my bed."

Rogue, Rufus, and Orga all three turned to stare at Sting. Sting gave them a questioning look when all they did was stare at him.

"What?" Sting asked.

"Where do **you** sleep?" Rogue asked.

"In my bed." Sting replied.

All three of his friends stared at him, their eyes widening. It took Sting a moment to figure out why they were looking at him strangely and he instantly started waving his hands.

"It's not like that. **He** won't let us sleep anywhere but together." Sting said, pointing to Weiss who was completely engrosed in his coloring book.

"Lucky."

Sting turned when he heard someone behind him say that, but everyone was looking everywhere but at their guild master. Frowning, Sting turned back to look at Weiss, making sure the boy wasn't paying attention to the current conversation.

"Instead of leaving her by herself to take care of him, you could invite her to bring Weiss to the swimming pool." Rogue suggested, changing the subject.

"I tried inviting her to come to the guild hall. She said it's awkward since, not long ago, we use to be enemies. She said she doesn't want to push herself on any of our members. Especially after what Natsu did at our lodgings during the Games." Sting replied. "She said I was more than welcome to take Weiss if I wanted, but she prefers not to."

"Get Yukino to ask her. She might say yes." Rufus suggested.

It was worth a try.

-0-0-0-0-

That night, when Sting got home with Weiss half asleep in his arms, Rette already had dinner on the table. They got Weiss to eat half of his food before he fell asleep at the table. Rette had Sting clear the table while she tucked Weiss into bed. When she came back out of the room, she turned to Sting.

"What did you do to make him so tired?" Rette asked.

"Nothing. He ended up pulling half the guild into a game of tag. I just sat back and watched him run back and forth." Sting replied.

"That was kind of the reason I wanted to take him back home with me in the beginning. Give him to Natsu and a few of the others in the guild and he would be so tired by the end of the day, I wouldn't have to do anything." Rette remarked.

"Well, he's tired now." Sting said.

Rette nodded, grateful for that. She walked past Sting and into the kitchen, deciding to get the dishes out of the way. To her surprise, as she was washing the dishes, Sting picked up the drying cloth and joined her at the sink without a word. Rette gratefully accepted the help and handed him the dishes to dry once she had rinsed them.

"You know, we've been basically living together for the last four days and we haven't really talked." Sting remarked idly.

"It's a little difficult to find time to sit down and talk considering the situation we're in." Rette replied.

"Yeah, but Weiss is asleep now." Sting said with a grin.

"And exactly what is it you want to talk about?" Rette asked.

"Come to the guild hall pool tomorrow." Sting offered.

"I'd really rather not. I feel weird being there at lunch as it is." Rette replied.

"Everyone pretty much has welcomed you. It's almost as if you're apart of the guild." Sting insisted.

"That's the thing...I'm not apart of your guild. I'm a fairy, not a tiger." Rette said, looking up at him. "Why is so important for me to fit into your life, Sting Eucliffe? You don't even really know me."

Sting turned to face Rette, the two close enough that he could just look right down into her eyes. For once, there was a serious look on his face. Rette had found those to be rare when it came to Sting.

"You said we could be friends, right?" he asked.

"I did."

"Well, I'm trying to be a friend. It's not fair that you stay here, shut up in this room with a five year old everyday." Sting told her.

Rette opened her mouth, like she was about to argue, but when she couldn't think of anything to say in reply, she snapped her mouth shut. Sting grinned because he knew he had won the argument, even before she spoke.

"If it will leave him as tired as he is today, then fine." Rette conceded.

Sting was so happy that she had agreed, that, without thinking, he hugged her. Rette went stiff as a board, surprised, but she relaxed as she heaved a sigh.

"It's nothing to hug me over." Rette said.

She said it that way, but he knew she didn't mean it. If she did, she would have pushed him away by now. Lector snickering from the living room was what finally got her to push Sting away and turn back to the dishes. Sting threw his partner a look.

"Dishes are done, I'm going to bed." Rette declared as she stacked the last plate.

Sting was unable to say anything else to Rette as she vanished into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth before bed. Sting frowned as he dropped to sit in a chair.

"Hey, at least you got her to agree to tomorrow." Lector remarked.

That was a start.

-0-0-0-0-

The next day found Rette taking an overly excited Weiss to the Sabertooth guild hall to join the members of the guild in a dip in the pool. Rette really felt uncomfortable doing this, but oh well. When she got to the guild hall, Yukino met her. Yukino handed Weiss over to a fellow guild member to be taken to Sting and took Rette to get changed. Sting was fending off splash attacks from Weiss, who was floating around the pool in his floatie, when Rette and Yukino joined them.

"Mama's here!" Weiss called, waving an arm over his head at Rette.

Sting turned, greeting Rette. Rette stood at the edge of the pool in a royal blue and yellow bikini with a sheer, white cover tied around herself. Her hair was tied back and she looked like she was debating actually staying. With a little coaxing from Yukino, Rette joined her, sitting at the edge of the pool, their feet dangling in the water.

"Isn't this great!? I bet no other guild has a pool in it's guild hall." Sting told Rette, swimming over to her while Rogue played with Weiss.

"Actually, Fairy Tail had a pool put in when we rebuilt our guild hall seven years ago after the former guild, Phantom Lord, destroyed our guild hall." Rette informed him.

Sting stared at her, his jaw falling open. Rette simply shrugged her shoulders at his look of disbelief.

"I don't use it much. I prefer the monster size baths we have. They're relaxing." Rette remarked.

"And I thought we were the first ones to have a pool..." Sting deflated, draping himself over the side of the pool.

"Sorry to burst your bubble. If it makes you feel better, we're constantly having to repair it or refill it because of Natsu and Gray." Rette said, trying to make him feel better.

"I can imagine what happened." Yukino said with a small laugh.

"Those two are always destroying one thing or another. Usually, Erza and I are the ones left to clean up the mess. Add in Gajeel and it all ends up looking like a tornado just came through." Rette said idly.

"Yet, you love it all." Yukino said.

"I wouldn't use the word love. It's...entertaining. There are times when the rest of us on the team, get caught in the cross fire. It's not so funny then." Rette remarked.

"Probably is for those watching." Orga remarked from where he was sitting on a poolside chair.

"No one laughs to **my** face." Rette retorted.

"Mama scares everyone!" Weiss cheered happily as he floated by.

"Not everyone." Rette protested. "Master Makarov isn't scared of me. Neither are my adoptive siblings."

"That's right! The Strauss siblings basically took you in as one of them." Yukino remarked.

"Yeah. Lately they've been more like siblings than ever. Every time I turn around, they're watching me. Then again, everyone in my guild is constantly watching me these days." Rette said, the last part being said in a mutter.

"Because of the warning from Rogue's future self?" Sting asked.

Rette blinked in surprise, turning her eyes to Sting. She didn't know that they knew about that. Then again, it kind of made sense since it had been Rogue's future self.

"You know about that?" Rette asked.

"Yeah, we do. Natsu called the second day you were here and reminded me, insisting we keep an eye out for you." Sting told her.

This actually put a somewhat grumpy look on Rette's face. Her shoulders hunched and she looked about ready to return home just to hit Natsu.

"Honestly, the way they act, you would think I can't defend myself at all. I don't need someone else to protect me." Rette remarked.

"Are you sure about that?" Lector asked.

Rette's eyes fixed on the exceed and, with a kick of her leg, she sent him toppling off the floatie he was on and into the water when she sent a wave of water splashing his way. The others broke out into laughter as Lector came sputtering to the surface of the water.

"I am very sure." Rette told Lector.

From the gleam in her eyes, Sting could tell she was playing around. She hadn't taken what Lector said seriously. With a grin on his face, Sting moved away from the edge of the pool.

"I'm not so sure myself." he said.

Rette's eyes locked in on his with an even brighter gleam. Sting grinned back at her, showing that he was joking around, just like Lector.

"Is that so?" Rette asked, shifting until she had a leg under her.

Sting had a feeling that she was ready to pounce, literally if her posture was anything to go by, and it made his grin wider. He backed up another few steps.

"Yep." he agreed.

"Fine then."

Without another word, Rette launched herself at him, hitting him in the chest and knocking him back into the water. Sting tried to keep a hold of her, but she slipped out of his grip. When he broke the surface of the water and looked around, he didn't see her.

"Where is she?" Sting asked.

From the grins on his guild mates' faces, they knew where Rette was and weren't going to tell him. Unknown to Sting, Rette's head slowly appeared out of the water behind him, exposing only from her nose up. She sat there, waiting for her opening. It was Weiss giggling and claiming "Mama's gonna get you, Daddy!" that finally gave her an opening.

Rette sprang free of the water and hit Sting from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sting stumbled forward, trying to keep his balance, but when Rette wrapped her legs around his waist, adding her full weight to his back, he toppled backward. Sting heard the laughter of his friends before he went back under the water. Grinning, he wrestled with Rette, trying to get a grip on her, but she was too slippery.

When everyone claimed she was good with evasion and slipping through people's fingers, they weren't kidding.

When it looked like Rette was going to get away from him, Sting grabbed her ankle, pulling her back and dived forward, slipping under her before shoving upward to stand. Rette gasped when they broke free of the water, scrambling to find something to grab onto when she found herself sitting on Sting's shoulders.

"Sting! Let me down. I have nothing to hold onto up here!" Rette insisted, her legs curling under his arms and her hands trying to find purchase on his head without pulling his hair.

Sting leaned his head back to look up at her, a huge grin on his face. The type of grin that show cased one of his sharped incisors.

"Don't worry, Rette. I won't let you fall." he vowed.

Rette's cheeks turned a little pink as she blushed. She couldn't really describe her feelings in that moment, but she didn't have to try to figure it out because, at that moment, Weiss floated over to them.

"I want to play too!" Weiss cried before jumping off his floatie.

He hit Sting in the chest and sent all three of them toppling into the water. Sting managed to save Weiss from going under the water by holding the boy with arms out stretched, but he and Rette weren't so lucky. The two broke free of the water, coughing and wiping water from their faces. They stood almost chest to chest with Weiss between them.

"I thought you said you wouldn't let me fall." Rette remarked.

"I fell too, if that makes you feel better." Sting told her.

Rette looked up at Sting as Weiss giggled about being able to knock them over. Sting grinned down at Rette, chuckling a little himself. In the face of the merriment of both Sting and Weiss, Rette couldn't help the small, but soft smile that started to curl her lips. Sting's eyes widened when he saw the smile, a surprised look falling on his face before his grin was back.

"You're smiling!" he cheered, as if he had accomplished the greatest task in the world.

Rette instantly wiped the smile off her face, returning her expression to that of her usual indifferent one. She cleared her throat and looked away from him.

"No I wasn't." she protested.

Sting wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her against his chest as Weiss wrapped his arms around her neck, pressing his cheek to hers.

"Yes, you were." Sting said.

"No, I wasn't. You were seeing things." Rette insisted, trying to push herself away from Sting.

Sting and Weiss looked at each other, identical grins falling on their faces. Both turned to Rette, fingers seeking ticklish spots on her body. Rette bit on her bottom lip to keep from giggling. She twisted, trying to pull away from them. She held out an arm, begging for Yukino to help her. Yukino jumped into the pool, taking hold of Rette's arm and pulled, trying to help, but Sting and Weiss weren't giving up. Weiss jumped free of Sting, calling for Yukino to catch him.

Yukino scrambled to catch the boy, leaving Rette in Sting's clutches. With Sting's fingers attacking the ticklish areas of her body, Rette couldn't hold back all of her laughter and a few giggles slipped free of her lips.

"Okay! Okay! I was smiling!" Rette admitted, trying to get him to stop.

Sting let out a cheer, throwing his fists into the air with a grin. Rette hurried to the edge of the pool, draping herself over the side to try to catch her breath. Yukino joined her, holding Weiss as she checked on Rette.

"I'm done, I died, I'm dead, the end." Rette muttered.

Who knew that all it would take to defeat Rette...was tickling her?

"So...tickling defeats you?" Sting asked.

Rette raised her head enough to look at him with a sharp look.

"Tell Natsu or Gajeel and I will end you."

Alright, warning received.

-0-0-0-0-

After a long day at the guild hall pool, Rette ended up staying up late with Weiss as the boy excitedly bounced back and forth through Sting's house. Apparently Orga thought it would be a good idea to give the boy a bunch of sugar and caffeine. It was close to four a.m. when Rette finally got him to go to sleep. When Sting woke up three hours later, Rette was so deep in sleep, he doubted he could wake her if he poured ice water on her.

Not that he really wanted to.

Rette looked so peaceful, sleeping with her arms wrapped tightly around a pillow and the blanket only half draped over herself. It was kind of cute. Sting smiled as he looked down at her.

Today was the sixth day with Weiss. The following day, at noon, Weiss would vanish. Sting thought about it for a moment, then nodded to himself. The guild could do without him for the day. He would stay home and watch Weiss until Rette woke up. Then they could go out. Sting climbed out of bed, telling Weiss to be quiet as he grabbed the boy. They closed the door quietly behind them.

Sting sent Lector to the guild hall, to let everyone know that he was going to take the day off. Rogue and Yukino would take care of the guild hall for the day. Lector ended up staying at the guild hall. Apparently he preferred to hang out with Forsch then be in the way of so called "family time".

Rette ended up waking up around noon and came out of the bedroom, running a hand through her hair.

"What time is it?" Rette asked.

"Noon."

Rette's eyes widened. She couldn't believe she slept that late. She couldn't believe Sting had let her, or that he was at home when he should have been in the guild hall. All of which, she told him. Sting just grinned in reply.

"It's fine. Rogue and Yukino can handle the guild hall for one day. You were tired, so I let you sleep. Don't you ever just take a day for you?" Sting asked.

"I work in my guild's guild hall. So...no, I don't." Rette replied.

"Today you are. We're going to go out, the three of us, together." Sting told her, Weiss climbing on his back.

"Yhay, family day!" Weiss cheered.

"Right! Get dressed and we'll go." Sting said, turning to Rette.

Rette wasn't sure about a "family day" but she didn't complain. If it meant that she would have help keeping an eye on Weiss, she was more than happy to go along with it. Rette vanished back into the room to change. When she came out in her usual barely there shorts and a halter top, Sting was putting Weiss' shoes on him. They grabbed Weiss' bag and headed out. Weiss, as usual, ran a few steps ahead, saying hello to everyone he passed.

Rette and Sting followed behind him, several people stopping to call a greeting to Sting. Sting grinned as he waved back, Rette peering up at him.

"Everyone here really likes you." Rette remarked.

"Yeah. I've been here for a while now. Don't the people in your town, like you?" Sting asked.

"I don't really pay attention. I'm usually coming or going. There's not much time to really stop and chat. Between working in the guild hall and taking my own jobs, as well as keeping my teammates from causing too much trouble, I'm usually really busy." Rette told him.

"But why? Do you **have** to work that much?" Sting asked.

"Well, it's not like I have rent to pay. I own my house, but there's other bills, food, and, as you could tell during the Games, I have to buy new clothes quite a bit." Rette replied. "But aside from that...no, I don't really have to work that much. I just like to have something to do. Sitting still makes me jittery."

"You could use that energy to spend time with your friends, instead of using it to work. Life isn't all work, you know." Sting told her.

"Perhaps you're right. But, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not much of a social person. I've spent too long trying to avoid humans. I don't know how to go about it." Rette admitted.

Sting turned to look at her face. He could tell by the way she refused to look at him, that she was telling the truth. It was a little strange for him to see. Rette seemed so confident during the Games, but in the time she had been with him, he had gotten to see that underneath that confident facade, Rette was insecure in her approach to others. She wasn't sure how to go about social interaction and she was wary about trusting others.

It was weird to see how they had differed despite both of them being raised by dragons. Then again, their lives before their dragons had been different. Not that Sting really could remember his life before he had met his dragon.

"You seem to be doing a good job at it. I mean, Natsu and the rest of your teammates like you. Thyme does, as does your guild. Even my guild likes you. I like you."

Sting mentally hit himself over the head when he said the last part. That last sentence could be taken in more ways than one. He nervously glanced over at Rette, but she was just shaking her head in reply to his words.

"Thank you for that, Sting. It's just...I'm not the quickest to catch on to things in relationships. I can't always tell when I say or do something that will upset others and I'm constantly worrying my guild mates. I don't...I don't understand why anyone likes me." Rette admitted.

"Why not? You're loyal, you're determined and strong. Yukino told me about what you said to her after she was temporarily kicked out of our guild. You're more understanding and accepting than you think you are."

Rette turned her eyes to his face. Sting couldn't really read her expression, couldn't really tell what she was thinking. Whatever she was thinking, it had one corner of her mouth twisting up at one corner. He could tell, by that alone, that it wasn't a good thought.

"Thanks for thinking so, but, truthfully...you don't know me, Sting." Rette replied, turning her face from him, her voice dropping. "No one really does and I prefer it that way."

"But isn't that lonely?"

Rette's eyes swung back around to his face. He was staring down at her intently. Rette fought off a shiver for it felt like he was able to see past her mask, past the walls she had built around herself, and that thought both scared her and, though she wouldn't admit it, thrilled her. Honestly, he was right. It was lonely. Not being able to talk to someone about everything, not being able to share her fears, her sorrows, having to keep everyone at a distance...it was incredably lonely.

But she would take lonely over the pain of another betrayal, would take it over someone else being hurt because of her secrets. After all...what was her loneliness compared to the happiness of her friends?

"No, no it's not." Rette replied.

"You're lying."

Rette lips pressed together into a thin line as she looked up at Sting. She wouldn't deny that she was lying, but she wouldn't confirm it either. So she merely turned her face away from him. It was then that she noticed something and it had the harsh line of her mouth falling into a frown.

"Where's Weiss?"

Sting turned, his eyes scanning the people around them. The little boy was no where to be found. In that moment, Rette felt a tight bubble of panic rise in her chest. She hadn't felt panic like this since her dragons had vanished and she had spent an entire three days running around trying to locate them.

"Weiss!" Rette called.

There was no answer.

Rette turned on the spot, hoping he had only ended up enthralled by one of the vendors that lined the road. Her eyes scanned the crowd around them, but she could not find any signs of the small boy. With each passing moment, her nails bit more and more into her own skin as she pressed her fingers into her stomach, a sick feeling making her gut twist.

"Rette!"

Hands falling on her shoulders, made her turn until she was looking up at Sting. He gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze.

"Calm down. We'll find him. He's probably around here playing with something he found interesting." Sting assured her.

"I hope so...I really, really hope so." Rette replied.

Sting gave her a smile as he released her shoulders. Instead, he scooped up her hand in his, his gloved fingers curling around hers.

"Come on. Let's find our kid."

Rette couldn't even begin to describe the rush she felt in her body when he said that. It was like, when he said "our kid", her heart gave a jolt in her chest and sped up just a bit more. It was so unusual that she let him pull her after him by her hand. Rette's eyes fell to their linked hands. Despite their gloves, she could still feel the heat of his hand, as it wrapped around her smaller one. Her heart, in that moment, gave a painful thud.

Not that she could explain why.

And she shouldn't care. She was suppose to be looking for Weiss. Yanking her attention away from their hands, Rette turned her eyes to scanning the area around them in search of Weiss.

They ran through the crowd, calling for the boy and asking others if they had seen him. The whole time, Sting refused to let go of her hand. Street after street, they searched. Rette felt like they were going in circles, and there were too many people capable of using magic, around her for her to single out Weiss with her heightened sense.

Rette was beginning to panic more than she ever had in her life and the reassuring warmth of Sting's hand, wasn't enough to calm her. She swore, she was close to losing her mind, her heart hammering away in her chest, when something reached her ears.

"Get off me, you brat!"

Rette and Sting came to a stop, both listening to the yell that rang out over the noise of the people around them. They both knew that voice. Looking at each other, they both spouted out the name of the person the voice belonged to, both of them surprised.

"Natsu!?"

Sting took off, pulling Rette behind him, as more yells sounded, making other people turn to look for the source. They slipped past people and finally pushed their way past a ring of by-standers, to find Natsu stumbling around.

The source of his stumbling, was something blonde.

"Weiss!"

The exclamation left Rette in a rush of relief. The little boy was sitting on Natsu's shoulders, reaching around his head to cover his eyes and pull on his hair in the process. All of which had put a big grin on Weiss' face. On the opposite side of the ring of watchers, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Gray, Carla, Happy, and Thyme, stood watching. Some of them had grins on their faces while others didn't seem able to believe their eyes.

While Rette was curious as to why her team had made a sudden appearance there, she had another thought forefront in her mind.

"Weiss!"

Rette and Sting came forward, Rette calling Weiss' name. All eyes turned to Sting and Rette, as the little boy looked up from his yanking of Natsu's nose.

"Mama! Daddy! Look! I found Uncle Natsu!" Weiss declared happily.

"Mama!? Daddy!?"

Rette turned to look at her teammates as they came towards her, all sporting confused looks on their faces. Thyme flew over, landing on Rette's shoulder to greet her.

"Rette, what's going on?" Erza asked, her eyes going to Rette's and Sting's linked hands.

"I'll explain later." Rette told her, turning to look at Sting, who was laughing at Natsu.

Frowning, Rette elbowed him in the side. Sting instantly stopped laughing but grinned at Rette, none the less.

"Stop laughing and go pry your son off Natsu's head before he tries to fry him." Rette demanded.

Sting let go of her hand, putting his hands up in front of himself, as if in surrender. He edged his way around Rette and hurried over to Natsu, grabbing hold of Weiss and demanding he release Natsu. With some pulling on Sting's part, and a little hair loss on Natsu's, Sting was finally able to get the boy off Natsu. Carrying a giggling little boy in front of him, Sting returned to Rette. Rette gave Weiss a firm look until he dropped the strands of pink hair in his small fists and gave her a sheepish smile.

"Honestly, Weiss, you're a hand full." Rette said, taking him from Sting. "And you didn't do my heart any favors when you suddenly vanished like that."

"Sorry, Mama. I just wanted to play with Uncle Natsu." Weiss replied.

"Who taught you to play like that?" Rette demanded.

"Daddy, Uncle Rogue, Uncle Natsu, and Uncle Gajeel!"

"That makes too much sense."

"Uh, Rette..." Rette turned to where her teammates were staring between her and the child she held in her arms with matching eyes. Gray was the one that had spoken. "What exactly have you been doing here for the last week?"

"It's not what you think. What are all of you doing here, anyway?" Rette asked.

"You've been gone for a week. We were starting to worry that your job was harder than you thought it was." Erza told her.

"This is my job." Rette remarked, gesturing towards Weiss where the child couldn't see.

Weiss turned a questioning look on her, Rette instantly dropping her hand. The boy looked confused, and close to questioning Rette.

"Let's head back and I'll explain everything." Rette said, before he could do so.

The group relocated to the Sabertooth guild hall, where Rette handed Weiss over Yukino to watch while she explained things to her teammates. After that, Sting and Rette explained everything that had happened in the last week. When they were done, her teammates stared between Rette and Sting.

"So...that kid is..."

"Our son, yeah." Rette said, finishing Gray's sentence.

"That's weird." Natsu blurted out.

"We felt the same way." Sting admitted. "But it hasn't been that bad."

"Speak for yourself. He's already almost given me a heart attack." Rette muttered, dropping her head into one hand.

"When does the spell end?" Lucy asked.

"Tomorrow, at noon." Rette replied.

"Then we'll find a hotel and hang around until then." Erza said.

"Thanks, Erza, but you guys don't have to do that." Rette told her.

"Nonsense. We're your friends. We'll wait and head home with you." Erza insisted.

"Alright."

With that, Rette saw her friends off before collecting Weiss from Yukino. In the time she had been explaining things to her teammates, Orga, Lector, Forsch, Rogue, and Yukino had been playing with the boy, wearing him out. Rette and Sting had no sooner left the guild hall with Weiss when the boy fell asleep in her arms. After all the running around, chasing Natsu, wrestling with him, and then playing with Sting's guild mates, it had tuckered him out, making it a peaceful walk back to Sting's room at the dorms.

The sun was starting to set, the crowd switching from the cheerful families to the night time friends out for a drink or couples on dates.

"You're town is nice. It's kind of like Magnolia." Rette remarked.

"Busy and loud?" Sting asked.

"No...well, yes, but that wasn't what I meant. I meant that it...feels like home."

Sting glanced at Rette as she walked at his side, Weiss draped over her shoulder. Her eyes were staring at the sights and people they passed as they walked down the streets.

"Everyone seems happy, bustling about. It's loud and busy, yes, but it's comforting to me. Just like it is in Magnolia."

"It is a great place." Sting agreed.

When they arrived at Sting's room, Sting opened the door for Rette, letting her carry Weiss inside. Lector was already asleep on the couch. Sting grinned when he glanced at his partner and turned to Rette as she made her way for the bedroom. He followed her into the room, closing the door so they wouldn't wake Lector.

"Where's Thyme? She's not staying with you?" Sting asked.

"She decided to stay with Wendy and Carla. She didn't want to make it anymore crowded." Rette replied as she laid Weiss on the bed.

Sting grabbed the T-shirt the boy slept in, while Rette took off his shoes and slipped him out of his clothes. Holding out a hand, she accepted the shirt from Sting and carefully slipped it over Weiss' head. Thankfully, the boy was so tired, he only mumbled in his sleep before rolling over. Rette perched herself on the edge of the bed, watching the boy sleep.

"You know...it really wasn't that bad." she remarked.

Sting turned to her as he yanked his shirt over his head. Her back was to him as he changed, so he couldn't see her expression.

"What wasn't?" he asked.

"Being a mother. I was terrified of the mere thought. Still kind of am."

"Why? You've been great."

Sting hopped on one foot as he kicked off his boots. Personally, he couldn't see why Rette would be so scared of being a mother. She had handled Weiss as if it was nothing. At least...she had acted like she had for the most part. Maybe it was the whole, first-time-mother fear that all women got when they had their first child.

"I'm afraid I'll be a parent like my father."

Or...not.

Sting paused in pulling off his gloves and turned to look at Rette's back. That was not what he had been expecting. All he knew about Rette's biological father, was that he had been a cruel, dark mage, who had been very abusive to Rette. He could understand her not wanting to be like him, but he didn't see how she could possibly think she was anything like him.

"Rette-"

"It's a stupid fear, I know, but it's an honest one. I lived through that abuse long enough that I don't ever want to see another child go through that. Least of all, my own child. Is that such a bad thing?" Rette asked.

"No, but, Rette...you're not going to be like him. That you're so strongly against being that way, proves that you won't be. And look how you've been with Weiss. You practically had a heart attack when he vanished earlier. I thought your eyes were going to pop out of your head." Sting told her.

Rette turned to face him then, her look clearing saying, "that's not funny". Sting gave her a grin as he yanked off his last glove. He joined her, sitting on the edge of the bed. Reaching out, he took hold of her gloved hand and held it up in front of him.

"What are you doing?" Rette asked.

Sting pressed his palm against hers and linked his fingers through hers. He squeezed until Rette squeezed back.

"Tell me, what would you do if someone came here to hurt Wei-"

"Never! I won't allow it!" Rette retorted, even before he could finish his sentence.

Sting grinned at her, Rette catching on to what he had just done by suggesting that to her. A frown fell on Rette's face as she looked at him.

"That wasn't funny, Sting. You know how possessive I am." Rette complained.

"I know. I had to point it out to you."

"Why?"

"Because, Rette. Look at how possessive you are of your friends and those you care about. Do you really think you would hurt your own kid, let alone let anyone else do it?" Sting asked.

"I see your point." Rette said lowly.

"Good. You'll be a great mother and not everyone is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes along the way, so even if you didn't get it exactly right, it doesn't mean you'll be an awful mom." Sting told her.

Mistakes...Rette couldn't help but feel like that wasn't a strong enough word for it. The things that had happened in her life, the choices that had been made for her...they were much greater than mistakes. But she wouldn't argue with him about it.

For now.

"Let's just go to bed." Rette said, getting up to go change.

When she came back, Sting was already sound asleep, sprawled on his back and snoring. Weiss was sprawled across his chest in the same manner. Rette shook her head as she approached the bed. They truly were father and son.

At least they were cute.

-0-0-0-0-

The next morning, Sting woke up to find Rette nearly sprawled on top of him. She was cuddled up to him, one leg tangled with his and her head tucked under his chin. Weiss was sprawled on his back across Sting's stomach. Sting, for a moment, froze, holding his breath as he looked at Rette. She was completely pressed against him. It was the closest he had ever been to a girl. He tried shifting away from her, but Rette merely grumbled in her sleep and moved closer, her arm sliding around his neck as she buried her nose in the side of his neck.

He really didn't want to wake her, but if she kept shifting against him like that...well, he didn't want to think about what would happen.

"Uh...Rette...Rette, please wake up."

Rette mumbled in her sleep and shifted closer to him, nuzzling the side of his neck. Sting was at a complete loss for what to do at this point. He could feel her breath bellowing over his neck and ear and it was tickling him.

"Rette, **please** , wake up!" Sting insisted.

Rette groaned in her sleep, drawing in a deep breath before letting that breath tickle his ear. He was about to get seriously frustrated, when she spoke, directly into his ear.

"Hmm...comfortable...let me sleep." she drawled, half asleep.

"Have you been awake this whole time!?"

He could feel Rette's lips twist into grin against his neck. He knew that, in her half asleep state, she was silently laughing at him. She snuggled closer, scooting Weiss a little more to the side as she drew closer. He knew then, that she was doing it on purpose. If he had known she had this kind of playfulness to her when half asleep, he would have found a way to wiggle out from under her instead of waking her.

"Rette!"

"You're voice just went up in pitch."

Of course it had. She was actually teasing him! He had seen a couple of different sides to Rette in the last week, but this was a new one for him. He tried to think of something to say in reply, and only managed to stumble over his words. Rette finally shifted, raising herself on her elbows to look down at him. Their faces were only a few scant inches apart and there was a tiny smile on her face.

"I am merely teasing you, Sting." she told him.

"I didn't know you knew how to tease." he replied.

"I tease too. Just rarely. You sounded so distressed that I couldn't help it. You made it too easy." Rette told him.

"It's not funny." Sting told her.

"The redness of your face sure is funny."

Sting tried to give her an angry look, but, to his surprise, she merely leaned forward and gave him an innocent kiss on the cheek before pulling back.

"Sorry. I'll stop teasing you now." she promised.

With that, Rette rolled off him and to the edge of the bed, sitting up to run a hand through her hair. Careful not to jolt Weiss too much, Sting sat up as well. Already, he missed the warmth of Rette laying at his side. Funny considering he had just begged her to get off of him. Sting opened his mouth to say something, but Weiss chose then to wake up.

After that, it was a chaotic trial to get the three of them fed and out the door to the guild hall. Upon arriving, they found Natsu and Gray fighting, with the members of the Sabertooth guild watching from afar with laughs, Erza arm wrestling with Orga, and Lucy and Wendy trying to get Natsu and Gray to stop before they could damage a guild hall that wasn't their's. Carla and Thyme was chatting with Lector and Forsch. Rette heaved a sigh, handing Weiss over to Sting before wading into the fight between her teammates.

Sting joined his teammates, laughing, as he watched Rette pry Natsu and Gray apart, giving the two a look that both of them falling silent as their faces drained of color. He loved how easily she scared her teammates into behaving themselves. When Natsu and Gray tried to continue fighting the moment she turned her back, Rette quickly corrected the two, smacking them over the head hard enough to reduced them both to huddled forms on the floor. She then stood over them, scolding them for their ill timed fight.

Sting and his teammates, Orga joining them, laughed as they watched. Weiss clapped and cheered Rette on.

"She certainly knows how to keep them under her thumb." Orga remarked.

"Yeah. She's awesome." Sting agreed.

"It's why Daddy loves her!" Weiss declared.

Sting wasn't going to deny that. He liked that Rette could so easily take charge of a situation. She was obviously the most mature of the Dragon Slayers in her guild. The next hand full of hours passed with chaos reining in the guild hall. Despite being of two different guilds, the members of both Sabertooth and Fairy Tail, got along splendidly. Rette enjoyed the last few hours with Weiss, watching the boy trip Natsu every time he wasn't paying attention.

Considering it was Natsu, that was a lot.

Ten minutes shy of noon, Rette found herself sitting at a table across from Sting, with Weiss in her lap. The little boy was happily giggling to himself.

"Today was fun!" Weiss declared.

"Yeah, it was." Sting agreed.

"I could have done without the constant fights between Natsu and Gray, but, otherwise, it was nice. I like seeing our guilds get along considering the animosity during the Games." Rette said.

On that, Sting agreed with her. It was great to see that their guilds had managed to move past that. Especially considering that Sting liked Rette and Natsu, and several members of the Fairy Tail guild. It would be kind of difficult to be their friend if his guild was still at odds with their's.

"Hey, Mama, Daddy." Rette and Sting turned their combined attention back to Weiss. The little boy grinned up at them. "When you finally have me, lets have lots more days like this. Okay?"

Rette and Sting paused, trading looks. Weiss...knew he wasn't real? He had never hinted, even once, that he was aware that he was the result of a spell. That kind of surprised them.

"Promise?"

Rette and Sting looked down at Weiss. The little boy held out one pinkie, giving them a wide eyed, pleading look. Sting grinned and wrapped his pinkie around Weiss'. Both then turned and looked at Rette with identical looks on their faces.

"Mama?" Weiss questioned.

"Alright. Promise." Rette agreed, tangling her pinkie with their's. "It's a promise."

Weiss grinned brightly. He untangled his pinkie from their's and threw his arms around Rette's neck, hugging her tightly. Rette, a lump in her throat, hugged him back. She would miss him, she knew. In the last week, she had grown use to having the little boy follow her everywhere. She heard the clock on the wall behind her, chime noon, then.

Weiss pulled back and gave Rette a grin. His body was starting to fade as if he was slowly turning invisible. Standing up in Rette's lap, he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Mama! You're the greatest mama ever!" Weiss declared.

A breath later, he was gone.

Rette stared at her lap for a long moment, at her hands sitting there.

"Rette?" Rette raised her eyes, her gaze landing on Sting across from her. He was looking at her with concern on his face. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. It's just...I've gotten use to having him around. I'm...I'm sad to see him go." Rette remarked, pausing to search for the name of the emotion she was feeling.

"Me too. See? I told you being parents wouldn't be that bad." Sting told her, grinning at her.

"Maybe not." Rette agreed.

"Rette!" Rette turned to where Natsu was waving to her. "Are we going now?"

"Give me a minute." Rette called back.

Rette turned to look at Sting. Already, he was starting to sulk. It was a little amusing to watch him, given that they were suppose to both be nineteen(well, physically speaking). It was obvious that he wasn't completely ready for her to leave yet.

"Well, I learned one thing for sure, this week." Rette remarked, scooting her chair back.

"What's that?" Sting asked.

"I can actually stand being your friend. Dare I say it...I might actually like you."

With that, Rette got to her feet, grabbed her bag from the floor, and walked away from the table, waving to him over her shoulder. For a moment, Sting stared after her in surprise, but then a grin curled his lips.

"See ya, Rette!" he called.

Rette paused at the door to the guild hall, her teammates beside her, and turned back to look at him. Holding up a hand, she waved to him, a tiny smile on her lips. Turning, she followed her friends through the town. So, yeah, Sting wasn't all that bad. In fact, she kind of really liked him. He was funny, exciting, always full of energy and smiles, and he made her feel like smiling herself. He had made the week fun, had welcomed her without a second thought.

He was a guy she could see spending a lot of time with. At least, he was one that wouldn't drive her insane like Natsu sometimes threatened to do. The last week had actually not been that bad. It had managed to turn into a moment of sunshine in her life. Just one of those moments that made her love her friends and her life, just a little bit more.

But, like the sky on a cloudy day, she knew that clouds would have to roll back in sooner or later.

She just hoped those clouds didn't bring a storm with them.

END

Kyandi: Hehe!

Rette: Am I really that bad when I'm half asleep?

Kyandi: Just a little.

Rette: Why did you make me this way.

Kyandi: To be honest...I don't know. I just thought it was funny.

Rette: You and your sense of humor.

Kyandi: Are strange. Yes, I know. Anyway, I have other chapters to work on.

Rette: So we're moving on?

Kyandi: Uh-huh. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as we can.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	48. Vow of Vengeance

Kyandi: Hey Kyandiacs!

Rette: We are back.

Kyandi: Yep. I have a new chapter for all of you today and when I update next, which should be no more than a week, I will have, at least, two more.

Rette: She's been working hard on getting these ready, but she has a new job and only has time to update on Saturdays.

Kyandi: I'm working on changing that, I swear.

Rette: Until then, we'll deal with what we got.

Kyandi: Right, so everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 48 Vow of Vengeance

The following weeks found Rette taking on more jobs with Sting, as they were requested, and her own guild mates. Getting to know Sting and his guild mates more only made Rette sure that she liked them and could count them among her friends from other guilds. Made her sure, that she liked Sting. He wasn't a bad guy and she liked having him around. He made her days bright.

After the previous run in with Minvera during Rette's and her team's job at the giant village, Makarov ordered for them all to keep their ears out for information on her and her father. After their crushing defeat during the Grand Magic Games, Rette was sure they hadn't seen the last of them. Minvera didn't seem like the type of person to let something like that go. And it was Minerva that was currently the topic of discussion between Makarov and Erza.

"That Minerva...enlisted in a dark guild?" Makarov asked.

"Yes." Erza replied.

"Hm...What a brash and reckless lady she is. What about her father? The old master of Sabertooth." Makarov asked.

"His whereabouts are still unknown." Erza replied.

"Speaking of Sabertooth, I heard that Sting is the acting master as of now!" Laki remarked from where she sat with Kinana.

"Woah...a young **and** good looking master?" Kinana asked.

Rette, who was nearby, cleaning tables, inwardly laughed at the sour look that put on Makarov's face. She was forced on focus on something else, though, when Laki and Kinana turned to her.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Sting, lately, Rette...What's he like?" Laki asked.

Rette stood up straight, stacking plates on her tray before turning to look at them. She wasn't sure she wanted to answer that question, but she did.

"I've been spending time with him because we've had a lot of joint jobs requesting us. As for Sting, himself...he's alright. He's sometimes overly cheerful and a little immature, but he's dependable. I like him well enough." Rette replied.

Kinana and Laki giggled then. Rette gave them a questioning look, but they merely moved away, still giggling to each other. Rette didn't understand women sometimes.

"Either way," Makarov said, continuing his conversation with Erza. "we should report this to the council."

"I was thinking of contacting Sting as well. Or having Rette do it since she knows him better." Erza replied.

Rette moved away from the conversation before she could be asked to do anything. Across the room, Juvia was attempting to flirt with Gray, as always and Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, and all four exceeds of the guild, were gathered around Levy as she searched in books for information on END.

"Look at this. END. It doesn't go into much detail, but...it seems that it's on a completely different scale compared to Deliora or Lullaby." Levy said, reading out of a book.

"Does that mean it's Zeref's strongest demon?" Lucy asked.

"That would be really frightening." Wendy added.

"What are the demons from Zeref's book anyways?" Lily asked.

"Like I'd know." Gajeel grumbled.

"They're demons created by Zeref, himself." The group looked up at Rette as she paused in front of their table. "The reason behind their creation isn't known, though most people believe it just because Zeref wanted to create more panic and death in the world. All the magic needed to summon these demons, has been imblued into books, hence the title The Book of Zeref."

"So if we have that book, we can call out these demons?" Happy asked.

"More than likely, but I believe it's one demon per book. I'm not sure though." Rette replied.

"And the one that has END could possibly be in the possession of Tartaros." Natsu mused.

"It's a scary thought, but a likely one." Rette agreed.

"And Igneel tried to destroy that END. Hm...I've finally wrapped my head around it." Natsu said.

"Around what?" Wendy asked.

"We just gotta bust up Tartaros." Natsu declared.

"Now that I understand!" Gajeel agreed.

"Oh, to be ignorant and stupid must be such bliss." Rette remarked with a sigh.

"You guys are as clueless as always!" Lucy snapped. "First and foremost, we know too little about Tartaros. 'Bust them up'...think about the position you'd be putting our guild in as well as the council. We don't even know what type of people they have."

"But...this is a clue to Igneel's whereabouts." Natsu argued.

"And Grandeeney..." Wendy added.

"Metalicana might also be connected somehow." Gajeel agreed.

"Don't you want to find your dragons, too, Rette?" Natsu asked.

All eyes turned to Rette, then. Rette was already shaking her head in reply to Natsu.

"I really don't care. If they wanted me around, they wouldn't have left in the first place." Rette retorted.

Of course. Rette had made it no secret how little she cared to find the dragons that she believe adandoned her. They would get no help from her in this argument. Wendy, though, was curious about something else. She turned to Rette as she dropped off the last of the drinks she had been carrying.

"Hey, Rette. How do you know so much about Zeref's demons?" Wendy asked.

"Well, I'm always curious to learn more about different types of magic. I heard, once long ago, that there as a book out there that detailed how to use a form of magic that Zeref, himself, created." Rette replied. "I was curious about it and read up on it a little. That's how I found out."

"What form of magic is that?" Wendy asked.

"Arc of Tribulation magic."

The guild hall around them, went quiet. Everyone turned to Rette, who raised an eyebrow back at the half scared, half horrified looks on everyone's faces.

"You know about Arc of Tribulation magic, Rette?" Makarov asked.

"Yes."

"What's Arc of Tribulation magic? Is it strong?" Natsu asked, with a wide grin.

"Yes...and highly dangerous." Rette said, turning her eye to Natsu.

"What do you mean?" Gajeel asked.

"There are several types of magic that demand the castor pay a high price to use it. The oldest of which, that I know of, is Arc of Tribulation magic." Rette told him.

"Rette, that magic is horribly dangerous. Why do you know about it?" Makarov demanded.

"I read a lot." Rette replied.

"What is this magic?" Natsu asked.

Makarov didn't look too comfortable with the topic of discussion, but Rette wasn't looking at him. Rette turned her attention to Natsu, her expression obviously guarded and blanked for a reason.

"It's a bad magic, Natsu. An old and powerful one that draws it's magic directly from the One Magic. Pure magic that is very difficult, if not nearly impossible, for normal mages to handle. There are eleven spells in total; Tribulation of Time, Tribulation of the Fallen, Tribulation of the Risen, Tribulation of the Agnoized, Tribulation of the Blessed, Tribulation of Life, Tribulation of Death, Tribulation of the Waking, Tribulation of the Slumbering, Final Tribulation, and Blessed Tribulation of the Primorial." Rette said, listing off the spells without a single pause.

While Rette knew a lot about a lot of different types of magic, it concerned Makarov that Rette knew about this one. It could be a really dangerous form of magic and he only hoped that she didn't feel tempted to try to learn it. If the castor didn't have enough magic to preform even the simpliest of the spells...it ended very badly.

"It is a magic that, as I said, takes it's power, not from the magic stored within the castor, but from the One Magic, the primorial source of magic in the world. Pure, raw power that no one should mess with. You saw how it went with Hades." Rette went on to explain. "The power is so great, the force so extreme, that just one spell can level an entire kingdom, now matter how big."

Unease spread through those listening. That kind of magic could be the end of the world in the wrong hands. It was no wonder no one knew about the magic anymore. The question then became...how did Rette know about it? Makarov highly doubted that there was still a book out there with information on the magic. Especially not in the detail that Rette knew, and that bothered him.

"What's the price for casting it, then?" Lucy asked, curious to know, but scared of the answer.

"In some cases, if the castor is lucky, they die instantly." Rette replied.

"That's lucky!?" Gray asked.

"In other cases...it destroys a person, slowly, from the inside out. Those who are strong enough to cast it and survive, suffer from a curse, of sorts. The curse is what ultimately destroys the mage and the more they cast the spells, the more intense the destruction. It shatteres their mental and emotional state first, driving them insane and hampering their ability to fuction in those aspects. Nightmares, distrust, self doubt and self hate, uncontrolable burst of violence and anger, periods of nothingness, misery, strife, fear, lonliness, fury...every emotion on the darker end of the scale becomes all they know. You lose sleep, soon you stop eating. If the castor doesn't kill themselves first, then comes the physical destruction. Everything starts shutting down until the castor is coughing up blood. By the end of it, the heart gives out and the body and mind are too far gone, too broken, to ever be saved."

The explanation scared those listening, but Rette had said it all as if it was as easy as stating that her shoe was untied. Her expression never changed and with a shrug, she turned back to her work. Makarov didn't even know the full effects the magic had on a castor, and doubted that even Mavis knew. Only a castor or someone who had personally known a castor, would know the effects.

So...which one was Rette?

So many of the effects she listed, sounded just like her, but on the other hand...it also sounded like how she described her father. Makarov really, honestly, hoped it was her father and not her, who had attempted the magic. Then again, if it was her father and they were right and it was him that was the would-be killer from Future Rogue's warning, then that could end up being a horrible danger to Rette, and to them and Magnolia as a whole.

"Rette...that kind of magic..." Erza cut off, concerned for the girl.

"I know. It's not a pretty image. I know about the magic...I never said I used it." Rette replied.

"Then how..."

Makarov cut off when Rette straightened up from picking up an empty cup. Her eyes landed on him through the curtain of her bangs.

"I told you, Master...my father is insane."

With that, Rette turned and headed for the bar. Makarov, and all of Rette's guild mates, had a bad feeling about that. Rette's father had just taken on a more monster of a twist in their minds. And to think that Rette had to grow up with that.

Just then, the doors to the guild hall, flew open, Jet and Droy running into the guild hall. Droy tripped, Jet carrying on past him with a piece of paper crushed in his hand.

"This is bad! Big news!" Jet declared.

What Jet told them all next, even shocked Rette into falling still. The members of the council...were all dead, killed by someone who used explosive-like magic. What the hell was going?! Rette really had a bad feeling about this and she just knew they were all going to end up mixed up in it, once again. They always did, even when they didn't mean too.

Rette wondered if Laxus and his group, who were currently out on a job at that restaurant 8 Island, had heard about this. More than likely, they had. Rette really didn't like this. Her senses were screaming at her again, yelling that, soon, nightmares would befall them all.

The nightmares she was thinking of...Rette prayed that it wasn't what she was thinking.

God help them if it was.

-0-0-0-0-

"Rette!"

A loud bang sounded as Rette threw open the doors. People rushed to clear the way as she flew across the room, Erza trying to stop her. Makarov, turned to her, instantly noticing what was wrong. Having heard what had befallen Laxus and his group when a member of Tartaros had come to kill Yajima, Rette had come rushing in, her eyes wide and dark energy already rolling off her.

"Where are they?" Rette demanded.

"Girl, you can't go in the-"

" _ **Where the hell are they!?**_ "

Porlyusica froze when the dark demand whipped out of Rette's mouth. None of them had ever heard Rette speak to a member of their guild, or a friend, like that before. Feeling the energy that was rolling off her, along with seeing the anxiousness in Rette's wide eyes, Porlyusica stepped aside and gestured towards the doors behind her.

Rette rushed past her, flying into the room. She froze in the doorway upon seeing her guild mates, her friends, laid out in their beds, suffering. From behind, her guild mates watched as her hands curled into fists, her body beginning to tremble from her attempts to contain her anger at what had been done to her friends.

"Rette-"

"Their condition?" Rette asked, cutting off Erza.

"They're alive, but they've been heavily damaged by Mashou Ryuushi. It's a stong poison. Normally even just a little is enough to cause death. I'm not sure whether they'll be able to recover completely. Laxus' body is especially damaged. It's a miracle that he's alive." Porlyusica answered.

"Not a miracle...that's just his stubbornness." Rette replied. "He won't let something like this kill him."

Rette had complete faith in that, but the mere fact that someone had attacked her friends, had laid them all so low...Rette was finding it extremely difficult to keep her temper in check. Already, that little voice in her head was chanting she kill and maim, and if she was being honest...she was half tempted to listen to it.

"...Rette..."

Rette snapped to attention when she heard Freed's faint voice call her. She hurried over to his bed, Makarov joining her. Falling to her knees beside the bed, Rette reached out, smoothing out the blanket tucked around him.

"I'm right here." she told him.

"Laxus...saved...that...tow...n...If Laxus...hadn't been...there...the town..."

"We know." Makarov assured Freed. "Thank you for taking everyone back."

"The town...was saved...by Laxus..." Freed insisted.

Rette reached out and, with one gentle hand, smoothed Freed's hair back. She gave him a tiny smile, the best she could manage considering her anger was starting to get the better of her.

"We know, Freed." she told him.

"Is...the town...fine?" Freed asked.

Behind Rette, the others bit their lips, knowing that while Laxus had tried...several people in the town had already died. None of them wanted to lie to Freed, but it wouldn't help him to tell him the truth at that point. None of them wanted to have the burden of lying to him when he could possibly be on his death bed. Makarov opened his mouth to take the responsibility onto himself, but Rette beat him to the punch.

"Yes. Laxus did great." Rette told him.

"I'm glad..."

"Rest now and leave the rest to us." Rette assured him.

Freed smiled, knowing that if anyone would fight to avenge them, it would be Rette. With the comfort and assurance, he drifted into a restless sleep. Rette gripped the edge of the bed, her grip tightening until they could hear the sheets beginning to rip.

"Rette..."

Makarov trailed off as Rette stood, her eyes going to first Evergreen, then Bixlow, to Yajima, and finally to Laxus. How dare someone even consider hurting her friends. For this, someone was going to pay and it was going to be as painful as she could make it. Natsu obviously agreed, his fists shaking with how hard he curled them.

"They've declared battle." Natsu remarked.

"If they want a battle, then let's give them a war." Rette agreed.

Gritting her teeth, Rette curled her hands into fists, glaring at them as they shook from the force. Tartaros had chosen the wrong guild to make enemies out of. They had chosen the wrong person to piss off and Rette was sure her anger would know no rest until she had destroyed whoever had hurt her friends.

"They're going to regreat ever crossing us. This I swear."

Rette spun on her heel, leaving the room. Makarov quickly followed when Natsu rushed after her. He knew this was going to end up bad. Between Natsu and Rette, they would level place after place until they found whoever it was that had attacked Laxus and his group.

"Rette, hold up. You can't just go rushing out there." Erza told Rette, grabbing her arm.

Rette instantly froze, her muscles tightening in an attempt to quell her anger before she lashed out at a friend. Natsu, on the other hand, had to be dog piled to keep him from leaving. In the attempt to hold him down, poor Droy got knocked down. It ended up taking Max, Nab, Jet, and Warren to keep him down.

"I can't stay still since my friend got hurt! Let's attack them right away, Grandpa!" Natsu yelled.

Rette agreed with him. She couldn't just stand there and do nothing knowing that her friends had been hurt and the person responsible was going unpunished. Mira joined Erza, laying her hands on Rette's shoulders. Having the calming touch of her two friends on her, Rette began to calm down some, though she knew she wouldn't be completely calm again until she had aveneged her friends.

"I agree with you. But we have too little information." Makarov said.

"Let me go to the town and pick up the guy's magical energy. I'll find him." Rette declared darkly.

"No. We can't risk losing you and your abilities if you get infected too." Makarov told her, making Rette frown.

"We don't know Tartaros' goal. And not even the council knew where their HQ is." Erza said.

"You see, Natsu? We don't even know where they are, how can we attack them?" Max asked.

"We can just ask other dark guilds!" Natsu declared.

"And where are the HQ of the other dark guilds?" Max asked.

"No idea!"

"Then who should we attack!?"

No one had ever said that Natsu had a working a brain. Even Rette could see that they were at a disadvantage and that was with her anger clouding her judgment.

"The only thing we know is that they want to attack the counselors. And not only the current ones but the previous ones too." Lucy said.

"Well, in that case if we go to the home of one of the ex-counselors they might just come." Gray said.

"They're addresses are top secret. It would be difficult to get them." Rette said sourly.

"Why?" Happy asked.

"Some bad people might go there to get revenge." Carla replied.

"A stalemate." Cana mused.

"No, not really." All eyes turned to where Loke had appeared and now stood among them. "I know the addresses of the previous counselors. Though not of all of them."

"Why do you know them?" Wendy asked.

Loke bent over to whisper in Wendy's ear. When the girl turned red, her eyes going to the floor as she twisted her dress in her hands, Lucy guessed that it was a woman who had told Loke. Rette didn't doubt it if that was the case.

A map was brought forth for Loke. Taking pins, Loke marked the locations of the homes of the four ex-counselors that he knew about. With that, they could do some battle planning. Not a lot, but it was better than nothing.

"Thanks to Loke's information, we were able to locate the address of four ex-counselors. First of all, each team will go to one of the houses and protect the owner from Tartaros. Then we will try to get information from them, though it will be hard. We need to know other addresses...and hints as to why Tartaros are attacking them." Makarov ordered.

"If you meet the one who attacked Laxus, and that uses the magic-killing particles, be careful and get a sample of their blood. I might be able to prepare a vaccine for Laxus and the others." Porlyusica added.

Rette kind of hoped she was one of those who encountered the attacker. She would get the blood sample, but that would be all that would be left of him when she was done with him. She would make sure of it.

"Tartaros is the enemy! They're from the Baram Alliance, like Oracion Seis and Grimor Heart! But we were able to defeat both of them! Likewise, Tartaros will regret having us as their enemy!" Makarov declared. "They hurt our comrades! We can feel their pain! The blood of our comrades is the same as our blood! We will turn this pain, this suffering, into fighting spirit, and defeat the enemy! We are not justice! We move, following our ideals! To protect our bonds and our pride, we will exterminate the enemies of our family!"

An agreeing cheer rang out over the guild hall, fists being thrust into the air. Tartaros had made an enemy of the wrong guild. Makarov scanned the faces before him, his eyes landing on Rette. As much as he would prefer to keep her at the guild hall, away from the fight, especially with the threat still looming over her head, he knew they would need her fighting power at some point. While many others in the guild came close to having her avenging, vindictive spirit when it came to defending her guild and it's members, none of them could quite match Rette.

And he could see the promise of pain in Rette's eyes. Her expression was dark, her eyes flashing with some emotion he couldn't quite place and was honestly hesitant to try to indentify. Her expression declared that whoever it was, they would regret messing with what was her's. And no one doubted it. The girl was horribly vindictive when angered and she was seriously ticked. They all knew one thing as truth.

If Rette found the person responsible, she would not stop until they met a horrible end.

-0-0-0-0-

Rette ended up remaining at the guild hall as four teams were sent out. Even Thyme went with a team, deciding to join Gajeel, Levy, and Lily. Rette wasn't too thrilled by it, but Makarov pacified her by telling her that it was so they could send her directly out as soon as they discovered the location of Tartaros.

So, Rette took up pacing.

Back and forth, she paced while awaiting news from her guild mates. Around her, people ran about, collecting more information and recruiting teams from other guilds to protect more ex-counselors as they were located.

When, finally, the reports started to come in, the news wasn't good.

Gray and Juvia were the first to report in. According to them, not only had they arrived late, whatever had killed the ex-counselor, had destroyed the town as well. Gajeel and his team reported in next. Their ex-counselor was dead already, as well. Rette had increased her pacing by the time Natsu's team reported in. They had arrived in time to save their counselor, but had ended up in a fight with a member of Tartaros.

Rette flew to Makarov's side. Lucy looked back at her from the communication lacrima set up on the table.

"Were you able to get any information from Mikelo?" Makarov demaned.

" _Well.._."

Lucy turned the lacrima until they were able to see Mikelo. The old man looked a haggard mess, and was muttering to himself about a "white legacy", a face, and how he didn't know anything.

"Face?" Makarov asked.

" _Face is one of the weapons the council possesses._ " Mikelo answered.

"Weapon? Why would the council need another when they already have the Etherion cannon?" Rette demaned.

" _Probably to keep the peace in the magic world._ " Carla remarked. " _I also have an idea about this, but let's hear his story._ "

" _There are a few weapons, and they're managed in different ways depending on the level of danger and importance. For example, Etherion, the super magic cannon that can hit anything on this continent, has a power able to destroy a whole country in a second. To use it, it's required to have the approval of nine of the current counselors and the release code by ten of the high rank personnel."_ Mikelo said.

"In other words, now that all the counselors have been killed..." Jet started.

"The council cannot use Etherion?" Droy asked.

" _So one of their goals might be to render Etherion powerless._ " Lily remarked from another communication line, Thyme nodding her agreement.

"What kind of weapon is Face?" Makarov demanded, though Mikelo had a look on his face like he didn't want to answer. "I understand that it's top secret! But now it's not the time for that!"

" _It's a magic pulse bomb. It's a weapon that can annihilate the magic of the whole continent._ "

Rette felt like the blood in her head had just completely drained away, leaving her feeling light headed. A bomb take could annihilate all magic...for mages, that was a death sentence. It would leave every mage in Fiore to suffer magic deficiency, which, if not treated, would lead to death.

"That would be a death sentence for mages!" Rette growled.

" _Not only that! Tartaros said that they don't use magic but rather curses!_ " Lucy piped in.

" _A world where all mages would be unable to use magic, while Tartaros could use their power freely._ " Lily remarked.

"It's a terrible weapon. We'd all be sitting ducks." Rette agreed.

" _Where is it?! We must destroy it before they find it!_ " Natsu declared.

" _I-I don't know...I heard that the sealing method is the vital link magic of three ex-counselors. But the only one who knows who they are is the ex-chairman._ " Mikelo replied.

Vital Link magic...that meant that three lives would have to be lost before Tartaros could unseal Face and use it. Rette really didn't like this. It meant that, until they could find all three, the members of Tartaros would continue to locate and kill ex-counselors.

" _Is that why they're just trying to murder all the counselors instead of questioning them?_ " Gray asked.

" _But...if they don't need to ask for information...does it mean that Tartaros already knows where Face is hidden?_ " Juvia asked.

" _Old man, if the three ex-counselors that keep it sealed are killed Face will fall into their hands!_ " Gajeel pointed out.

"We must find them and protect them! The ex-chairman knows about them, right?" Makarov asked Mikelo.

" _P-probably._ "

Makarov turned, demanding to know if anyone had found the ex-chairman's address yet. Thankfully, his address had already been found and Erza and Mira had been sent out to protect him and gather any information that they could. Rette really had a bad feeling about all of this. Something wasn't adding up. If it was so difficult to just get the ex-counselors' addresses, then how did Tartaros know where they were?

The answer hit Rette like a ton of bricks and she turned to face Makarov, her eyes widening slightly in the face of her realization.

"Master! Give me the address for the ex-chairman!" Rette demanded.

"Rette? Why? What is it?" Makarov asked.

"Think about it, Master! How in the world did Tartaros get information that even the ex-counselors weren't suppose to know?" Rette asked.

Slowly, she saw the truth dawn on Makarov. Without wasting a moment for him to come to terms with the information, Rette turned to Laki, demanding to be given the address. With that in hand, Rette turned on her heels.

"I'm going to back up Erza and Mira!" Rette declared, rushing towards the door.

"Be careful!" Makarov called after her.

Rette didn't have time to stop and think about it. The moment she was out the door, she launched herself into the air, her Sun Wings spell taking over to carry her into the air. She shot off like a rocket, hoping she had caught on to what was going on fast enough to save her friends. The land below her passed in a blur as she rushed to the address that Laki had given her. She knew, the moment the hill the ex-chairman's house was built on, came into sight, that she was too late.

Rette landed on the edge of the destroyed house, her eyes scanning the wreckage. She didn't see any blood, or any remains of her friends, which meant they were probably still alive. Raising her nose in the air, Rette drew the air in. Several scents came to her noses. Erza and Mira's came to her, but they were so faint that she couldn't hope to be able to follow them. Then came Natsu and Happy's scents. Those were newer, stronger.

Those, she could follow.

Using her Sun Wings once more, Rette rose into the air, following the scent of something burnt that always seemed to be associated with Natsu in her mind. That scent took her higher and higher into the air, heading back towards Magnolia, no less. Before she knew it, she was flying above the clouds, following a scent trail that was slowly being ripped apart by the wind. Just when she thought she would lose the scent trail before she could find Natsu, something came into sight ahead of her.

Rette wasn't sure what she was looking at, at first, but she soon realized what it was. Before her was a cube of earth. It looked like someone had taken a flat plane of earth and had folded it until it was in the shape of a cube. It was drifting along at a slower speed than her, heading in the direction of Magonlia. Rette was sure that Natsu and Happy's scents were coming from the cube.

But several over scents were drifting towards her.

Those had to belong to enemies. Rette wouldn't risk getting too close just yet. After all, what use would she be if she got captured as well? Of course, that little voice in her head, was shouting at her to screw caution and just attack the damn thing. Something Rette wouldn't do. For the moment, she would follow the cube and try to get a grasp on what they were dealing with.

She couldn't see anyone on the surface of the cube and she had no idea if there was an inside, though there had to be, right? With all the scents she was picking up, there had to be an inside to the cube. On the top side of the cube, there was a building. A pretty sorry, dark, and depressing excuse for a building, but a building none the less. That had to be Tartaros' headquarters.

No wonder no one could find the place.

Well, she had found it, but the question was...what should she do now? She could continue to follow it, but what would that really do? She knew for sure that Natsu and Happy were on the cube, somewhere, and there was a possibility that Erza and Mira were as well. She knew she should wait for Makarov's order, but part of her really wanted to go crashing in, guns blazing, so to speak. Which was a great way to get herself caught.

She was still debating the choice when the clouds parted and Magnolia came into view. Now Rette was curious. What did Tartaros want with her out-of-the-way town? As she pondered over the reasons, the Fairy Tail guild hall came into view. Rette came to a shuddering halt when, not a moment after spotting the building...it blew up.

She would have fallen out of the sky out of shock, if she wasn't a little more self aware. Her stomach certainly fell though, and she honestly felt sick. Everyone...everyone had been in the guild hall! Panic and anger began to rise, over riding her common sense. She was about two second away from losing it, when she felt Thyme's presence grow.

Thyme was alright!

With her presence then came that of the other three exceeds and almost every member of her guild. It was enough to instantly calm her panic, though her anger was still intact. Shooting forward, Rette followed the presence of Thyme until she could see the four exceeds shooting straight for the cube, carrying cards in their paws.

Cards?

 _ **Cards!**_

 _Cana, you brilliant drunkard_ , Rette thought as she rushed to join the exceeds.

"Rette!" Happy called when he caught sight of her.

"Keep going!" Rette urged, changing her course to rocketed straight towards the cube.

She had a pretty good feeling that Cana had trapped every member of their guild in her cards, as a way of saving them. That meant that the exceeds were taking the fight to Tartaros. Something that Rette could get behind. She ended up being faster than the exceeds, though, so when a sudden shift in gravity abruptly pulled them in towards the bottom of the cube, Rette went crashing into the ground with enough force to rattle her teeth.

Happy, Lily, Carla, and Thyme hit the ground around her, each pulled in by the same force. Rette, who had ended up with lower body over her head, instantly righted herself, cursing whatever trick Tartaros had just pulled.

"Well, that smarts." Rette muttered.

To her, looking around, it was like she was standing right side up on the ground, but when she looked over her head, she could see Magnolia, the town appearing to be hanging upside down in the sky. It was so strange an experience that it took Rette a moment to shake it off and get to her feet as Cana released everyone from the cards the exceeds had been carrying. Everyone spilled out of their cards, ready for action. Rette made her way over to Cana.

"What happened to the guild hall?" Rette asked.

Cana turned her, not really surprised to find Rette there. Rette always seemed to show up where there was a fight that needed her help.

"Your brother-by-circumstance lost his mind for a short while." Cana said, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.

Rette leaned around Cana, finding Elfman laying on the ground, a confused look on his face. Rette wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but she was sure Elfman hadn't had control over himself. He wouldn't have endangered everyone if he had.

"What am I...?" Elfman muttered.

"Are you sane again?" Cana asked as his eyes welled up with tears.

"What did I..."

"Don't you want to save Mira and Lisanna? Protect Rette who's standing right here? Stand up first of all." Cana told Elfman.

"She's right. Whatever might have happened, what matters now, is protecting your family." Rette agreed. "In case you haven't noticed, they're all fighting for their lives."

All around them, the other members of the guild were fighting with guards that had been unleashed upon them. No matter how many they knocked down, more just kept showing up. It was endless at the moment.

"How many are there?" Jet demanded.

"It's endless." Droy agreed.

"We can't move. We have to protect Laxus and the others too." Max chimed in.

Rette glanced over to where Laxus, his team, and Yajima were laid on the ground, all five still unconscious. Having them there, would definitely hinder them, but it wasn't like they really had a choice.

"Why did you take the wounded too!?" Macao demanded of Cana.

"They would've been blown up with the guild!" Cana retorted.

"Sorry. It's all my..."

"You're a man! If you have time to whine use it to take down some enemies!" Cana snapped at Elfman, cutting him off.

"I know. I'll make up for all this." Elfman replied.

"Good. Then get moving. We have sisters to find." Rette told him.

Elfman gave her a sharp nod, jumping into the fight along side her and Cana. The enemy before them wasn't that strong, but they were numerous. For every one that Rette took down, it was like four more took their place. It was driving her insane. They weren't giving Rette's guild mates any room to find some way to break through. They were all getting annoyed, starting to think it would be impossible, when something suddenly came crashing through the ground under their feet.

Rette spun on her heel, catching sight of Erza fighting with a woman who looked like a hybrid between a person and a bird. Erza's appearance left a gapping hole behind. Makarov quickly rounded on the one person he knew would demolish the inside just as fast as Erza or Natsu.

"Rette!"

"I'm already on it, Master!" Rette called back.

She looked down the hole Erza had left behind. The moment she entered it, she would be in the very heart of a literal lair of demons. Despite how uneasy that made her, especially with the sudden sense of doom she felt hanging over her head, she knew it had to be done. For her friends, her family. With that in mind, Rette did the only thing she could.

She took a diving leap into the hole.

END

Kyandi: I'm so thankful to my aunt and uncle for letting me use their internet.

Rette: Hopefully, we'll have another chapter or two for you in a few days.

Kyandi: Hopefully.

Rette: The next hand full of chapters is going to be difficult for me.

Kyandi: Yeah, well...that's how the story goes. Anyway, I have Thanksgiving with my family, so we got to go.

Rette: Right.

Kyandi: So everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	49. Hatred of Demons

Kyandi: Hey Kyandiacs!

Rette: We have returned.

Kyandi: I've been working on this one a lot. High muse and all that jazz.

Rette: She's considering not working on anything else until she finishes this story.

Kyandi: There are only two more arcs left in the series, so...maybe, maybe not.

Rette: We'll see how it goes.

Kyandi: Right. So everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 49 Hatred of Demons

Rette hit the floor inside the cube in a strange way, her world suddenly flipping to adjust to the shift in gravity. She ended up on her back, staring up at a ceiling, a frown on her face.

"This place is so messed up, I'll be glad to blow it up like they did to the guild hall." Rette muttered as she climbed to her feet.

She dusted herself off before raising her nose to sniff the air. She could just pick up Natsu's and Lisanna's scents. Scanning her surroundings first, she took off after the scents. Using her nose and her heightened ability to track magic, she was able to follow the two to where they had split up at a staircase. There, she found Natsu standing in the middle of a hall, fallen enemies around him, staring off into space.

"Natsu!"

Natsu turned, finding Rette running towards him. She came to a halt a few feet from him, her eyes scanning him from top to bottom. Her eyes snagged on the blanket, or whatever it was, that he had tied around his waist.

"What the hell are you wearing? Where are your clothes?" Rette asked.

"The dumbasses took them from me! They took my scarf!" Natsu snapped, his temper flaring as he stomped one foot.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Put your leg down before I catch a flash of something I don't want to see." Rette told him.

Natsu quickly put his foot down, though he didn't get why Rette was so bothered. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him naked before and he didn't care. Besides...she was always half naked as it was. The barely there shorts, with the laces that acted as sides and the scarf-like, tied on top she was currently wearing, was just one example of the sorry excuse for clothes that she wore.

"Where's Lisanna? I could have sworn I smelled her scent here too." Rette remarked.

"She went on ahead to look for Mira." Natsu replied.

"Good. Come on. Let's find you some clothes and then catch up to the others." Rette decided.

Natsu nodded, the two taking off. They were able to find Natsu some clothes that were kind of similar to the style of his every day clothes. Once he was dressed, Rette lead the way, tracking down those closest to them: Lucy, Wendy, Happy, and Carla. As they ran, Rette filled Natsu in, telling him that Erza was outside, fighting with some bird lady while Elfman was fine and running around through the building, looking for Mira and Lisanna.

While they had pretty much found everyone and were finally making their counter attack, Rette couldn't shake a dark feeling that had fallen over her since she had first stepped foot on the cube. It was a feeling that sent chills up her spine and made her feel like huddling in a corner. A feeling she hadn't had since her childhood.

"Everything will be fine."

Rette turned her eyes to Natsu when he spoke.

"What?" she asked.

"You look worried. Everything will be fine." Natsu assured her.

"I know that. I...I just can't shake this feeling of dread and doom that's fallen over me. The moment I stepped foot here, I suddenly felt like I've been tossed back into the dark halls of the Compound." Rette admitted.

Natsu's eyes snapped to her and he finally gave her a close look. A cold sweat had broken out over her skin and she looked like the color was slowly draining from her face. She had fixed her usual look of indifference on her face, but it wasn't quite reaching her eyes. In fact, the look in her eyes...she was scared.

"Rette..."

"I don't like this, Natsu, I really don't. Let's just find everyone, pay back the debt they owe us, and get the hell out of here." Rette said.

Natsu nodded. If Rette was scared, then there was a good reason behind it. The two sped up, speeding off down the halls in search of their teammates. They found Lucy as she was about to be attacked by some creep who looked like an over sized eyeball. Natsu flew into the fight, saving Lucy who was trapped in what Rette was sure was wool. Rette moved in behind the enemy, her eyes going to the nearby window as Wendy and Carla flew off.

"Why was Wendy in such a hurry? Well, why are you here in the first place?" Natsu asked.

"Face is about to be activated! It can only be stopped directly!" Lucy replied.

"What!? But...we have to rescue Mira too." Natsu said.

"I know. We'll have to leave Face to Wendy." Lucy told him.

The conversation was brought to an end when their enemy's appearance changed, taking on a similar appearance to take of Lucy's celestial spirit, Taurus. Rette blinked in surprise, her unease, for a moment, forgotten.

"He absorbed Taurus and Aries!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Gehehehe...I can use the souls of the things I absorb as nourishment to evolve." the enemy announced.

"

Oh, this is going to be a major pain in the back side." Rette remarked.

This only made the demon laugh his annoying little laugh. Rette was ready to throw a shoe at him if he didn't stop laughing. She bet he couldn't absorb that.

"How much are the rats I let escape worth?" the demon, Franmalth, asked.

"Wendy isn't a rat." Natsu and Rette replied at the same time.

"I know! I can distinguish between humans and rats!" Franmalth snapped.

"Distinguish, wow. That's an awful big words from someone who can't tell a human from a rat." Rette remarked sarcastically.

She watched in satisfied amusement as Franmalth threw a little fit, stomping one foot against the ground. Apparently it was far too easy, at least with Franmalth, to annoy a demon.

"I just called her a rat because she moves around like one!" Franmalth insisted.

"By the way, Carla isn't a rat either." Natsu added.

"I know that too!" Franmalth yelled.

"I'm not sure that you do." Rette remarked.

This resulted in another little fit from the demon, making Rette's lips twitch as she fought not to smile. She couldn't help it. Messing with people like that, or in this case, demons, was hilarious.

"Give back Taurus and Aries." Lucy demanded.

"No way. Do you know how big my collection is?" Franmalth replied.

"Ooo...that was the wrong answer."

Franmalth looked over his shoulder at Rette. Rette pointed back towards Natsu. Franmalth turned as Natsu swung a fiery fist at him, declaring he would kick Franmalth's ass until he spit them out. Grinning, Franmalth's head changed shape until it was Aries looking back at Natsu, pleading to Natsu. Natsu yanked back, unable to hit Aries. Franmalth took advantage of that and attacked Natsu.

With Natsu down, Franmalth reached for him, intending to absorb Natsu's soul. Natsu bounced back up, darting away from Franmalth before attacking again. This time Franmalth took on Taurus' appearance. Which didn't stop Natsu from hitting him. Franmalth flew back, sliding to a stop at Rette's feet. The demon looked up at Rette as she cracked her knuckles. He instantly turned his head into that of Aries, causing Rette to raise an eyebrow as he pleaded with her to help him in Aries' voice.

"No offense to Aries, but...I'll punch anyone. Even a friend."

Franmalth tried to scramble away from Rette, but she caught him and, with a fist covered in crystal, sent him flying into a wall. Rette popped her knuckles as she joined Natsu, Lucy, and Happy.

"Huh...a cyclopse wreckingball. Fun." Rette remarked.

With a growl, Franmalth shoved aside bits of the crumbled walls and stood up, furious. Rette and Natsu shared a look, both prepared to fight.

"I'll show you one of my top class souls!" Franmalth declared.

What he morphed into next, had all four of them freezing in shock.

"What's going on? Why...why does he have...his soul..." Happy asked.

"Master Hades!?"

Rette blinked as she looked at Franmalth, her head tilting to one side. It was a little difficult to be scared when he just looked so ridiculous. The proportions were way off, the body too big and the head too freakishly narrow. Even the jaw was too long. Rette was more likely to laugh than to honestly be scared of him.

"Your proportions are weird." Rette remarked.

"Who cares about appearances!? It's Hades! That Hades!" Franmalth retorted.

"Sorry, but it's kind of hard to muster up fear when you look absolutely ridiculous." Rette told him.

"The master of Grimoir Heart, once considered the strongest dark guild and a genius mage who knew a lot about the darkness. Seven years ago, when I was going after Zeref, I happened to find this body. Even though he was a human, he was closer to a demon. Do you know how much power he has?" Franmalth asked.

Rette and Natsu looked at each other. Cracking their knuckles, both launched themselves forward, aiming punches for Franmalth.

"Hate to break it to you..." Rette started.

"We're the ones who defeated him." Natsu finished.

Their combined punch sent Franmalth rocketing back, but that was about all it did. There wasn't a single scratch on Franmalth as he grinned at them.

"Alone?" he asked.

Rette dived to the side, hitting the ground in a roll, as Franmalth launched himself at them. She managed to avoid his counter attack, but Natsu took the hit. The force managed to kick up a lot of smoke, damaging the hallway. Rette raised an arm to defend her head.

"He might look weird, but his magic power is the real thing." Franmalth said.

Natsu, never one to be knocked down and stay down, came charging back towards the demon. He came flying down the hall, Rette crouching down to avoid being in his line of fire. Franmalth, like Hades had done, conjured a chain to use to attack Natsu.

"It's the power of someone who got close to the abyss of magic!" Franmalth declared.

Natsu dodged the attack, Rette flying in from under him. She pulled back a fist, but had to duck when Franmalth's arm extended, aiming to grab her. Instead, he ended up grabbing Natsu by the ankle. He had been aiming for Rette, but he would take Natsu. His other hand came flying over Rette's head to latch onto Natsu's shoulder.

"There. Connection. Your soul is mine." Franmalth declared.

For a brief moment, he forgot about Rette still crouched in front of him. That moment of forgetfulness, was all Rette needed. Holding up her left hand, Rette drew his attention to her only to blast him in the face with a ball of light.

"Natsu, now!" Rette called, completely plastering herself to the floor as Franmalth was forced to release Natsu.

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!"

Rette felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as the lightning charged, fire attack flew right over her head. She really didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of those attacks. She had fought Laxus before, had been zapped pretty hard by him. She didn't not want to face that _**and**_ Natsu's flames, all rolled into one.

Rette slid along the floor a few feet, before latching onto a stone in the floor that barely offered a hand hold that she could dig her fingers into. Happy and Lucy weren't so lucky. The two were sent on a brief flight across the hall. Franmalth only laughed, absorbing Natsu's flames into his body. The demon's body became engulfed in flames.

"You're the one who defeated Jackal, right? But you know...you shouldn't underestimate us so much. We're demons of the Book of Zeref." All four members of Fairy Tail, froze on their spot, Rette's eyes widening. "We are biological weapons born from the demon book written by the black magic Zeref a long time ago. Don't forget that one of us is enough to rival the army of a whole country."

Rette felt a chill slowly claw its way down her spine, making her skin crawl. To think that somewhere on the cube, her friends, her family, were fighting with demons. It made her feel sick to her stomach. That these creatures were demons, explained the feeling she had gotten from them. She really didn't like this. Just knowing that she was near demons created by Zeref himself, had her mind flashing back to her childhood, to all those nights trapped in the dark hallways of a place over run with the same dark magic as that of what Zeref used.

"With your puny magic, you can't possibly win against our "curses". Besides, in ten minutes from now, Face will be activated and all mages on this continent will lose their magic. Do you understand? The era of the mages is about to end." Franmalth laughed.

"Shut the hell up."

Franmalth was cut off in his laughing when a fist suddenly smashed into his face, knocking him back on his back. Rette stood there, over him, flexing the fingers of her left hand. Natsu took a step back when he noticed the dark energy around Rette, once more. It was a clear sign that her thoughts had taken a turn for the worse. Franmalth looked up at her, taking note of the energy, himself. He had never seen a human who felt as Rette did in that moment. It was almost as if he was being faced by one of his own brethen.

"You are really starting to vex me. If Wendy fails, which I doubt, we will lose our magic, but in those nine remaining minutes...I'm going to use you as my personal punching bag." Rette declared.

Franmalth opened his mouth to say something in reply to her, but Rette's foot flashed out, kicking him across the face. She reversed the kick and slammed the heel of her boot down on the top of his head. Pressing down, she put her weight on the foot, slamming his head into the floor and pinning it there.

"I hate demons, I really do. Almost as much as I hate dark magic." Rette remarked. "You're all disgusting creatures."

Franmalth laughed at her, finally figuring out why she felt so familiar to him. Rette raised an eyebrow as she looked down at him, his grin really irritating her.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" he asked.

Rette's eyes widened just a fraction more before a flash of anger made her eyes turn sharp. Then she was lifting her foot and slamming it down on his head with even more force than she had before that, driving her heel into one eye.

"You don't know me or what you're talking about. Just die." Rette retorted.

"Yes, I believe your soul will do just fine."

"Rette, watch out!" Natsu called when Franmalth latched onto Rette's ankle.

Rette merely looked down at to where his hand was banded around her ankle. Franmalth was laughing like he had just won the fight.

Well...Rette had some news for him.

Slowly, Franmalth's laugh and grin faded, then, to her teammates shock, he let out a yell, as if he was in pain and released Rette, a dark crackle of electric power sizzling between her and him. He scrambled back away from her, Rette watching as he went.

"What's the matter? Bite off more than you can chew?" Rette asked darkly.

"What the hell are you!?" Franmalth asked.

"Question of the year. Too bad for you, I'm not inclined to answer you." Rette retorted, one hand flexing until the knuckles cracked.

Rette's next strike came without warning and had Franmalth jumping back to avoid it. Rette refused to let up, attacking and avoiding counter attacks. Just when she thought she would land one that would finally do some damage, the whole building begun to shake, knocking her off balance.

"What's this!?" Natsu asked.

"It's too late. The era of magic is finally over." Franmalth declared.

Rette refused to think that Wendy and Carla had failed. No matter what it might look like, she knew they wouldn't give up until they had succeeded, or died and she knew they weren't dead.

What's happening?" Lucy asked.

"It's a reaction to Face. About three minutes left? Magic will be lost soon." Franmalth laughed.

Rette retreated back until she was standing beside Natsu. She closed her eyes, focusing on the magic around her. She could sense the strong magic that pulsed through the ground, growing by the second until it felt similar to a balloon with too much air in it. Just when it felt like it would explode, something in the magic changed, the energy imploding instead of exploding, just as the clock was about to hit zero.

Franmalth started laughing, declaring that Face was activated, but Rette could still feel her magic. Opening her eyes and looking over at Natsu, his fire was still flickering away around his fist.

"My magic didn't vanish." Natsu remarked.

"Mine either. I can still sense everyone else's magic too." Rette added, Franmalth staring at them in shock. Rette turned to Lucy and Happy. "Lucy? Happy? What about you two?"

"It's true!" Lucy said, laying a hand over her keys to check that the connection was still there.

"Yay! Wendy and Carla did it!" Happy cheered.

"That's...impossible..." Franmalth said, flopping down on the floor in a deflated sort of way.

"Your evil plans end here." Natsu told him.

"Ooohh..do you know how much this mistake will cost you?" Franmalth asked, as if he hadn't heard Natsu.

"Give Mira back." Natsu demanded.

"Do you know just how much...how much...how much..."

Rette was sure Franmalth had cracked. Whatever brain he had possessed, had finally snapped and he was reduced to repeating himself. Next thing she knew, he was springing up, jumping for her and Natsu. The two jumped apart to avoid him.

"It's worth about one hundred thousand of your souls! Give me your soul! Give me your soul! And then give me your soul again!" he yelled, attacking Natsu and Rette with renewed vigor.

Rette wasn't completely positive, but she was pretty sure that that wasn't how souls worked. Once their soul was gone, it wasn't like they could give it to him again. It wasn't like it regenerated like their magic power did. They needed to find out some way of getting rid of this demon, once and for all. Rette was about to go back on the offense when, with a set wave of his hands, Franmalth cast one of Hades' spells, wrapping them in magic arrays.

Rette's eyes flew over the arrays, quickly identifying them.

"Amaterasu Form 28."

God, did she hate demons.

The resulting explosion shook the building. Rette cast her own spell, summoning a crystal to absorb enough of the blast to spare them their lives. It still dealt a great deal of damage. They all ended up on the ground, Rette gritting her teeth against the aching in her body. Franmalth took the chance to latch onto all of them. Where Rette only felt an annoying tug on her power which instantly kicked started a defense she hated to use, the others were reduced to pain.

"You can become part of my new collection. Your souls will be mine." Franmalth declared happily.

Rette began forcing herself to her feet. Franmalth's laughter tapered off as she got to one knee, then the other, and finally to her feet, fighting his tug on her power. Even Natsu was trying to force his way free, declaring that he wouldn't let Franmalth take his soul.

"It's useless to struggle." Franmalth said, though his eyes were watching Rette with almost fear in them.

"Lucy! Happy! Rette! Absolutely don't give up! Our souls must stay with us! Be strong! We're here!" Natsu yelled.

"He can't take what's mine. I refuse." Rette replied darkly.

Her anger was twisting, turning, as she watched her friends wraith in pain. The darkness was returning to her magical power, growing by the second. The chanting was back, repeating the same word over and over in the back of her head.

"My curse can't be broken by just thinking!" Franmalth said.

"My soul is here! Until I meet Igneel...I'll never...give you my soul! You won't have my will!" Natsu declared.

"How stubborn." Franmalth snapped.

"Feel it! The most important thing! The thing you can't let him have! That will keep your soul tied to you!" Natsu declared.

"I...I...will eat...fish with Carla...fish with Carla..." Happy stated.

"It's too late! I'm almost finished absorbing you!" Franmalth told them.

"You don't get it, do you?"

Franmalth focused on Rette as she finally straightened herself, her eyes landing on him with an intensity that he had only met once. Now he was for sure he knew why Rette was familiar to him and the realization made him balk in the face of her.

"Fairy Tail doesn't work like others want us to. We don't conform to other's expectations and molds. If we don't want to give you our souls, you sure as hell aren't going to get them! I'll kill anyone who dares to threaten what's mine." Rette swore. "Lucy...close Taurus' gate. Now!"

Lucy didn't stop to think, didn't question Rette for a second. She instantly close the gate. As soon as she did, Franmalth reacted, his body changing as the gate tried to open and send Taurus back to the Celestial world. Franmalth, to save himself, ejected Taurus.

"Now do Aries, Lucy!" Rette yelled.

"Aries, gate close!" Franmalth was forced to release Aries too. Catching on to this, Lucy decided to try something. "Natsu, Rette, gate closed!"

Fearing that Rette and Natsu were spirits as well, Franmalth quickly released them. A grin curled Natsu's lips before the two of them charged him, revealing Lucy's bluff for what it had been. Rette and Natsu landed solid hits to Franmalth, forcing him to release Lucy and Happy. When Franmalth reminded them that magic didn't work on him. Natsu and Rette compromised. Standing off behind Natsu, Rette waited as Natsu heaved a large section of the floor over his head. Since it was an object without a soul, Franmalth wouldn't be able to absorb it.

Natsu grinned, chuckling darkly to himself before glancing at Rette over his shoulder. All it took was one look before Rette launched herself forward. She hit the section of floor with a strong enough kick to send it smashing down on top of Franmalth with an amount of force that left the demon in a mess, half embedded into the floor. As they watched, Franmalth's body broke up, slowly vanishing into balls of light.

"Those would be the souls he absorbed, going back home where they belong." Rette remarked, Natsu agreeing.

"It's not over yet."

Natsu, Rette, Lucy, and Happy, twisted around, finding the ghost of Hades behind them. Rette had never believed in ghost, but it was kind of hard not to when faced with one in person.

"Tartaros' real goal is not Face. Tell Makarov that it's time to let out the light."

With that, Hades vanished, just like the rest of the souls.

"What was that?" Natsu asked.

"The ghost of Master Hades!" Lucy squealed.

"I'm more concerned with what he said than what he was." Rette remarked. "Let out the light..."

"What did he mean?" Lucy questioned.

"He said to tell our master." Happy reminded her.

It clicked in Rette's head what it might be, but since it was suppose to be a secret, Rette didn't say a word. Mavis had trusted her with the secret and she would keep it.

"It seems like Face was stopped thanks to Wendy and Carla, but we still have to find Mira." Lucy said.

"We have to settle matters with everyone here anyway." Natsu agreed.

"I'm going to Master's place." Happy told them.

When he was gone, Lucy turned to Rette, curious about something.

"Rette."

"Hmm?"

"Why did it hurt him to try to absorb your soul?" Lucy asked.

For a moment, Rette seemed to have frozen on the spot. When she finally did turn to look at her, her expression was guarded, as if the answer was something she didn't want to share.

"I don't know."

Lucy knew it was a lie, Natsu knew it was a lie. They were both sure that Rette knew exactly why it had hurt Franmalth to try to absorb her soul and she just refused to share with them.

"Rette, if it's someth-"

"You know, all of you say the same thing. For once, if I say I don't know, can you not just take it at face value? I think we have better things to do than to psychoanalyze me." Rette said, cutting off Lucy. "We still need to find Mira."

That was enough to get Natsu in gear and with him taking off, Lucy was forced to drop the subject and follow. Rette brought up the rear of the group. Lucy, using what little remained of her shirt, made a makeshift shirt as they walked.

"Gray should be keeping the enemy busy over there." Lucy remarked, glancing in one direction.

"I think Mira is also somewhere on this floor." Natsu added.

Rette was about to ask a question when a voice suddenly spoke in their heads, bringing them all to a stop.

" _Can you hear me?_ "

"Warren?" Rette asked.

" _Mira is okay, she's with us._ " Rette heaved a relieved sigh at the news. " _Elfman and Lisanna are here too._ "

"Hey Warren, can you make it so that everyone hears my voice?" Lucy asked.

" _Yeah...wait a second...okay._ "

"Wendy and Carla stopped Face! We crushed the enemy's plan!" Lucy announced.

Cheers filled Rette's head as her guild mates celebrated the news. It was a point to their side in this fight.

" _Regarding what happened afterwards...can the master hear this too?_ " came Happy's voice.

Warren made sure that Makarov could hear the conversation too, giving Happy the go ahead. Rette listened closely, to hear Makarov's response to the news.

" _We met the soul of Master Hades. He said that even though we could stop Face...it's not over yet. Hades said to tell you to "release the light"._ " Happy reported.

" _The light..!?_ "

In those two simple words, Rette knew he was thinking the same thing as her.

Lumen Histoire.

" _What does that mean!?_ " Makarov yelled.

" _I don't know either._ " Happy replied.

Suddenly a noise that Rette couldn't even describe, sounded over the connection, followed by a gagging noise from Warren's end of the connection. Then a new voice Rette had never heard, entered the connection.

" _Wizarding guild Fairy Tail. Right?_ "

Someone was hijacking Warren's telepathy magic. Rette didn't like this. As if her anger wasn't already an issue that day. She was barely containing it and now someone was hurting one of her friends by hijacking his magic.

" _Who are you, bastard!?_ " came Elfman's voice.

" _The king of Hades, Mard Geer. But you don't have to remember that. Since you have no tomorrow. Alegria._ "

Suddenly, the whole cube the building stood on, began to shift and change. The walls around Rette and her group began to shift and change, knocking them off their feet. Natsu latched onto the back of Rette's belt and reached for Lucy so they wouldn't be separated.

"Lucy!" he called.

Lucy reached for Natsu as Rette latched onto this arm so her belt wouldn't snap. Lucy and Natsu were close to having hold of each other, but they were quickly yanked apart, separating her from Natsu and Rette. Rette struggled as the very building around them, begun to absorb them.

NO!

Rette would have let herself be absorbed! She would not let down her guild and family. She would fight to her last breath. Screw these demons and their curses! She had a sort-of curse of her own and she was more than happy to use it if it meant helping her family. With a roar of anger, the emotion blinding her in a fit of rage, Rette exploded free of wall that had almost sucked her completely in. She crumpled to the ground, gasping in air.

"Stu...stupid...demons...I...I hate demons!" Rette gasped.

Rette looked around, searching for Natsu, but he was no where to be seen. She tried to sense him, but him, along with all the other members of the guild, had been absorbed into the very building, their magics over powered by that that coursed through the cube.

No, wait.

There was one person left.

Rette's head whipped to the left as Lucy's magical energy came through loud and clear. Surging to her feet, Rette took off. If they were the last two left in action, then Rette needed to find Lucy before anyone else could find either of them. Sliding down slopes and tripping over fallen pieces of wall, Rette ran through the halls. Somewhere during the whole shifting of the building, Rette had lost her boots and her clothes had become ripped, so there were a few steps in which Rette cursed because she stepped on a jagged piece of stone.

Rette slid to a stop, turning on the spot until she located Lucy and took off again. The energy was coming from just in front of her. Rette burst free of a hall only to find that the floor sudden sloped. Cursing herself, Rette went tumbling down the slope.

"Rette!"

Lucy's voice filled her ears as Rette pushed herself up. Then the girl was there beside her, checking her for any really bad injuries.

"I'm fine. What about you?" Rette asked.

"I'm fine. But what happened!? Where is everyone?" Lucy asked.

"No idea, but I don't like this. I can't sense any of their magical energies past the energy of this place." Rette told her.

Lucy looked around them, her eyes finally falling on a window. Gesturing to it, the two of them climbed up to it, peering outside. Beyond the window, lay Magnolia. Whatever the cube had transformed into, it was destroying the town. A sharp noise cut through their heads then, making both girls clamp their hands over their ears.

" _People from Tartaros. We got rid of all the intruders with Alegria. The Face project can go on as per our plans._ " came the voice that had called himself Mard Geer.

Rette didn't like this. This Mard Geer had to know that the curse had missed her and Lucy and if he knew that, he should have been sending people after them. Rette didn't like this at all. Something bad was about to happen, she knew it.

" _However...for some reason, two humans were able to escape Alegria._ "

And there it was.

Behind Rette, a trickling fall of water suddenly exploded, water rushing in to sweep away Rette and Lucy. Rette reached for Lucy, not wanting to lose her.

"Lucy, grab my hand!" Rette called.

Lucy took hold of Rette's hand, the two pulling each other, until they could latch onto to each other completely.

" _I'll give the title of one of the missing Kyuukimon to the soldier that kills them. In case one of the Kyuukimon kills them, Mard Geer will give them a prize._ "

Rette _**really**_ hated demons.

Lucy was able to latch onto a floating log and pulled herself up. She reached down and started pulling Rette up. It was then that some soldiers spotted them. Rette, suffering from motion sickness, held on to the log tightly while Lucy cleared their way with her whip. More soldiers took their place though.

"Lucy, make a jump for it!" Rette yelled, pointing to another log ahead of them.

Releasing the log and forcing her stomach to behave, Rette launched herself off the log, hopping off one soldier's head to land on the next log. Lucy followed her, making the log bob when she hit it.

"Open! Gate of the Archer! Sagitarius!"

Sagitarius appeared then, just as some weird girl with bunny ears came spinning towards them. Sagitarius shot at her with arrows, but they simply bounced off the little demon.

"Lucy, try a different spirit!" Rette advice, her stomach giving another flip. "And find land soon!"

"I'm trying! Sagitarius, close! I summon Virgo!"

Virgo appeared, riding the waves like a surfing pro. She took on the bunny-like demon, shouting a warning that something was heading for Lucy and Rette from above. Rette looked up, finding another demon dropping in. Lucy pushed Rette down.

"Open, gate of the Lion, Loke!"

Loke appeared, blocking the blade of the demon. Though he had been able to block the majorty of the swing, it still cut him. Loke shook it off though.

"Are you okay, Loke?" Lucy asked.

"I'm fine." Loke promised.

Lucy sagged against Rette then. Rette caught her, realizing instantly what was wrong. Lucy was keeping two gates open at once, both of those gates draining quite a bit of magic from her. Seeing this, Loke and Virgo attacked merciless, but that wasn't the end of their troubles.

"Found ya."

Rette looked up, finding another demon standing on a bridge of sorts over their heads. This one had jackal-like ears poking up out of his head. Lucy gasped like she knew him. Lucy was already using too much magical energy. Laying a hand on Lucy's shoulder, she pushed her back.

"Leave this one to me." Rette declared, making the demon, Jackal as he was called, grin. "I'm getting really tired of demons."

Rette launched herself off the log, flying right for Jackal. She yanked a fist back, hitting him with more force than he had thought she would have. She knocked him back, but he simply grinned.

"Rette! His curse blows up everything that comes in contact with him!" Lucy warned.

Rette looked down at her fist as a symbol glowed to life on her skin. She looked up at Jackal in time to catch his grin before the symbol blew up. A cloud of dust rose from the spot where Rette had stood, Jackal cackling while Lucy screamed Rette's name.

"You demons aren't the brightest things in the world, are you?"

Jackal's laughed stood, Lucy letting out a cry of relief as Rette waved the dust cloud away. There were no new scratches on her and in one hand, she held a yellow and black crystal. Jackal's jaw dropped as she dust herself off.

"H-how!?" Jackal demanded.

Rette fixed her two-toned eyes on him then, the intensity of her gaze, making him flinch, though he didn't know why the stare unsettled him. Rette turned the crystal over in her fingers as she turned to face him. Idly, she wrapped her fingers around the crystal and, with a flex of her hand, crushed it, resulting in a small explosion in her hand. It stung, but she didn't really care at the moment.

"I'm only going to say this once. Just like your little comrade found out earlier when he tried to absorb my soul...you're curses don't work on me." Rette told him.

Rette took a step towards Jackal, the demon taking one back away from her before he stopped to think about it. He could feel the darkness of her magical energy falling over her like a cloak, coating the surrounding area in it. He had only felt one person with an energy similar to Rette's at the moment.

"With that said, let's have a little chat about what the hell you bastards did with my family." Rette barked, her tone dipping down.

Lucy was sure, in that moment, that Jackal was screwed.

END

Kyandi: Personally, even with the exploding for coming into contact with him, crap, I would still smack Jackal across the face.

Rette: He's a rude, stupid, jack-

Kyandi: Let's not finish that sentence.

Rette: Well, he is.

Kyandi: I know, but let's not finish that.

Rette: Fine.

Kyandi: Hopefully, I'll have another chapter for all of you soon.

Rette: She was only able to put this up today because she had the day off work.

Kyandi: I love my job, but it leaves me tired.

Rette: I know how you feel.

Kyandi: I bet. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	50. Divine Unveiling

Kyandi: Howdy, Kyandiacs!

Rette: Kyandi-sama doesn't have much free time but she makes a little free time to write as much as she can.

Kyandi: I'm trying. My new job is as a day care assistant. I love the children and everything, but...even when they're suppose to be taking a nap, it's difficult.

Rette: But you love your job.

Kyandi: That I do. And all jobs have their down sides. On the bright side, I still have my weekends in which I can write and upload!

Rette: Goody for that.

Kyandi: Right, so everyone, review and enjoy.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 50 Divine Unveiling

"Now, tell me, what happened to my friends."

Lucy didn't like the deadly intensity in Rette's eyes as she faced Jackal. Jackal, in reply, raised a hand, but Rette moved with a swiftness that she only possessed when she was deathly close to losing her temper. She grabbed the demon by the scarf wrapped around his neck, yanking him forward as she spread the fingers of her left hand in front of his face.

"Wrong answer." Rette said, her hand glowing.

A second later, a light blast went off in the demon's face, sending him tumbling backwards away from her. Rette was aware enough that she couldn't prolong this fight. Her magic energy would only last so long and once she had hit empty, she would no longer be able to absorb Jackal's bombs. Lucy knew this too. Rette, even with her anger giving her an extra boost, would run dry just like any other mage. And given how fiercely she was attacking Jackal, hitting with blast after blast, Lucy was sure Rette would run out quickly.

But no one messed with Rette's family without her losing her temper and demolishing a few things.

And demolishing things, she was.

Lucy, as well as many other members of the guild, had taken to likening Rette to a wrecking ball when she was angry. And the simile wasn't that far off, especially given how she was knocking Jackal through walls, absorbing the explosion from touching him, and then using said explosion to knock him through more walls.

Lucy winced when Rette landed a knee to Jackal's face. She didn't want to know how much that hurt Jackal, or how much that hurt Rette's knee. Rette drew the knee back, casting her spell to absorb the explosion before it could take out an important joint. She braced her feet, fighting to even out her breathing.

"Rette?" Lucy called.

She could tell that Rette's energy was dwindling. She was helping Loke and Virgo all she could by taking on Jackal, but it was costing her more energy.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate demons? Presistent little pains, aren't they?" Rette remarked.

Jackal, his nose bloodied from Rette's knee, got to his feet, wiping the blood on the back of his hand. He grinned as he looked at Rette.

"Runnin' a little low on juice?" he taunted.

"Taunting? You just became even stupider in my eyes." Rette replied.

She jumped to the side, avoiding Jackal's attack. Really? That was all it took? It wasn't even a challenge. Verbal abuse was a lost art, apparently. Jumping, Rette avoiding the kick coming at her knees. Jackal, the idiot, looked up in time for Rette to plant a foot in his face. Using his face as a kick board, she jumped, landing next to Lucy who was finally on dry land.

"I want my answer. What happened to my friends?" Rette demanded, looking up at Jackal.

Jackal just chuckled at her. Rette really hated that. What exactly did these demons think she was? They obviously didn't think she was much of anything, or they wouldn't constantly be laughing at her.

"Don't play, just kill them." one of the other demons said.

"Both the fireball guy and the blue cat died. I'll have to unleash my rage on these girls. I'll torment the both of them a bit more." Jackal replied.

Rette threw up a shield in time to save herself and Lucy. The explosion, though, took out the ground under their feet, sending them both tumbling back into the water. Rette was not going to believe a word that Jackal said. She knew, just as well as Lucy did, that her guild mates were alive. It was just their turn to play the hero for their guild mates.

Rette swooped, avoiding an explosion and grabbed Lucy around the waist, pulling her up towards the surface of the water. Lucy, already a step ahead of Rette, had a key in her hand as they broke the surface.

"Open, Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"

Well, crap was just about to hit the fan.

Rette wasn't exactly sure how she felt about Aquarius. The spirit definitely had a lot of...well, spirit. She wasn't someone that Rette wanted on her bad side. Especially since Rette wasn't the strongest swimmer in the world when there was an over sized fish trying to drown her. That aside, she liked Aquarius and her spunk. The spirit was a model example of a strong woman and despite what she said, Rette knew she cared about Lucy.

Rette held on to Lucy tightly, Lucy sagging against her as she used what little magic she had left to summon Aquarius.

"Idiot."

Rette looked up as an arm wrapped around them, supporting them so they didn't sink when Lucy sagged against Rette. Right behind them, her gorde tucked under one arm, was Aquarius.

"Aquarius." Rette breathed.

"You came." Lucy said happily.

"Idiot. Both of you. Take her." Aquarius said, her eyes focusing on Rette when she said the last two words.

Instead of questioning her or arguing with her about the idiot thing, Rette simply did as told. She wrapped one of Lucy's arms around her neck and heaved the girl out of the water and onto dry land. Sinking to the ground, Rette settled Lucy in her lap.

"Stay back, girls." Aquarius ordered.

"Not a problem." Rette replied.

Sitting back was perfectly fine with her. It wasn't like she wanted to stand between Aquarius and an enemy anyway. Drowning was not on her list of things to do that day.

Or ever.

Rette held on to Lucy as Aquarius swept everyone else up into a typhoon of water. From across the water, Loke and Virgo called for Lucy to close one of the gates now that she had a chance, but it was then that they learned that one of the demons could swim through Aquarius' water. He came torpedoing towards Aquarius, like a shark against the current, and attacked Aquarius. Loke and Virgo tried to rush to her aide, but Jackal attacked them from behind.

Water surged up around Lucy and Rette as Jackal exploded the area around the two spirits. Rette clung tightly to Lucy. Lucy was distracted and when a huge wave surged their way, Rette wrapped an arm around Lucy's head, protecting her as they were sent crashing into the ground. Rette felt her shoulder crack as it was knocked out of joint. Latching onto her shoulder, Rette rolled onto her back, gritting her teeth at the pain.

"What, summoning three of 'em was her trump card?"

Rette rolled onto her side, trying to fight back the pain as Jackal, the bunny demon, Lamy, and the shark-like demon, Torafusa, approached them, standing over them with grins on their faces. Rette tried to push herself up, but her dislocated arm wouldn't support any weight at all and she crashed back down into the ground.

"She probably can't move anymore cos she used too much magic." Lamy taunted.

"I'll kill her with one blow and then move on to the next one." Torafusa told his companions.

"Isn't that boring?" Jackal asked.

"Yeah, we should torture them both more. But I want to get the prize!" Lamy said, laughing as she rubbed her hands together.

Lucy tried to get up, but Jackal crippled one of her legs by using a small explosion. Rette grit her teeth against her anger as Lamy and Jackal laughed at the pained expression on Lucy's face.

"Cut it out. If you won't kill her, I will." Torafusa told Jackal.

"Uh? Weren't you on our side? Ya want me to kill you first?" Jackal asked.

Torafusa stared at Jackal for a moment before turning on his heel to leave.

"It's just pointless to talk to you, whatever." he said.

"Tahahahah, no need to tell me." Jackal laughed.

"What are you doing next, Jackal?" Lamy asked, grabbing Lucy's wrist and pulling her half up off the ground. "Her boobs are uselessly big. Blow them up."

Rette, fearing for Lucy, rolled to her knees, reaching up to force her shoulder back into joint. The pain was sharp and instant, a painful ache settling into the joint, but Rette didn't have time to worry about it. Jackal was reaching for Lucy as Rette struggled to her feet, but...Jackal grabbed Lamy by the face instead, blowing up the small demon.

"She was your comrade." Lucy said.

"You should worry about what's gonna happen to you next. Let's have f-"

Jackal let out a grunt as Rette rammed him from the side, knocking him away from Lucy. A second later, an explosion blew across the back of her shoulders where she had hit Jackal, crumpling Rette to the ground.

"Rette!" Lucy cried in concern.

"I-I'm fine." Rette replied, shifting to get back to her knees.

Really, she felt like screaming in pain.

The explosion had hurt more than Rette wanted to admit, but in a fight for her life, it wasn't like she could merely just tap out of the fight. When Jackal turned a glare on Rette, she scrambled over to Lucy, throwing her body over Lucy's to somewhat shield her. She glared back at Jackal, silently telling him that if he wanted Lucy, he would have to go through her first.

Letting out an annoyed growl, Jackal started towards them. Rette tensed up, ready for any blow he sent her way. He would only get to Lucy through her dead body. Just as Jackal was reaching for Rette, a sudden wave of water rushed past them, wiping Jackal out. Rette wrapped her arms around Lucy, holding on to her. Moments later, two arms wrapped around Rette and Lucy, lifting the two. Rette looked up, finding Aquarius.

"Aquarius..." Lucy called lowly.

"Lucy, I can only stop him. Same for the other spirits and your friend there is running low on magic. They're too strong." Aquarius said, setting the two down on the ground. "But we still have a chance of winning."

"Eh?" Lucy asked.

"I can only block him for a while. Listen, Lucy. If you can open three gates at the same time I'm sure you can do it. Summon the Celestial Spirit King."

"The Spirit King?" Lucy asked.

"As you know, he's the strongest among the spirits. His attack of the stars can annihilate the enemy." Aquarius told her.

"But...I don't have the key." Lucy replied.

"There is nothing "physical" to summon him. Only a certain special key can open his gate. Substitution Summoning technique. By breaking one of the gold keys you can open the gate of the Spirit King once."

Even Rette felt a chill go down her spine. She knew how much each and everyone of her keys, of her spirit friends, meant to Lucy. The thought of breaking one of those keys would tear Lucy's heart apart.

"Breaking...a gold key?" Lucy asked, her eyes widening.

Across the way, Jackal was fighting against the water, exploding his surrounding area in an attempt to free himself from the flow of the water.

"It won't work with just any key. If there isn't a strong mutual trust between the owner and the spirit, the gate won't open." Aquarius added.

"I can't do...something like that! No! They're all important, I don't want to lose any of-"

"Break my key."

Both Lucy and Rette stared at Aquarius, shocked by her sudden demand. Aquarius, as far as Rette had known, had been with Lucy the longest and her key had been passed to Lucy from her mother. Aquarius and her key were important to Lucy for more than one reason. So very important.

"I'm not sure about trust, but we've been together for a long time, it will work." Aquarius said.

"What...are you saying?" Lucy asked.

"It's to save your friends."

"You're one of my friends too! I can't sacrifice someone to save the others! There must be another way! I'm not giving up! I have Rette with me, too!" Lucy protested.

"I wouldn't suggest you do this if there was another way. And look at your friend. She has no more energy than you do and she's hurting more than she wants you to know." Aquarius said, glancing at Rette.

"No..."

"It's the only way."

"No...I don't want to!" Lucy cried.

Jackal was slowly making his way towards them and Aquarius was having a hard time keeping him back.

"Lucy, there's no time. My power is already..."

"No..."

"I won't die if you break my key. We just won't be able to meet again." Aquarius insisted.

"I don't want that." Lucy told her, tears sliding her cheeks.

"I'm actually looking forward to it. I was the spirit of your mother, Leila. When she died and I was handed to you, I was really disappointed. You cry often. You're a brat. You don't know how the world works. You're not graceful like Leila was. I only endured it because you're Leila's daughter. But actually...I've been hating you the whole time." Aquarius said.

Rette knew that wasn't true. Aquarius wouldn't be willing to sacrifice her key for Lucy, if she didn't care at least a little. And Lucy knew it.

"I don't care if you hate me! I like you. You're my first friend...my..."

"Stop relying on others! Only you can save your friends now! What's important!? Memories!? Keys!? Feelings of guilt!? I don't think so! It's the power to save your friends! The power of a Celestial mage! Do it! Break my key! Only you can do it! " Aquarius demanded.

"I like you, Aquarius."

"Do it! Lucy!"

Rette moved up to Lucy's side, wrapping an arm around Lucy, letting Lucy lean into her for a moment. Pressing her forehead against the side of Lucy's, Rette spoke.

"Whatever choice you make, Lucy, I'm right here. I'll be here for you. Remember, you might not see her again for a while, but the key will appear in this world again. You can always find it again."

Though it was through tears and crying her heart out, Lucy gripped Rette's hand in one hand and raised Aquarius' key into the air.

"Open...Gate of the...Spirit King!"

Aquarius looked back at Lucy, tears in her own eyes as well. Aquarius gave Rette a nod, as if silently asking Rette to be there for Lucy. Rette gave her a bow of her head, silently promising she would be there for her friend.

The key in Lucy's hand dissolved, breaking apart. The water around them resided, vanishing as winds picked up around them. The light around them increased, the heavens lighting up as what appeared to be shooting star, rocketed towards them. The Spirit King made his appearance by crashing straight through the cube.

"What did you do, stupid girl!?" Jackal snapped.

Rette and Lucy were sent tumbling off their feet as the cube crumbled to the ground. At least the cube was stopped and was now the least of their worries. When the world around them stopped moving, Rette scrambled over to Lucy, checking on her. Over their heads, the Spirit King floated in the side, his sword in hand. Rette looked up at him, her sharper eyes and ears picking up the scene. She noticed that he was facing off with a dark haired man standing on a cliff created by the remains of the cube. The Spirit King greeted him as the King of Hades.

 _That must be the Tartaros guild master,_ Rette thought.

"I didn't think there was someone able to summon the Spirit King." the man, Mard Geer, said.

Rette knew that voice. It had been the voice that had spoken in her head before the cube had absorbed her guild mates.

"You're still carrying that book. It's been a long time." Spirit King said.

"This is END's soul. Tartaros itself." Mard Geer replied.

END, the demon that Igneel couldn't defeat. The demon that Atlas Flame had warned them about and the strongest demon Zeref had ever created. So that book was the demon's very soul.

"What are you scheming? King of Hades." Spirit King asked.

"Haven't you realized by now? We're going to resuscitate END and return to Zeref's place." Mard Geer replied.

"Is it for that reason that my old and her comrade are lying wounded on the ground?" Spirit King asked.

"Yes."

"Is it for that reason that my old friend is shedding tears?"

Spirit King glanced down at Rette and Lucy, Rette hovering over a crying Lucy. Both were beaten up, though Rette was fairing better than Lucy was at this point.

"Why don't we end our fight, Spirit King?" Mard Geer asked.

"Thanks to the contract with my old friend and her resolve, I will annihilate her enemy." Spirit King declared. "I won't forgive you!"

The collision of power between the two was enough to make Rette have to plaster herself to the ground over Lucy, just to keep from being blown away. For someone a tenth of Spirit King's size, Mard Geer handled the spirit expertly. Even with one hand taken up holding onto the book. Mard Geer, it seemed, used a curse of endlessly growing thorns. Something that could be dangerous, but not unmanagable. Watching the fight, Rette was sure she was glad that Spirit King was on her side and not against her. His next attack carved a path of damage across the ground that had to be several miles long.

"What the!? What's going on outside!?" Jackal asked, turning on Rette and Lucy. "Shit! What the fuck did you do!? You bitches!"

Rette wrapped her arms around Lucy, ready to defend them when Jackal turned to them. She could see the explosion building around his hand. Just before he could attack, Rette felt a surge in power from Lucy, a water barrier appearing around them.

"A water barrier...Aquarius!?" Lucy called, looking around them.

"Lucy...it's coming from you." Rette told her.

Lucy looked at Rette before looking down at her hands. She could feel magic surging up in her, her clothes and hair changing and the same tattoo that marked Aquarius' collar bones, appearing on her collar bones. It was then that they heard the voice in their heads.

" _I changed Aquarius' magic into power for my old friend. Stand up, old friend._ "

Lucy got to her feet, her power restored and her energy back. To Rette's surprise, she felt a surge in her own power, a rush making her head spin.

 _"You as well. Stand and fight._ " came the Spirit King's voice.

"With pleasure." Rette replied, rising to her feet, turning to Lucy and gesturing towards Jackal. "You want to deal with him? After all...Aquarius was your first friend."

As much as Rette wanted to beat the living day lights out of Jackal for making Lucy break Aquarius' key to summon the Spirit King and therefore making her cry, Rette thought it would be more appropriate for Lucy to be the one to defeat him.

"Yes."

"Good. Then I'm going to figure out a way to get our friends back." Rette told her.

Lucy nodded and Rette launched herself into the air, her Sun Wings sprouting to carrying her up and outside. Hovering in the sky, she watched the Spirit King and Mard Geer fight. While she had said she would find a way to bring the others back, she wasn't sure how she was going to achieve that. Down below, she felt Lucy put all the magic power she had just gained, into one last spell that took down her enemy for good. Lucy had fulfilled her part, now Rette needed to find a way to bring back their fiends.

It was then that Spirit King noticed her out of the corner of his eye. It was just the briefest of glances, just barely catching sight of her with the wings of light sprouting from her back, before he focused on his fight once more. Rette was still fighting to figure out how to save her friends.

"Little one with the magic of creation's light," Rette's head snapped up as Spirit King called out to her, drawing Mard Geer's eyes to her form in the sky. "You have the magic to bring forth that that is lost. You know the spell."

The spell to bring back that that was lost?

Rette's eyes flew open wide as his meaning clicked in her head. Light of Creation magic was, literally, magic that use the light of the world, the light of God's greatest creation. It, like Lucy's Celestial Spirit magic, had one ultimate spell that produce magic beyond the normal level spell.

"Divine Unveiling." Rette breathed.

She had forgotten this spell because she had never had use of it before. It would nearly drain what was left of her magic, but it could possibly save all of her friends. Yes, it would work. Nodding more to herself than to anything, Rette took in a deep breathe, centering herself.

"Godly light bursting forth from the shadows of the past and the clouds of the future, divine brightness falling on the world, shedding light to all that is wicked and dark," Mard Geer, from where he stood fighting the Spirit King, was surprised. A mage that could perform the magic of creation's light. "Unveil that which defies you and cast it into the oblivion of light. Divine Unveiling!"

The very world around them became drowned in light, the light growing in intensity. Every demon, when confronted with the light, shielded their eyes, unable to stand the light that seemed to burn their very skin. Rette felt the warmth of the magic fill her body, over flowing with the light. Around her, to her very senses, she felt it as the light located the very life force of each and every one of her guild mates, shining light on them and bringing them up out of the dark.

All over the remains of the cube, the Fairy Tail members were returned, all confused as the brightest light they had ever seen, blinded them. When the light begun to fade, Rette sank to the ground, sinking until she landed next to Lucy, so tired and exhausted. She had just crumpled as Spirit King's time in their realm ended. A couple of yards from her, Torafusa pushed his way clear of the wreckage.

"What just happened...does this mean that even Jackal and Lamy were defeated by these little brats!?" Rette looked up as Torafusa spoke, his angry glare directed at her and Lucy. Shakily, Rette got to her feet, standing between him and Lucy. "What the hell kind of magic do you two use!? This is exactly why I told them to kill you immediately!"

Rette braced herself for the attack. She didn't have much magic energy left, but she would stand her ground to her final breath. She saw the flashing of Torafusa's blade as he swung it towards her.

"Get down, Starrilia!"

Rette knew that voice, and didn't question it. She hit the ground just as Gajeel flew over her head, crashing into Torafusa. Rette and Lucy looked up as Torafusa slid across the ground, managing to stay on his feet.

"Impossible! The only human left alive should have been those two little girls!" Torafusa said.

"And?" Gajeel asked.

Above Gajeel, a swirl of black mist came whipping towards him. Before Rette could get a warning out of her mouth, Juvia showed up. Right behind her came a man who smell an awful lot like Gray and used ice magic just like him. He tried to freeze Juvia, only for Gray to step in and save her. When the smoke from the cancelled out blasts, cleared, another man dropped in, Natsu showing up to deal with him, by sucking in the flames from whatever blast the man had unleashed.

"I don't really know what's goin' on, but somehow I get the feeling that you two really saved our asses, Lucy, Rette." Natsu said.

"I was just lucky I was reminded about the spell Divine Unveiling. I was able to use it to pull all of you back out." Rette replied, heaving a sigh.

"You did good, Rette." Gray told her.

"Yeah, but I'm running on fumes now." Rette retorted. Then it hit her. Rette's eyes flew to Gray. She hated to use this, but she needed the energy to keep fighting. "Gray."

Gray looked back at Rette, who was staring at him in determination. He wasn't sure he liked that look on her face. Usually meant she wanted to do something stupid.

"Hit me with your ice." she told him.

"What!? Are you insane?" Gray asked.

"You know it won't effect me. Come on, help a girl out. I need a boost here." Rette told him.

Torafusa and his three comrades, Keith, Tempester, and Silver, watched as, grumbling to himself, Gray turned to face Rette.

"Don't blame me when one of these time, I give you frostbite." Gray told her.

"I have the hide of an ice dragon, Gray. You can't give me frostbite." Rette retorted.

"Yeah, yeah."

Without another word, Gray hit her, full on, with his Ice Geyser, completely encasing Rette in ice.

"He attacked his own comrade...and she asked him to." Torafusa remarked.

"Rette can't be effected by ice magic. She's fine." Gray retorted, glancing at them over his shoulder.

As if to prove his point, crunching noises, much like that of someone chowing down on something, reached their ears. As they watched the ice was slowly consumed, revealing Rette as she sucked the last of the ice, and it's magic, into her gut. She swallowed the last bite and let out a happily relieved noise. She could feel a bit of her energy return.

She had to admit, being a Dragon Slayer had it's perks.

"Thanks, Gray. I needed the power up."

"No sweat." Gray told her, turning to look at Silver. "You are...no. There's no way."

"He's the one who froze the titans' village." Natsu said.

"Hm? His smell reminds me of you." Gajeel added, turning to look at Gray.

"I've noticed that too." Rette piped in. "Almost like he could be related to y-"

Rette was cut off when there was a sharp gust of wind as Silver launched himself forward, snagging Gray. Rette turned but with a "I'll get him" from Silver, he and Gray were gone. Rette turned towards the remaining three as Tempester prepared to attack. Encasing her fingers in crystal, Rette sank them deep in the ground, keeping herself anchored to the ground while the tornadoes Tempester unleashed, swept the others up. Rette coated her feet in crystal, crafting claws from her toes. With those, she was able to completely anchor herself while the others went flying into the air.

All but one.

Gajeel, using his iron skin to make himself too heavy, took the charge. He was intercepted by Torafusa though, the demon's thick hide stopping Gajeel's punch. Gajeel made an annoyed noise.

"Starrilia! Take down the bastard!" Gajeel yelled.

Rette shot past Gajeel, aiming for Tempester. A dart to the side and she avoided Keith, letting Natsu confront him. Tempester's eyes widened as Rette came charging under his guard faster than he had expected her to be able to move when just moments ago, she had been too tired to move. Tempester opened his mouth, an imitation of an explosion sound, leaving his mouth. Rette's eyes widened when an explosion went off in her face. To Tempester's surprise, Rette came flying out of the smoke, unscathed.

"I'm getting really tired of all of you trying to pull the same tricks." Rette snapped, landing a punch to Tempester's gut.

Behind Rette, having batted of her guild mates, the other two demons turned to look at Rette as she braced her feet. Heaving a huff, she blew her hair out of her face, her guild mates getting to their feet behind her. Natsu stepped up to Rette's side as she tossed a crystal up into the air and caught it as it fell.

"Conductor Crystal?" Gajeel asked.

"Seems that, as far as my Conductor Crystal is concerned, curses are no different than magic." Rette said, her eyes going to the three demons facing them. "I can absorb the attack either way. In short...their curses won't work on me."

This made Natsu and Gajeel grin one of their evil grins that they got when they had just gotten an idea that was bound to be awful for someone else. One shared look between them and Rette, and it was like Rette knew exactly what was on their minds. One corner of her mouth turned up.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Natsu asked.

"For once, I do believe I am." Rette replied.

"Good. Then you got our backs." Natsu declared, turning to look at the demons.

"You bet."

Natsu nodded, feeling all fired up now that they had Rette to absorb the more life threatening attacks thrown their ways.

"Let's go!" Natsu declared, charging into battle.

Rette remained back, guarding Lucy and watching out for her guild mates. She watched as Gajeel squared off against Torafusa, Natsu against Tempester, and Juvia against Keith. Natsu and Gajeel, she noticed, had grown better at working as a team, but Tempester made it difficult for the two. Rette figured out pretty quickly that Tempester's curse worked by him imitating sounds. If he made a boom sound, it was an explosion, if he made a sound like that of slicing, high speed winds, tornadoes came to being. Most of it, Rette could asborb, putting a little bump in his plans.

Torfusa, though, was a completely different matter. His skin was thick and tough. Gajeel was having a little trouble dealing the demon any damage. Not to say that he wasn't. Now and then, just to mess with the demon, Rette would throw out one of the Conductor Crystals she had just absorbed from Tempester. Gajeel knew to clear the area when one of the crystals came flying between them. Torafusa was a little slower on the up take.

Then there was Keith. The demon had the ability to turn himself into a mist, making it hard for Juvia to attack, though Rette had a feeling that Juvia would figure it out sooner or later. The woman was smart, despite all of her craziness when Gray was around.

Beside Rette, Lucy tried pushing herself up. Rette knelt beside her, coaxing her back down.

"I can...still..."

"Rest." Natsu told Lucy, cutting her off. "We'll be fine."

"Also, I've been sensing it for a while." Gajeel said.

"Yeah." Natsu agreed.

"This smell...it's them." Gajeel said.

Rette, curious as to what they meant, spread out her sensing, searching the area around her while she raised her nose to the air to catch the scent they were talking about. A moment later, her eyes flew open wide and she twisted around to face the direction the magic she was sensing, was coming from.

"Sting! Sting's here, and Rogue!" Rette said lowly.

Part of her was relieved that they had more comrades to fight on their side. Another part of her was a little concerned that the two could get hurt. She would hate it if they did get hurt. Especially since they were already locked in a fight. But she didn't have time to be concerned about them.

Turning back to the fights before her, Rette continued to provide support. Tempester soon figured out that physical attacks worked better, because then Rette couldn't absorb them before they got to Natsu. Torafusa stuck to nothing but physical attacks. The two demons, though, were having difficulty with Natsu and Gajeel.

"Natsu and Gajeel are having such a hard time. I wonder about Juvia." Lucy remarked.

"She'll be fine. Juvia is a fairy through and through. She won't give up as long as Gray is there for her to come running back to." Rette assured her.

No sooner had Rette said that, Keith managed to tangle Juvia up, restraining her and choking the life out of her slowly.

"Juvia!" Lucy and Rette cried out.

Rette started forward to help Juvia when something popped up out of the ground, grabbing her ankle. Rette went down, feeling hands clamp down on her to hold her down. Looking over her shoulder, Rette got a chill down her spine when she was confronted with skeletons climbing out of the ground, clawing at her and Lucy to keep them in place.

"Lucy! Rette!" Natsu called in concern.

"Focus on your fight! We're fine!" Rette called back.

She swiped out one hand, knocking the head off one skeleton but it only continued to hold her down. She fought against the skeletons, demolishing one after the other, but more climbed out of the ground to grab her. Rette cursed as she got to her feet, skeletons hanging off her.

"They just keep coming." Rette remarked, annoyed.

"This is the city of corpses. To Keith it's like a treasure box." Torafusa remarked.

" _ **Now**_ they tell me! I know I have my share of skeletons in the closet, but this is too literal, even for me." Rette retorted.

She continued to swat off the skeletons, trying to clear her way to Juvia. Keith wasn't concerned with Rette, and turned his attention to Juvia.

"What? Aren't you going to erase the ghost of that boy's father? Cut the bond between father and son." Keith said.

"I can't do it." Juvia said lowly, tears falling down her face.

"That's why humans are fools. We know humans." Keith replied.

"Juvia! You can't let him defeat you!" Rette called.

Keith ignored Rette as he continued to squeeze the life out of Juvia.

"Feelings get in the way of reason. They're ugly lumps of ego."

Rette and her friends stared as Keith's misty body wrapped around Juvia...crushing her body in a spray of what looked like blood. Keith thought he had won. Rette knew better.

They all watched as one part of Keith's body bulged, then another, as if there was something inside of him, moving around. Then water broke free of his body, expanding as it fought to tear him to shreds.

"She got..."

"Into the enemy's body!?" Gajeel exclaimed, finishing the sentence Natsu started.

"You can't sever the bond between two humans! Gray's feelings. His father's feelings...They'll reach each other. Even if they physically vanish, their feelings remain in the others' hearts!" Juvia declared, bursting free of Keith's body and completely destroying him. "I believe in people's power of love!"

With Keith's destruction, the skeletons holding Rette and Lucy back, crumbled away. With tears in her eyes, Juvia let out a cough of blood and crumpled to the ground. Rette took a diving leap forward, sliding across the ground to catch Juvia in her arms.

"Juvia? Juvia!" Rette called, trying to get her friend to open her eyes.

"Interference particles." Tempester remarked.

"Well, it was obvious that she wasn't going to come out unhurt with that in Keith's body." Torafusa agreed.

Lucy joined Rette, checking on Juvia too.

"Juvia, pull yourself together!" Lucy called.

"I want to...see Gray..." Juvia managed to get out.

"You'll get to see him, very soon." Lucy promised, pulling Juvia into her arms to hug her, freeing up Rette's hands.

Rette turned to Natsu and Gajeel who were waiting to hear how Juvia was. Rette shook her head.

"We need to get her to Porlyusica." Rette told them.

Clicking their tongues in annoyance, Natus and Gajeel turned to face the final two demons in their paths.

"We've gotta take care of these guys fast." Natsu remarked, Gajeel agreeing.

Tempester took that moment to declare that he was bored. Rette really wanted to smack the demon. This wasn't some game that he could get bored with anytime he wanted to. It was their lives that these demons were messing with.

"Yeah...it's time we acknowledge them. Not as humans, but as dragon mages. So unless the Etherious's real power is released, we can't destroy them, huh." Torafusa remarked.

Rette watched, part in concern and part in fascination, as the two demons' appearance changed. They became more demon-like.

"This looks really bad." Lucy said.

"Not for Natsu and Gajeel."

Lucy looked at Rette, confused, but Rette was focused on the grins that had appeared on Natsu's and Gajeel's faces. Both powered up by using their dual element mode, Natsu using his Lightning Flame Dragon Mode and Gajeel using his Iron Shadow Dragon Mode. The two looked at each other, Natsu having never seen Gajeel's Iron Shadow Dragon Mode.

"Since when did you get like that!?" Natsu asked.

"I ate Rogue's shadow powers. And now I've become stronger than you!" Gajeel replied.

"Whatever, man! I have Laxus' lightning, you know! It's way better than yours!"

"Then let's prove it! The first to defeat the enemy is the winner!"

"Bring it on, iron bastard!" Natsu snapped.

"Alright. The loser has to make a praise song for the winner. How's that sound!?"

"Oh come on, not now." Lucy said, heaving a sigh.

"Wait for it." Rette told her.

With yells of excitement, Natsu and Gajeel charged into the fight. They hit the demons at rates faster than the demons had been expecting. Rette shook her head.

"They might argue like five year olds, but they eventually get the job done." Rette remarked. "If they can keep from acting like children."

Lucy and Rette stood back, watching as their friends attacked the demons in rapid succession. They were doing pretty well. That is, until the two decided to land their next punches on each other.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, punk!?" Gajeel snapped.

"Come on, I didn't even hit you that hard!" Natsu retorted.

"I know! That's why it didn't hurt at all!"

"Yeah...I thought a little kid had just punched me!"

Rette shook her head while Lucy heaved a sigh. Lucy dropped her face into her hand, unable to believe her friends and their ill timed squabble.

"Guys...can you really not do this right now?" Lucy asked.

"I did say they get the job done if they can keep from acting like children." Rette added.

Torafusa took advantage of Natsu's and Gajeel's lack of attention, and began to swamp the area in black water. Hoping for a little added protection, because she had no idea what was in the water, Rette cast her Pressure Armor, coating herself in a layer of crystal. Soon they were so deep under water, Rette couldn't tell how far up she would have to swim before she reached the surface.

Trapped under the water, Natsu's flames wouldn't work and they had the added disadvantage of Torafusa being faster and stronger. He hit Natsu and Gajeel before they could react, all the while, Tempester sat at the very bottom, as if the whole thing didn't have anything to do with him. Rette knew she was right about something possibly being in the water, when even Natsu seem to fall victim to it. It left only Rette and Gajeel unfazed.

Gajeel gave Rette a questioning look as she swam over to check on their friends. Rette looked them over and turned to him, shaking her head. She didn't know what it was anymore than him. Natsu, with the lungs of a dragon, should have had more air in him than that.

"It appears they've swallowed some of the Black Water of Darkness."

Rette and Gajeel turned to look at Torafusa. For some reason, they could hear his voice clearly in the water. It was almost as if they were on dry land.

"This water is poison. It brings death within five minutes. Not that a human would be able to hold their breath for five minutes under water anyways." Torafusa told them.

Gajeel, as a way to show that he wasn't going to be giving in, formed iron stitches over his mouth to hold his lips closed. He turned a questioning look on Rette, who held out her arm and gave it a flick, letting what light filtered through the water, play over the crystal coating her skin. She then gave him a thumbs up, showing that she was good to go. As the adopted child of two dragons, Rette's lungs worked a little differently than most humans. In fact, her longest record for holding her breath, had clocked in at seven minutes and twenty-three seconds.

That being said, if there really was poison in the water, more than likely, is could seap in through the skin. They had to get out of the water, and soon, but they wouldn't be able to do that with Torafusa in their way. Rette didn't even want to think about Tempester as well. Rette met Gajeel's eyes, a silent conversation passing between them. With a nod, Rette turned and swam over to the others, collecting them while Gajeel went into battle with Torafusa.

In the water, the demon was faster. And stronger. One punch was enough to send Gajeel rocketing into the floor far below. Gajeel, in an attempt to move faster than Torafusa and, therefore, land an attack, used his shadow to travel, like Rogue did. Torafusa dodged him, but didn't see the attack from behind. Not that it did any good. Torafusa whipped around, giving Gajeel another hard hit. That was followed by another hit, this one landed on Gajeel's jaw with enough strength to break the iron stitches on his lips.

One look at his face was enough for Rette to know that Gajeel was out of breath.

This was bad. Rette looked around, trying to figure out some way to get Gajeel more air. She highly doubted she could defeat the two demons on her own. Then, to her surprise, Levy appeared out of nowhere. She dived towards Gajeel, kissing him in order to pass air to him. It was at a price though. Torafusa, angry with her interference, went after Levy.

Gajeel wasn't going to allow that. He jumped back into the fight, wrapping a protective arm around Levy while landing a heavy hit to the back of Torafusa's neck. Rette winced, knowing that Gajeel's heavy, iron coated hit, had to hurt. A moment later, though, Rette was shaking her head as Gajeel shook Levy in an attempt to wake her back up. Once she was conscious once more, Gajeel tried to get her to give him more air. Of course, the girl thought he meant another kiss. It took a moment for her figure out that he meant with magic.

Quickly, she made an air bubble for them. Gajeel popped in long enough to take a large gulp of air and tell her to provide air for the others, before he was back off to his fight. Levy went to Rette first, but Rette waved her on to the others. Levy asked if she was sure and Rette nodded. She could hold her breath long enough for Levy to see to the others. Levy quickly provided air to the others and came back to Rette. When Rette stuck her head inside, she gasped in a breath.

"You alright, Rette?" Levy asked.

"Yeah. Watch them. I'm going to act as support for Gajeel." Rette told her.

Levy nodded and Rette swam around the fight, the whole time keeping her eyes on Tempester below. Gajeel charged into the battle with renewed vigor, but when Torafusa suddenly changed the hardness of his skin, Gajeel's iron skin cracked. With the open wounds, the poison began to effect Gajeel.

"Because you coated your skin in iron, you didn't absorb the water's toxins as fast, but it seems it's getting to you now. It's only a matter of time before it effects your comrade with the crystal over her skin." Torafusa said.

He glanced Rette's direction, but Rette didn't seem upset to hear him say that. Then again, she knew that the longer she was under the water, the greater the pressure on her body and the thicker the crystal would become. It would take quite a while for the poison to make it into her system.

Torafusa, though, seemed to think he had this in the bag. He didn't know Gajeel like Rette did. Despite how he talked and acted, Gajeel really only wanted to protect those around him. He just wanted to protect his friends and guild. In that, Rette understood him. Here was someone threatening his home and those around him. Gajeel would be hell bent if he let that person succeed.

And he proved it by demolishing Torafusa.

With Torafusa's defeat, the water vanished from the area, and Rette was able to dispell the Pressure Armor. But Gajeel was done for and the others were unconscious. When Tempster appeared over Gajeel to finish him off, Rette came in from the side, ramming into Tempester and knocking him sideways away from Gajeel. Rette braced herself between Gajeel and Tempester. She didn't have the ideal amount of magical energy left, but she would deal with the threat before her.

A sudden, familiar, magical energy appearing over head, had Rette grinning slightly in the face of the demon before her. It confused the demon for a moment before the icy arrow came flying for him. Tempster jumped back away as the arrow exploded, ice sprouting from the ground. Gray landed in front of Rette.

"Gray!" Gajeel called in surprise.

"It seems it's this one that beat Laxus." Gray said. "Wait...correction. It's the magic beads in him."

Rette's eyes snapped to Tempester, sharp as blades. So this was the demon that had hurt her friends and had caused so much damage to a quiet little town.

"So it was him?" Rette asked.

Already, she could feel her anger rising once again, the dark arua taking over her magic once more. The little voice came back, chanting in her inner ear to kill. And Rette fully intended to indulge that little voice.

"Yeah. You could make medicine out of this one's blood. Please send it over to old lady Porlyusica as soon as we're done." Gray replied.

"Start talking when you've beat him, won't ya." Gajeel snapped.

"I'll be quick." Gray promised.

As Tempster formed tornadoes, Gray froze them. Right before Gray could attack Tempester, a hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him. Turning, Gray's eyes landed on Rette. He could feel the darkness rolling off her in waves, could see the sharp, anger filled look in her eyes. She was out for blood and she was going to get it.

"Let me, Gray. I promised that if I was confronted with the one that hurt Laxus and his team, than I would kill him myself and leave nothing behind but the blood needed for the cure." Rette told him.

Gray wanted to protest, but something about the darkness around her, had him stepping off to the side, out of her way. Something unnatural was over taking Rette and he didn't want to be in her path of devastation.

"You can take on others, but this one is mine." Rette said, calmly walking towards Tempester.

When she was within arms reach, Tempester lashed out at her, his fist moving faster than it should have been possible for her to block, but block she did. Rette raised an arm, catching his hit on it. Tempester stared at her in shock when she didn't budge an inch. The darkness in her had grown to the point that her guild mates could see it take the form of a cloud around her. Soon, Rette and Tempster were lost inside the cloud, completely hidden from view.

A few seconds ticked back, then a minute, with no noise. Then suddenly there was an inhuman shriek that died off into a bloody gurgle. The dark cloud seemed to explode then, and when it cleared, it left only Rette, standing over a bloody pile that could only be the remains of Tempester. Rette's left hand was coated in blood, but she seemed to be perfectly fine, without a single new scratch on her.

"R-Rette...what the hell did you do?" Gray asked.

"It doesn't matter." Rette told him.

She wasn't about to explain what had just happened. She had just let out something she had kept under lock and key for a long time. She wasn't about to explain what it was or anything. Not now, not ever. The job was done, she had avenged her friends, and she would leave it at that. Taking one look into her eyes as she turned to look at them, Gray and Gajeel knew it.

"I finished it, as I promised, and that's all that matters." Rette told them.

With that, she walked over to where her friends were laid out, and dropped to sit next to them. Finding a random piece of cloth, probably from a curtain, Rette cleaned the blood off her hand. While she was at it, Gray took off, leaving Gajeel and Rette to take care of their friends. It took a little while before the others woke up.

"Is Gray here?" Juvia asked, first thing.

"He just headed somewhere, I think." Gajeel told her.

"I'm just glad everyone's okay." Levy said.

"Take this to old woman Porlyusica's place, Levy." Gajeel said, holding up a bag that contained the sample from Tempester.

"Right. Now we'll be able to heal Laxus and the others." Levy said, taking the sample from him.

Lucy turned to look at Natsu, who had been quiet since he had awoken.

"What's wrong, Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"He's probably pouting after hearing how Starrilia finished the fight." Gajeel retorted.

"Gajeel...Rette...can't you hear it?" Natsu asked.

"Hear what?" Rette asked.

"This voice..."

Rette tilted her head, listening closely to the area around them. It was then that the noise reached her ears and her blood ran cold.

"That voice...there's no mistaking it!" Natsu said.

"Acnologia."

Just saying the name, sent chills down her back, but she knew she was right. The voice that reached her ears, was definitely a dragon's voice. One that made every hair on her body stand on end. The dragon came in with a bang, literally, blowing up things in his path. Not moments after his appearance on the scene, Rette felt her heart give a sudden painful thump. Gripping her chest, Rette bent forward, one hand pressed to the ground. More painful thuds followed. She felt like something was trying to claw it's way free of her chest.

And she wasn't the only one. Natsu and Gajeel were acting the same way. The others thought it was the Dragon Slayers reacting to Acnologia, but Rette had a feeling that there was more to it than that. They hadn't acted this way the last time Acnologia had made his appearance.

The ground shook as Acnologia instantly went on the attack. Rette though, was too preoccupied with the burning in her chest. Even during one of her fits, she had never felt something like this. Juvia pat her on the back, trying to sooth her, but it really wasn't helping. Then, suddenly, Natsu perked up and began looking around.

"Igneel!? Why can I hear Igneel's voice!?" Natsu asked.

"I don't...hear anything." Rette managed to get out past the weird pounding of her heart.

As if to answer Natsu, his stomach started glowing before, to Rette's astonishment, a dragon burst forth from the very core of Natsu's being. Rette was so shocked, her jaw even dropped. The dragon was mighty, red, and scarred. Was this...was this Igneel?

"I can't tell you everything now. I'll get rid of Acnologia first." Igneel told Natsu, rocketing towards the other dragon. "Live, Natsu."

To Rette's great relief, the throbbing in her chest stopped and she half sagged forward, bracing her hands on the ground in front of her.

"Igneel! Could it be that you two, too?" Levy asked, looking from Gajeel to Rette.

"I don't think so. The throbbing stopped." Rette told her.

How weird would it have been if she found out that Tundron and Chrysalis had been inside her this whole time? It would mean that she had been wrong about them all along and it was something that Rette really couldn't process in the middle of the fight for their lives they were currently in.

"What the hell's happening...Oi! Salamander! Was that Igneel!?" Gajeel asked as Rette, stumbling a bit, got to her feet, one hand still pressed to her chest. "What the hell was he doing in you!?"

"The hell I'd know. And here I was looking for him...the whole time... _ **Don't screw with me!**_ "

With that yell, Natsu launched himself into the air, going after Igneel to demand answers of him. Rette heaved a sigh, slapping a hand to her face.

"I'll go get him." Rette said, her Sun Wings sprouting before she, too, launched herself into the air.

She reached Natsu as he climbed up Igneel's back.

"Fool! I told you we'd talk later." Igneel told his adopted son.

"No, now!" Natsu demanded, like a child. "Why'd you go missing suddenly!? And you were in me the whole time!? Where're Gajeel, Wendy, and Rette's dragons!? What happened on the seventh of July, year 777!?"

"Shut up!" Igneel snapped.

In one hand, Igneel grabbed Natsu off his shoulder, and in the other, he ushered Rette back behind him. Keeping them out of harms way, he let out a fiery roar, right in Acnologia's face. The resulting explosion would have knocked Rette from the sky, if Igneel hadn't grabbed her. When the smoked cleared, Rette and Natsu stared in amazement.

"W...woah..." Natsu voiced.

"No...it didn't even land a scratch on him." Igneel told him.

Sure enough, Aconologia came out of the attack without a single scratch on him. Rette made an annoyed noise.

"What, is he made of diamond or something?" she asked, snippily.

Igneel, though, chuckled, a grin baring his jaggedly sharp teeth. Rette looked up at him, swearing that she had seen the very same look on Natsu's face before.

"Now I'm burning up." Igneel remarked.

"Well, that answers where Natsu got that from." Rette remarked.

Igneel ignored the comment, raising his claws to peer at the two of them.

"Natsu, you two get outta the way." Igneel ordered.

"Whaddaya mean by I'm in the way! It's been a long time since we've seen each other and this is how you greet me!?" Natsu asked, waving his fists like a child in the middle of a fit.

"Like I said, boy, we'll talk later. You go do what you gotta do. The both of you." Igneel said.

"Huh?" Natsu asked.

"Heard you joined a guild or something? Now let me give you a job. Look." Igneel said, turning the two to direct their gazes downward.

Standing below them, was the same man that Rette had seen fighting the Spirit King. He was still gripping the same book in his arms as he watched the dragons above.

"That's the person I saw fighting with the Spirit King after Lucy summoned him." Rette remarked.

"See that book in the hands of that man? That's the END book." Igneel told them.

"END..." Natsu repeated.

"Get that book for me, boy." Igneel told Natsu.

"Why would I do that?" Natsu asked.

"Because it's something only you can do. With the right back up, of course." Igneel said, his eyes going to Rette. "Besides, he's the man that caused all this mess. Isn't that reason enough to go for him?"

"Yes." Rette answered immediately, already humming with the need to destroy the man who had hurt her family.

Igneel laughed, liking the look in her eyes as she glared down at the man below. She was already ready to go. She was itching for a fight and all Igneel had to do was release her.

"Listen well, never open that book. Just take it from him. It shouldn't be in his hands." Igneel told them.

"What's the reward?" Natsu asked.

"What!?"

"Well, we are in a guild, y'know."

Igneel stopped for a moment to think it over. Though, Rette knew it wouldn't take much to satisfy Natsu. He was actually a pretty easy person to please some times.

"Uhh...every thing you wanted to know." Igneel said at last.

"Alright, I'll do it! Rette, you in?" Natsu asked, looking at Rette.

"He had me at bring him down for our guild." Rette replied.

Igneel smiled as he looked at the two. Pulling back his arm, he sent Natsu rocketing towards the ground and towards Mard Geer.

"Make me proud, Natsu!" he called after his adopted son.

"Uhh...you can just let me go. I'll fly." Rette told Igneel, making the dragon chuckle.

He released her, her Sun Wings taking over to carrying her towards the ground.

"Rette."

Rette froze when Igneel called her name. She turned to look at him, blinking in surprise. How had he known her name? She hadn't told him and Natsu hadn't said it. Seeing him grin at her confusion, she got her answer. He had known her dragons.

"Tundron always did brag about his adorable daughter. They would be proud of you. You truly could be a queen of us all." Igneel said.

Rette's brows furrowed when he said that. A queen to them all? What exactly did he mean by that? But Igneel didn't seem like he was in the mood to explain it to her.

"Watch my boy's back. He's reckless." Igneel told her.

"Like father, like son, huh?" Rette asked.

Igneel roared in laughter before agreeing that she just might be right. Rette stared at him for a moment before turning to follow Natsu.

"Keep your promise to him and don't disappear. I don't think he could take it a second time and I won't be so friendly if you hurt my friend." Rette told Igneel before taking a dive towards the ground.

Igneel laughed as he watched her go, fondly watching Rette as she chased after her guild mate and friend. He liked the protectiveness in her eyes, liked the fierce determination to help her friends.

 _So much like Chrysalis. She really is their daughter, through and through,_ Igneel thought.

He just hoped Rette could find it in her heart to forgive his old friends when she finally found out the truth.

END

Kyandi: Alright, another chapter down.

Rette: The next one starts the biggest reveals.

Kyandi: Yep. In the next chapter, all of you start getting all the answers to Rette's past.

Rette: I'm not looking forward to it.

Kyandi: I know, but it has to be done to progress the story.

Rette: If you say so.

Kyandi: I do. So everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	51. Nightmares of the Past

Kyandi: Hey, Kyandiacs.

Rette: We bring you a new chapter.

Kyandi: And in this chapter...you all finally get to find out most of Rette's secrets.

Rette: All but one and that one will be revealed in the next few chapters.

Kyandi: Yep. And I'm pretty sure no one had figured out the cause behind your fits. Which they'll find out in this chapter.

Rette: Well...part of the reason.

Kyandi: Right. So we're just going to get on with it.

Rette: Sounds good.

Kyandi: Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 51 Nightmares of the Past

Rette rocketed in after Natsu. Mard Geer, the so called King of Hades, had only a moment to look up when a shadow fell over him before Rette's feet slammed into him, driving him into the ground. Flipping clear of the demon, Rette jumped out of the way of Natsu's next attack.

"We're taking that book! And we're putting an end to Face!" Natsu declared. "Which means I'll also be kicking your ass!"

Rette shot up into the sky, avoiding the thorns that suddenly grew at Mard Geer's command. She zigged and zagged, dodging the plants, just as Natsu was doing below. Which seemed to surprise Mard Geer and left him open to a fiery punch from Natsu. Mard Geer, even after being punched, continued to stare at Natsu.

"Light of Creation...Incineration!"

Mard Geer's eyes flew up to the sky as Rette's voice rang clear. The shaft of light that fell on him, would have burned him to a crisp if he hadn't moved so quickly. Rette landed beside Natsu, both facing Mard Geer with fierce determination. Mard Geer faced them, a grin on his face.

"Ready to do this, Rette?" Natsu asked.

"You bet."

"Then let's do this!"

Natsu lead the charge before Rette could warn him to stop and think first. Rette, though, had confidence in Natsu. She hung back as Natsu charged into Mard Geer's attack, head on. Dropping to the ground, Natsu avoided the attack, coming at Mard Geer from low to the ground with his Fire Dragon's Claw. Mard Geer caught his foot, Natsu's flames not bothering him.

"You're no dragon to begin with." Mard Geer said.

Suddenly, his eyes turned upward as a shadow fell on his face. He put up an arm in time to catch the kick Rette had aimed for his head. Mard Geer shot her a glare.

"And you are annoying." he told her.

"Aw, thanks." Rette retorted sarcastically.

Sensing that things were about to get hairy, Rette cast her Sun Wings and flew away from him just as he used his own curse to send Natsu crashing through the ground.

"Natsu!" Rette called in concern.

Her yell drew Igneel's attention, taking the dragon's eyes off Acnologia and giving the other dragon the chance to attack. Rette's head whipped around to look up at Igneel as he swooped to dodge the attack.

"Focus, Igneel! I'll take care of Natsu!" she called.

Igneel glanced back at Rette as she spiraled down towards the ground. Scanning the caved in floor, Rette rocketed down, shooting past Mard Geer, towards Natsu. Right before she could reach him, thorns came snaking towards them. Rette pulled back with a hiss, Natsu cursing as he twisted to avoid the most of the damage.

"Rette, watch out!" Natsu suddenly called.

Rette twisted, her eyes widening before she threw her arms up to defend her face against the thorns that suddenly wrapped around her. They squeezed tight, dragging a gasp from Rette as it forced the air from her lungs.

"Rette!"

Natsu twisted, trying to get free so he could help his friend. In that moment, Rette caught a whiff of a familiar scent just seconds before the thorns around her were broken and arms wrapped around her. Rette felt a jolt as whoever caught her, landed on the ground.

"You can move your arms now."

Knowing that voice, Rette moved her arms away from her face and looked up into the familiar, smiling face of Sting.

"Sting!"

Sting grinned at her, sitting her on her feet as Natsu and Rogue landed along side them, Rogue having freed Natsu.

"It's been a while, Natsu, Rette." Sting said in greeting.

"You don't know how glad I am to see you." Rette told Sting, looking up at him.

Sting's grin grew until it looked like that of a child who had just been unleashed on a candy shop and told they could have whatever they want. Rogue shook his head, knowing that Sting wouldn't be grinning that big if it hadn't been Rette saying it. Since they had first met, Rogue knew Sting had been infatuated with Rette. Something about her had just drew him in.

"Hey, why are you guys here again?" Natsu asked.

"Uh, well our lady..."

"Ah, whatever, this ain't the time for things like that." Natsu said, cutting off Sting.

Rette heaved a sigh before reaching out and popping Natsu over the head. Natsu grabbed his head, demanding to know why she had done that.

"Try to be less rude. They just helped us." Rette told him.

Natsu mumbled under his breath as he rubbed his head. Rette looked at him, asking him if she needed to hit him again, to which he shook his head violently.

"Oh, yeah, where's Lector and Frosch?" Natsu asked, noticing that the two exceeds weren't with their partners.

"They're with Erza." Rogue replied.

"That means they'll be with Happy, Lily, and Thyme too." Rette remarked.

"Lector will like that." Sting remarked with a grin.

"He does realize that Thyme's in love with Lily, right?" Rette asked.

Sting, Rogue, Natsu all three stared at her with identical, blank looks. Rette heaved a sigh, shaking her head at the three of them.

"Is it just Dragon Slayers, or all males so blind when it comes to things like that?" she asked.

"Hey!"

This yell came from all three of the Dragon Slayers before her. Rette shrugged her shoulders. It was an honest question. Waving it away, Rette focused her eyes on a perch above their heads.

"We have a guest." she remarked.

All three of the males looked up to where Mard Geer was crouched, watching them. They could argue about whatever later on. For now, they had to finish the fight in front of them. And it was going to be one hell of a fight. Rette could already tell. Seeing what Rette could see, Sting and Rogue turned to look at Natsu.

"Let's fight together, Natsu!" Sting said.

"We could beat him if it's four to one." Rogue agreed.

"That's a great idea...but no." Natsu replied.

The resulting looks on Sting's and Rogue's faces was almost enough to make Rette break out in laughter. Almost, but now quite.

" _ **WHAT!?**_ " they yelled.

"This is a job Igneel asked us to do. And we'll do it alone, just the two of us." Natsu said, jabbing a thumb towards Rette.

"This isn't the time for games." Rogue growled, but Sting stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, then let's do it this way," Sting started, a grin curling his lips. "Let's have a match to see who beats him first, you and Rette or us double dragons."

"Huh!? Grrr...you're not getting to him first! No way! Come on, Rette!" Natsu declared, turning and rocketing away.

"That's the only way he'd let us join in the fight." Sting remarked when Rette and Rogue turned questioning looks on him.

"Huh...smart man. I knew there was something I liked about you." Rette told Sting, before turning to follow after Natsu.

Sting and Rogue followed her, Sting grinning a goofy grin. Natsu, as always, charged in for the attack, first. Mard Geer smacked him down with a karate chop to the back of the head. Sting followed up Natsu's attack with a punch that Mard Geer dodged before kicking him across the chest. Rogue came up next with a slash of his shadows. Mard Geer jumped back to avoid it and ended up with Natsu slamming his feet up into the underside of his chin. The attack snapped his chin back and gave him a view of Rette just before she slammed the heel of her foot into the side of his head, whipping his head back to the right.

Rogue followed up the attack, hitting Mard Geer across the right cheek and whipping his head back to the left. Rette, who was still standing to the demon's left, dropped to the ground, letting Sting land a kick to his face that sent the demon rocketing backwards to crash into a wall. Rette stood up straight lifting her bare foot to rub at the heel. She would give the demon one thing...he had a hard head.

"Two dragons in the skies and three children of dragons in front of me." Mard Geer remarked.

"Four. Rette is just as much a Dragon Slayer, as us." Sting corrected, laying a hand on Rette's shoulder.

For once, Rette didn't mind it. She was too tired after all the fighting, to even bother being upset about the Dragon Slayer thing.

"I see...four children of dragons. It's highly possible that there might be more. How dare you do as you please in my castle. Looks like you've managed to dig up an emotion I've kept away for so long. Anger." Mard Geer snapped.

"Great, join the club. I've been pissed off all day." Rette retorted.

"This just means he's one step closer to becoming human." Natsu told her.

"Don't want him becoming too human. I might feel sorry later on for hurting him." Rette remarked.

"Would you really?" Rogue asked.

"...No, no I wouldn't."

"That's sounds more like you."

Rette turned to look at her three friends as all three of them said that at once. Her expression was that of one who was not amused.

"The three of you are not funny."she told them.

Mard Geer, though, was royally angered, highly annoyed, with the four before him. They were pushing his every last nerve.

"Feelings will only cloud your thoughts. That's why I planned to keep mine controlled for as long as I could." Mard Geer remarked, turning to set down the book in his hands. "Master END, please excuse me for a moment. I particularly dislike this emotion you call "anger". It makes me lose sight of myself, you know."

"Like I said...join the club." Rette chimed in, though the demon just ignored her.

"Just thinking of what happens to me when I'm not 'myself' disgusts me to no end." Mard Geer said, dropping to sit in a throne-like chair that had mostly escaped damage. "Mard Geer is Mard Geer. The one that is called the Underworld King, and is put in charge of Tartaros by his master. I must now erase this emotion once again. Along with your pitiful existences."

"Oh God...he speaks in third person. As if we don't get enough of that from Juvia. And am I the only one, or does his smirk really tick any of you off as well?" Rette asked, looking at her friends.

"No, I'm pretty sure we all share your sentiments." Rogue replied.

"Good...then I call dibs on bashing his face in."

Mard Geer, on the other hand, was not amused by Rette's comments. There was a sudden spike in his power that instantly had the hairs on the back of Rette's neck, standing on end. It had her friends tensing up as well.

"Such an ominous power." Rogue remarked.

Rette tensed when Mard Geer raised a single hand.

"Incoming!" Sting called in warning.

With a flick of his hand, thorns shot up out of the ground, spiralling around them and knocking them all around. All but Rette. Rette went bouncing from one thorny vine to the next, completely not effected by them. She came rocketing towards Mard Geer at fast speeds, already pulling one fist back to punch him in the face. Mard Geer, a smirk on his lips, raised a hand, a shield forming before him, but, as his comrades had been finding out all day...the shield didn't work.

The smirk vanished as Mard Geer was forced to stop her fist himself. He caught the fist, latching onto it so she couldn't easily pull it back. This left the two of them glaring at each other with only an arm's length between them.

"How?" Mard Geer demanded.

"As your comrades have been finding out since I landed on this pathetic chuck of rock you call an HQ...your curses don't work on me."

Mard Geer's eyes widened as he looked at Rette. A human who their curses didn't work on. It both intrigued and annoyed him. She was a threat he couldn't afford. Rette could see that decision in his eyes before he raised his hand. She tried to pull her fist free, but he wouldn't let go.

"Those eyes." Mard Geer remarked, Rette freezing up. "So much like-"

Rette raised her left hand, unleashing her Inceniration spell. The resulting explosion caused him to release her, Rette rocketing backwards away from him.

"Rette!?" Sting called in concern.

"I'm fine." Rette replied, though her heart was hammering away inside her chest.

Natsu took the next attack, but this time, Mard Geer's shield worked, blowing Natsu backwards. Sting called out to him in concern, but he should have been more concerned about himself. Rette, sensing the attack before it came, whipped around on the spot.

"Sting! Rogue! Watch out!"

Rette grit her teeth when the two took damage from the attack. Mard Geer was no push over, that much was for sure. Rette's thoughts were pulled from that thought when she was nearly knocked over by Natsu flying past her to attack Mard Geer again. He hit the demon with his Fire Dragon's Sword Horn and when Mard Geer stopped that, he switched to his Roar. The Roar demolished the ground on which the throne sat, sending Mard Geer into the air.

"Sting! Rogue! Rette!" Natsu yelled.

"Natsu's finally asking for help?" Sting asked.

"He finally recognizes him as a tough opponent, huh..." Rogue added.

"It's more along the lines of Natsu trusting you to fight by his side." Rette told the two, taking off ahead of them. "I'll go first."

Rette didn't wait for a reply. She simply launched herself into the air, her Sun Wings catching her and carrying her forth. While Sting and Rogue prepared their combined attack, Rette, deciding to use all she had, hit him with a spell she normally didn't use.

"Ice Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Frosting Blizzard: Hydrothermic Typhoon!"

The typhoon of razor sharp ice shards hit hard, but Mard Geer blocked the attack expertly. Rette shot up out of the way, letting Sting and Rogue follow up her attack with their Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang. To their shock, Mard Geer actually caught the attack, condensing the power into a small sphere in his hands before absorbing it.

"Rette!"

Rette's eyes turned to Natsu. One look at his face and she knew what he wanted. Together, the two attacked, Natsu using his Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer while Rette used her Crystal Ice Dragon's Frozen Petal Dance. They landed the attack, Rette was sure, but Mard Geer only grinned, as if they had done nothing more than swat him with a rolled up newspaper. Rette dropped instantly, folding her Sun Wings into her back, to avoid the next attack from Mard Geer, but Natsu, however, took the attack head on. Mard Geer landed back in his throne, legs crossed, as if nothing had happened.

Rette landed next to Natsu, dropping to one knee to check on him. Finding him alright, if not a little more beat up than before, Rette turned to look at Mard Geer.

"If that's your best, you might as well just give up. I haven't even gotten serious with you yet." Mard Geer said, cocky smirk still on his face.

"Is anyone else getting really sick of his face?" Rette asked.

She really wanted nothing else than to wipe that smirk off Mard Geer's face. Seeing that desire in her eyes, his smirk only grew, making one of her eyebrow twitch slightly. Sting laid a hand on her shoulder, hoping she wouldn't charge in recklessly.

"What are you planning to do by erasing magic from the entire continent?" Sting asked.

"Oh...did I not tell you? By taking magic away, the seal on END neutralizes too." Mard Geer replied easily.

"That book?" Natsu asked.

"It only looks like that now but END is actually the strongest among the Books of Zeref demons, the Master of Tartaros if you may. And by reviving END, we may return to Zeref as well." Mard Geer replied.

"We won't let you. If you're so bent on going back, just go on your own." Rogue retorted.

"Have you ever wondered why Zeref created us?"

All four of them stopped. Of course, they had wondered. Every person in the world wondered why Zeref had created demons. Many believed it was only to cause chaos. Rette wasn't so sure. A dark mage could cause chaos without having to go through the trouble of creating demons.

"Actually, none of my underlings have realized. We all have a strong obsession with "we must return to Zeref". It's an order written in our genes. "Return to Zeref", "Meet Zeref again", "For Zeref". All these feelings...connect to the same truth." Mard Geer said.

"Which is?" Rette asked.

"You don't know?" Mard Geer asked, tilting his head to the side.

"No. Why would I? Zeref lived four hundred years before I was born." Rette retorted.

Mard Geer let out a little chuckle that really grated Rette's nerves. Why did he have to laugh at her? It was a simple enough question. The jerk.

"Zeref cursed himself for becoming immortal...and wanted to die. He eventually created something that could kill him. Something that was born to kill him. In other words...the demons of Zeref's Book. END was his final masterpiece. However...for some reason, it was sealed back inside his book. With a spell that couldn't be broken even on this Earth Land filled with magic. But when Face wipes away all magic from the continent, that seal will be broken too and END will be reborn." Mard Geer said, getting to his feet. "And it will defeat Zeref. That's our and Zeref's wish."

"A fight to defeat Zeref?" Natsu asked.

"Why are you involving people in your business?" Sting asked.

"When you're going somewhere, do you purposely avoid stepping on weeds in your path?" Mard Geer asked.

"You bastard..." Sting growled.

A vine suddenly whipped out to knock Sting and Rogue back. Natus and Rette turned, calling out to them only for the same vine to smack Natsu aside before wrapping around Rette to restrain her arms to her sides. Rette, struggling to free her arms, looked up and froze. Rising from the ground behind Mard Geer, was a large plant that looked like it could be related to a Venus Flytrap.

And it was big enough to eat her.

"What is that!?" Rette gasped.

"The Prison Flower that blooms in Hades." Mard Geer replied before the plant moved in on Rette.

Rette had only a moment to think that she was screwed before a sudden chill blew over her and the plant, along with its vine wrapped around her, froze on the spot. The plant broke apart, the vines around Rette, shattering to release her. Rette sank to her knees, Natsu quickly joining her and falling to his knees beside her to check on her. Something was suddenly flopped down on Natsu's shoulders. When Natsu grabbed it to look at it, he found his scarf.

"This is...my scarf." Natsu remarked in surprise.

"I picked it up." Natsu and Rette turned as Gray stepped up to their sides, looking a beaten up, bloody mess, but alive and kicking. "If it's important to you don't lost it again."

"Gray." Rette greeted, relieved he seemed fine for the most part. Then she realized something. "...You're magic energy has changed."

Gray glanced back at her before facing Mard Geer again. To their surprise, without having to touch the demon, Mard Geer began to turn to ice.

"When did you...?" Natsu questioned.

"Who are you?" Mard Geer demanded.

"I came here to defeat you. I'm a Devil Slayer." Gray replied, markings appearing on his right arm.

"A Devil Slayer, you say!?" Mard Geer repeated.

Of course there would be such a thing. After all, there were Dragon Slayers for dragons and God Slayers for gods. Why not have a Devil Slayer for demons? It was definitely something they could use at the moment, but the new development had Rette staring at Gray with almost fear in her eyes. Gray saw the look, but while he wanted to know the reason behind it, he could do so when they were no longer in danger. So, leaving the question for later, Gray attacked Mard Geer. Mard Geer broke free of the ice, but it looked like he was actually concerned.

"This is Silver's...I always knew he'd betray me one day. I didn't think it'd be this way though. Fate is such a curious thing." Mard Geer remarked, launching a counter attack.

The thorns he unleashed, were instantly froze, Gray taking charge of the flow of the fight far easier than Rette, Natsu, Sting, and Rogue altogether.

"There's nothing funny about all of this. This is for my dad!" Gray retorted. "I will destroy you!"

There for a moment, it looked like Gray might actually finish this fight quickly and swiftly when suddenly a vine snaked it's way around Rette, yanking her forward until she was between Mard Geer and Gray, like a shield. Gray faltered for a moment, but, knowing that as the Ice Dragon Slayer, Rette would be fine, he drew a fist back to attack anyway.

"I'd be careful if I were you. You wouldn't want to hurt her." Mard Geer said, smirk on his face.

"Rette is the Ice Dragon Slayer. My ice has never and will never, hurt her." Gray replied.

"Yes, but...that's not all she is."

Rette grit her teeth, glaring over her shoulder at Mard Geer, who only found the look to be entertaining. Especially when he saw the look in her eyes that was silently telling him to shut the hell up already.

"I know why your eyes and the energy that flows from you, seem so familiar." Mard Geer told her.

"Familiar?" Natsu asked.

"You use Light of Creation magic." Mard Geer stated, ignoring Natsu.

"So what if she does?" Sting snapped.

"The last known human to use that magic, was a little girl by the name Amoreta Banesbloud."

Banesbloud?

Did he mean of the same Banesbloud clan that started the Compound where Rette was born? That meant whoever the girl was, she had been related to the very dark mage that had started the clan and it's occult practices while following under Zeref four hundred years ago.

"That has nothing to do with Rette! Let her go!" Natsu snapped.

"Oh, does it not?" Mard Geer asked.

Something shining out of the side of his eyes, had Mard Geer turning to Rette. Rette had wiggled her left hand free and had one finger pointed towards him, a magic array shining at her finger tip. His eyes widened before she unleashed the attack. The vines loosened and Gray instantly pulled her free, yanking her back until she stood between Natsu and Sting, with Rogue and Gray acting like guards in front of her. Mard Geer, though, was chuckling lowly.

Raising his head, he revealed a gash across his left cheek and a wide eyed smirk on his face. Reaching up to touch the gash, he half turned.

"Well, it seems you were right about her. She is an interesting one, indeed." he called out, as if talking to someone behind him.

Rette raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with her friends. Who was Mard Geer talking to, who had been talking about Rette? Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Mard Geer grinned.

"Why don't you come greet her...Lachlan?"

Rette instantly felt sick. As a shadow behind Mard Geer moved, a hooded man stepped forward. Rette felt her whole body begin to tremble as a feeling of impending doom fell over her. A magic energy so familiar to her that it made her heart shudder, hit her full force. Now she understood the feeling of doom she had felt when she had first entered the cube. If it really was who she thought it was under that hood, then she knew doom was upon her for sure.

That her nightmares had finally caught up with her.

A deep rumble of a laugh with a hint of insanity in it, sounded from the hood's depths as the man came to a stop beside Mard Geer. Mard Geer turned his eyes back towards Rette and her friends.

"Ah! She's already shaking from fear." Mard Geer remarked.

"As she should." the hooded man, Lachlan, said before tossing back the hood.

The man under the hood looked as if he couldn't be more than his late twenties or early thirties. His hair was as black as tar, left spiky about his head, and he had a dusting of hair across his chin. What made Rette's friends freeze up was two things. The first being the magenta color of his eyes, so much like Rette's, but without the lavender edge to them. The second was...the four jagged scars that raced over one of his eyes, starting at his eyebrow and ending just short of his jaw.

This was the man from Future Rogue's warning.

Rette, her fear reaching an all time high, sank to the ground as her knees gave out. Her friends turned to her as Rette wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes wide open.

"Rette!?"

Natsu dropped to one knee in front of her, trying to get her to look at him. But she refused. They knew for sure, at that moment, that Rette knew the man probably more than she wanted to and he definitely wasn't nobody important to her.

"Rette, he's the guy from the warning." Natsu told her.

"I know..." Rette gasped.

"You know who he is?" Rogue asked.

"She ought to."

All four of her friends turned to look at Lachlan, who was grinning, his eyes set on Rette. Rette couldn't even look up to meet his eyes for a second.

"I knew you were only five when you ran away from me, but you shouldn't be able to forget your own father, isn't that right...Amoreta."

At Lachlan's words, horrid realization sank in for her friends.

Not only was this Rette's father, he was Lachlan Banesbloud, the founder of the Banesbloud clan. That meant that Rette...was really Amoreta Banesbloud.

"Oh? It seems Amoreta has lost her manners. I am Lachlan Banesbloud and, yes, I am Amoreta's father."

All four looked between Lachlan and Rette. There was no more resemblance between the two than their eyes, but they knew, just by watching Rette, that this man was not lying. He was her father, the very man that had made up her nightmares her whole life.

"Though, I suppose she doesn't use that name, does she?" Lachlan asked, before turning to Mard Geer. "Lord Zeref, himself, named her at birth, and she wants to use some ridiculous nickname."

Sting, Rogue, Gray, and Natsu turned to look at Rette, staring at her in shock. Zeref, the black mage himself, had named her!? Had been there when she had been born!?

"Amoreta," Rette flinched when her father called, almost as if someone had just slapped her across the face with a red hot poker. "I hope you realize how long I've been looking for you." Lachlan's voice went from mocking, to down right cold and menacing. "You disobeyed me, ran away...you have a grand punishment awaiting you, girl."

Rette, remembering vividly the last punishment he had given her, let out a choked gasp as she shook even more fiercely than she had before. She drove her hands into her hair, gripping tightly as she curled in on herself, trying to block out the memories without succeeding. Her friends had never seen her cower so, Lachlan's insane laughter only making it worse.

Rette felt like she was drowning in her memories, every single one popping up before her mind's eye with such clarity that it could have just been yesterday. Of course, she had had nightmares that were her memories playing over in her head, but they had not been this vivid. This was just too over whelming.

"Look at her! She remembers well my punishments and cowers in fear!" Lachlan laughed.

Natsu, angry that Lachlan was mocking his friend, mentally torturing her, turned back to Rette. He grabbed her by the biceps, giving her a shake to snap her out of it.

"Snap out of it, Rette! You've got to fight the memories." he told her. "You have to stand up to him."

Rette was shaking her head before he ever even finished the first sentence.

"I can't! I can't, Natsu. I'm...I'm scared..."

Rette's voice was tiny, broken, shaking from fear. Her eyes were wide, heart wrenching fear bright in their depths. She was white as a sheet, a cold sweat covering her skin.

Rette wasn't just scared, she was petrified.

She was so beyond scared, wanting nothing more than to sink into the ground and vanish, that it wasn't anywhere close to being funny. Natsu had only ever seen her close to this scared, once and that had been during their mission at the giant village when they had been returned to their childhood bodies and she had suffered from vivid flashbacks to her childhood.

"Rette..."

"Hahaha! Give it up, boy! She knows well what awaits her and she has a right to be afraid." Lachlan called.

All four of Rette's friends turned glared on Lachlan, all four seriously ticked off. Lachlan grinned, his expression holding a level of insanity they had never seen before, but he also looked like he had done a job well done.

"See these?" Lachlan asked, gesturing to the scars on his face. "These were a..."gift" from Amoreta the last time we were face to face. She dared to defy me and when I punished her, she actually had the guts to try to claw my eye out. As always, she couldn't even do that right."

"You deserved it! Chaining her up, calling her nothing...you're no dad!" Gray snapped.

"Is that all she told you I did?" Lachlan roared in laughter. "Boy, I'm that girl's worst nightmare for a reason. I taught her to fear me and through fear, obey me, and when she didn't obey, there were consequences. That scar on her stomach...I did that."

Rette gasped, the memory making her curl in on herself more, her hands pressed to her stomach as the old injury throbbed. Natsu laid a hand on her back, trying to offer some comfort with his touch.

"Why would you do that!? To your own daughter!?" Sting growled.

"She disobeyed me, so...I tried to gut her. She might have died then if she hadn't attacked me and ran off." Lachlan replied.

"That's not a reason to try to kill your own kid!" Natsu snapped.

"Boy, that girl isn't anything more than a means to an end. She means nothing more to me than a tool in my plans." Lachlan replied.

Rette hadn't been kidding when she had said her father didn't care about her. He really didn't think of Rette as his own child, only saw a tool to be used for his own plans.

"How could you feel that way about your daughter? You were there when she was born, right!?" Sting asked.

"...demon..."

Rette's friends looked down at her when she suddenly said a single word, lowly and without moving an inch from her current position.

"What, Rette?" Gray asked.

Lachlan laughed, drawing their attention back to him. He grinned his insane grin, flashing fang-like teeth.

"She's warning you, boy. You see, I am the original Lachlan Banesbloud. The founder of the Banesbloud Clan." Lachlan said.

"But that was over four hundred years ago!" Rogue said. "How can you still be alive?"

"I'm a demon, boy! One of Lord Zeref's demons. I don't have so pathetic of a life span as you humans!"

Rette's father...was a demon.

But then that meant...

All four turned wide eyed looks on Rette in disbelief. Gray suddenly understood why Rette had looked at him in fear when he had revealed he was a Devil Slayer and it explained why Mard Geer had chosen her as a shield. It even explained why the demons' curses didn't really work on her. Rette was...

"Rette, you're..."

"She's half demon." Lachlan confirmed when Gray cut off. "My pathetic, half breed "daughter" as you call her. Not fully demon, but not really human either. She was suppose to be the perfect weapons, able to completely blend in with humans, able to use both magic spells and our demonic curses."

Lachlan heaved a sigh, shrugging his shoulders in a what-can-you-do kind of fashion. He talked about Rette as if she was some kind of household tool with a defect.

"Rette?"

Natsu looked at Rette, but she refused to raise her head. Was this why she refused to speak of her father and her past? She hadn't wanted to admit that she wasn't fully human. Hearing her father speak, Rette didn't answer, she just folded in more on herself.

"Unfortunately, she wasn't quite what I had hoped. All the experiments and procedures...her body was far too human for it all. She ended up having these "fits" I suppose you could call them. Violent things they were. I was almost always sure that the next one would be her last. I knew, by the time she was four, that if she lived past ten, she would be lucky. They were slowly tearing her apart from the inside out. Seems she had more fight in her than I thought." Lachlan remarked.

Fits? Was he talking about all of the times that Rette ran off only to show up later, looking like she was about to fall over dead? This whole time, Rette had acted like she was fine when really, she was slowly dying on the inside. What kind of procedures had her father preformed on her!?

"But that doesn't matter. I know what she's made off now. Come now, Amoreta. Be a good girl and come here. We have a lot of work ahead of us before I effectively beat those idiotic, human ideas out of your head." Lachlan said. "And we'll start by carving that ridiculous mark out of your chest."

Rette's heart couldn't possibly beat any faster. She was scared, terrified, her breathing coming in rapid gasps. If he got his hands on her again...no, she couldn't do it! She couldn't go back to that way of life. If it could even be called life. She would rather die.

Yes...she would rather die.

"Rette!"

Rette was snapped out of those dark thoughts and back to reality, forced to focus on what was in front of her, when Natsu seized her by the shoulders and shook her. Slowly, her eyes focused in on Natsu's face.

"Don't listen to him! You're stronger than he is!" Natsu told her.

"No...I'm not. You don't know what he's capable of, Natsu." Rette replied.

"But we know you!" Gray butted in.

"No...you don't."

Rette hung her head, the weight of her secrets settling in her chest like a heavy weight. She had kept so much from them and now it was all coming out at once, but there was still one big secret Lachlan had yet to spill to her friends.

What, exactly, he had done to her.

And they knew that was what was on her mind.

"Look Rette, whatever he did to you, whatever you really are, it doesn't matter! You're a fairy of Fairy Tail...you're our friend! Our family! We don't care." Natsu told her.

Rette stared at him in disbelief. How could he say that when he didn't know what she was keeping from him. Opening her mouth, ready to tell him, to see if they would still stand beside her, Natsu gave her a shake.

"We don't care. You're Rette Starrilia, the Nexus Mage. What else he says about you, that's not the Rette we know, that's not who you are now!" Natsu snapped at her. "You're the one that fiercely fights for her friends, the one that throws herself in the line of fire to buy time for others, the one who befriends others despite the stupid things they've done. You're the one that continues to fight because her friends, her family, is in danger."

Rette was amazed, to be honest. Natsu, normally, was the stupid one, acting like he had no more sense than a four year old, but then, at times like this...he had the wisdom of a man Makarov's age.

"And the Rette I know, is always stronger than she thinks. Look at all the impossibly strong opponents you've face before. Phantom Lord, Jellal, Laxus, Edolas' king...you even faced off against dragons at the Grand Magic Games. All without batting an eye!" Natsu told her.

"You can't give up now." Gray agreed.

"We're right here with you. Remember? Fear isn't evil, it allows us to know our weaknesses and to grow stronger. It might be too much for you alone, but you aren't alone, Rette! We're here too." Natsu told her.

She knew he was right, but she was scared. One look at her father, the man that haunted her every sleeping moment, ever dark corner of her mind and heart, and she could feel her knees shake as she broke out into a sweat. He didn't just scare her...no, he completely petrified her. Froze her on the spot, made her blind to everything else.

Suddenly, Sting was right in front of her face, his hands on either side of her face.

"Rette...he's threatening what's your's. He wants to take away your guild mark...the mark of your family." Sting told her.

Rette stopped, even her shaking ceasing as the meaning behind those words sank in. Lachlan wanted to...take her family's mark from her.

"He wants to kill all of us, just like his buddies do." Sting added.

One look between Natsu and Sting and Natsu knew what Sting was up to. While they had to worry about Future Rogue's warning, they knew that if they didn't give her a reason to fight and keep fighting than, like Future Rogue said, she would willingly give up and let Lachlan end her life.

"Think about everyone else, how he wants to hurt them like he did you." Sting told her.

"Mira and Lisanna, and Elfman." Natsu listed.

"Erza, Lucy, and Thyme." Sting added.

Gray, catching on, added, "Wendy and Carla, Gajeel and Lily, too."

"Gramps, Laxus, Juvia, and everyone else." Natsu added.

"And us." Sting finished.

As they listed names, Rette's eyes got wider and wider, her hands curling into fists. They knew they had her hooked, but Lachlan laughed at their attempts to get Rette to stand her ground and fight.

"You're wasting your time. Amoreta is only good at running and saving her own neck." Lachlan said.

Rette's friend turned to face him, Natsu and Sting releasing Rette and standing, moving out of her way. They could already feel the tension coming from her. Natsu grinned.

"You really don't know your own daughter then." Sting said, grinning as well.

"What are you talking ab-"

Lachlan cut off, his eyes widening when Rette suddenly rocketed forward, getting inside his guard before he knew it. His arms moved, moving to block her attack, but Rette hit him hard in the gut with a force strong enough to send him flying back off his feet. Lachlan rolled as he hit the ground, coming back to his feet. He stared at his daughter in disbelief. Rette flexed the fingers of her hand as she stood up straight. When her eyes landed on Lachlan, there was no longer fear in her eyes, but anger.

"No one, absolutely no one, threatens what's mine!" Rette snapped.

Natsu and Sting grinned at each other. Rette was predictable when it came to her response to people messing with whatever she claimed as her own, but that came in handy for them. Lachlan jerked his head to one side, his neck popping.

"Alright then, Amoreta. You want a fight, we'll fight. Just remember what happened the last time you stuck your neck out for useless humans." Lachlan told her.

Rette's eyebrow twitched. He had just insulted her friends. He seriously had just called her guild and her friends, useless.

"Once I'm done dealing with your rebelliousness, I'll have fun dealing with each of your so called friends." Lachlan added.

Oh, he was such a dead man.

END

Kyandi: Well, they're right about one thing.

Rette: What's that?

Kyandi: Your temper really is predictable.

Rette: ...

Kyandi: Nothing to say.

Rette: No. I am currently contemplating how to strangle you in your sleep.

Kyandi: You're a figment of my imagination.

Rette: That's why I'm contemplating **how** to do it.

Kyandi: Alright, well...I think we should go.

Rette: Smart choice.

Kyandi: Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	52. Tribulation

Kyandi: Merry Christmas to all you lovely, Kyandiacs. And to those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays.

Rette: Her present this year is cranking out new chapters for most of her more popular stories.

Kyandi: I wanted to do all of them, but due to my new job, I wasn't able to fill that order in time.

Rette: Little children are demanding.

Kyandi: Yes, they are. But I love them.

Rette: I bet you do.

Kyandi: Anyway, I'm hoping to have another chapter ready as a New Year's present, so, for now, let's jump into this one.

Rette: Enjoy, because, in this chapter, my final secret is revealed.

Kyandi: Yep. I just now realized something.

Rette: What?

Kyandi: You have more in common with Natsu than I thought.

Rette: No spoilers! Just move on.

Kyandi: Right. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 52 Tribulation

Rette couldn't even begin to say what her feelings were at that moment.

Yes, she was scared. She was pretty sure there was no way she could be any more scared than she already was. But, she was also angry. She knew well what her father was capable of, what he liked to do to his victims and it seriously ticked her off just thinking of him doing such things to her friends. It was a mix of emotions that took her back to her Compound days when she had constantly been angry and scared. Back then, she had always been more scared than angry.

At the moment, though...her anger was definitely trumping her fear.

"If you want to fight, Amoreta, then come and get me." Lachlan mocked.

Rette, growling to herself, shot forward. She was just about to reach her father when the frozen bud part of the Prison Flower that Mard Geer had summoned, broke apart. Rette saw something fly free of it just a moment before the attack hit her, sending her flying backwards towards her friends. Natsu caught her, cushioning her fall.

"Rette! Are you alright!?" Natsu asked.

"I'm fine. What hit me?" Rette asked, sitting up.

What stood before her, was surprising.

"You made it." Mard Geer remarked to the form now standing in front of him and Lachlan.

"Another one appeared! And hey...this smells like..."

"Jiemma." Rette said, finishing Natsu's sentence.

Standing before them, was the former master of the Sabertooth guild, but, like his daughter, he had been transformed into a demon.

"The man that was at the top of all the guilds. Many called him the reincarnation of the devil himself. Jiemma." Mard Geer called.

Rette glanced at Sting and Rogue. The two were frozen on the spot, shocked by the appearance of their former master.

"That guy...wasn't he the previous Sabertooth master!?" Natsu asked.

"So he was turned into a demon along with Minerva, huh." Gray added.

"Turned? You're wrong. I chose this power for myself. All for the sake of becoming the strongest." Jiemma said.

"What is everyone's obsession with being the best, being the strongest?" Rette snapped.

"I taught you better than that, Amoreta. Power is everything." Lachlan told her.

Something she didn't agree with. To her, her friends, her guild, was everything.

"A demon with powers surpassing the Nine Demon Gates...meet our newest member." Mard Geer said, meaning Jiemma.

"Member? With powers of this level and you're calling me a member? Underworld King, once I'm done with these kids, you're next!" Jiemma called before he charged forward.

Sting and Rogue balked in the face of their former master, just as Rette had done in the face of her father. Though her moment of fear and panic, had been far worse. Natsu suddenly yanked Rette to her feet at that moment.

"Don't be afraid! There's nothing to be afraid of! Let's go!" Natsu yelled.

Natsu met Jiemma head on, their punches colliding with a force that was strong enough to kick up wind. But Jiemma's was stronger.

"I have no issues with you." Jiemma told Natsu, sending him flying back.

Rette grit her teeth. She had way more on her plate than she could really handle at the moment. She really didn't need to add yet another bothersome enemy to it. She turned towards Sting and Rogue.

"You two think I should buck up and face my fears, right? Well, now you got to do the same thing!" she told them.

She could tell that both were still afraid, but right now was not a time for any of them to be afraid. Looking at her father, she knew that deep in her bones. So while Sting and Rogue took on Jiemma, that left Gray, Natsu, and Rette facing Mard Geer and Lachlan. Gray turned to Rette, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"You help Natsu. Leave him to me." Gray told her, jabbing a thumb towards Lachlan.

Rette looked up at her friend, her eyes turning to her grinning father. While she still had a hard time looking him in the eye without her fear getting the best of her, she wasn't about to let him terrorize her friends.

"No. I'll handle him. I owe him a considerable large debt." Rette told him. "But thank you. I have to stand up to my fear, right?"

Natsu and Gray glanced at each other, nodding as they agreed with her. They weren't exactly set on the idea of letting Rette face off with her father considering the warning of her future, but at the moment, it wasn't like they really had a choice. Rette knew her father's powers and abilities far better than any one of them did.

"Finally ready to face me, Amoreta?" Lachlan asked. "I'll make sure to show you a nightmare to trump all nightmares."

Rette tensed up, trying to fight back the urge to start shaking again. Gray's grip on her shoulder tightened, offering her silent support.

"Oh my, looks like my control over emotions are still imperfect." Mard Geer remarked.

"I've told you that you shouldn't bother with trying to control them. Use them as fuel." Lachlan told his comrade.

"Got nobody to protect you now, huh. I will-"

"Don't be full of yourself just yet." Mard Geer said, cutting off Gray. "Did you think you'd be able to defeat me in my true form?"

Before their eyes, smoke rose from Mard Geer's wounds and when it cleared, the wounds were gone. Rette got a really bad feeling about this.

"His wounds..." Natsu breathed.

"It's been four hundred years since END awoken. Should be time I woke up too." Mard Geer said, his appearance changing as he took on his demon form.

"I won't need it to deal with Amoreta." Lachlan remarked.

"Suit yourself." Mard Geer told him, finally standing before them in a form that Rette couldn't even begin to describe. "I am Mard Geer Tartaros. King of the Underworld, and absolute demon." "

Rette was really starting to get a bad feeling. Especially if, as he let on, her father had a second form like that. Her instincts were really starting to scream at her, telling her to run and to never stop. But she couldn't do that. Not this time. This time, she had people counting on her. She couldn't back down now.

"Natsu, Rette." Gray called.

"Yeah, we got it..." Natsu replied, Rette tensing as she prepared herself. "By the name of Fairy Tail, we will bring you down!"

Mard Geer and Lachlan chuckled in amusement.

"Come, humans. This will be our last battle." Mard Geer called.

"Rette," Rette glanced at Natsu out of the side of her eyes. "Don't let him kill you."

"Not happening." Rette replied. "I've lived through too much for him to be the end of me."

"Good. Then let's finish this and go home together." Natsu told her.

Rette nodded, her eyes locking on her grinning father. Home. Rette really wanted to go home. She wanted to go back with her friends, with Thyme and her teammates, with her family. First, she needed to stand up to everything that she had feared for far too long. It was time she surpassed her own limits.

"For our family." Rette agreed.

In complete agreement, the three shot off. Rette hit her father square in the chest with enough force to send him flying back. The two of them hit the ground rolling, both fighting for control of the other. Rette had never, in her life, thought she would find herself tangling with her father. All too clearly, the memory of the last time they were together, came flooding back into her head as she grappled with Lachlan.

She had been five and a ragged, poorly dressed, under fed, and beaten, sorry excuse for a child. Her father, in an attempt to teach her that she was more demon than she was human, had decided to turn her against the only child in the Compound that had dared to try to befriend her. He had brought her before the boy, who had already been beaten pretty badly, and had demanded that she put an end to his pitiful life. Rette had refused, had even stood between the boy and her father.

Obviously, her defiance hadn't gone over so well with Lachlan. Lachlan had always had a problem with his temper once it was sparked. It was one of the things they had in common.

Rette remembered the pain and fear she had felt when his clawed hand had sliced into her stomach. She had reacted blindly, lashing out in an attempt to save her life, for she knew he would kill her. Now that she saw the results for herself...she was glad it had scarred him. She was glad that every time the bastard saw his reflection, he was forced to remember the one time she had gotten one up on him.

It was about the only victory she had over him.

Rette was snapped out of her memories by a mighty punch to her stomach. All of the air in her lungs was forced out and she staggered back from Lachlan, gripping her stomach. She had forgotten just how heavy handed his punches were. Jolting, she jumped back away from Lachlan as he charged her again. Casting quickly, her Sun Wings sprouted from her back, carrying her up into the air. Lachlan wouldn't be stopped so easily. With the reflexes and physical strength of his fellow demons, he launched himself into the air.

Rette rocketed away, avoiding his attack. She needed to find a location that would benefit her more than him. Somewhere rocky where she could keep the high ground. She feared that if she let him get over her head, he would have the advantage. In her flight, she spotted many of her guild mates below her.

"Rette!"

Rette's eyes flickered to the ground below where she could make out Lisanna, Elfman, and a few others, including Wendy and even Doranbolt. She had only a moment to wonder what he was doing there before Lachlan hit her from behind, knocking her from the sky. She hit a ledge above her guild mates, twisting to jam her feet into her father's gut. Heaving, she kicked him off of her and quickly rolled to her feet, turning to face him as he rose to his feet.

"Rette, that's...!"

"Stay back!" Rette snapped, her eyes flickering over to her guild mates as they stared in wide eyed horror at her father.

This really was a disadvantage. She didn't need her guild mates there at the moment. Her father would only use them as shields. At the moment, Lachlan was glaring down at her friends, contempt in his eyes.

"More of your so-called family, I take it? I honestly thought I had knocked more sense into that head of your's, Amoreta." Lachlan remarked, shaking his head.

"Amoreta?" Lisanna asked, looking at her brother.

Rette tried hard to ignore them, for her own sake of mind. If she started worrying about their opinion, then she would leave herself open to her father's attack.

"Oh yes, because I've ever been anything but a disappointment to you, Father." Rette retorted.

She heard the gasps from her friends but forced herself not to look at them. She just couldn't look at the horror and judgement in their eyes, even though part of her knew they wouldn't judge her for who, or what, her father was.

"Ha! I've seen you've grown into some sass." Lachlan remarked, as if amused. "But it won't save you. How many times do I have to beat it into your head? You aren't human, girl. There's no place for those useless human thoughts in your life. I've lost several years worth of work with you. Do you know just how angry Lord Zeref was with me when you ran away?" Lachlan asked, his tone getting icier by the moment.

Rette wanted to back away, but she held her ground. To back away now, meant that she had to face the questioning looks of her friends. She still wanted to back away, though. There had been a time when that tone would have had her cowering in the corner of a room, but she was grown up now and she wasn't doing it.

"Perhaps you should have thought that through before you treated your daughter like a disposable pack mule!" she snapped.

Her reply was Lachlan throwing his head back in a laugh. She really hated when people laughed at her. He really didn't think much of her if he was honestly going to stand there and laugh like a loon. Then again, he wasn't exactly sane.

"I'll give these humans one thing. They certainly have taught you how to have a back bone. Though, you're presenting it to the wrong person. Honestly, Amoreta, think. Your mother and I both have brains, so I know you do too." Lachlan retorted, gesturing vaguely towards her guild mates. "Do you truly think these humans would accept you if they knew the true you? If they could see what you truly are when you stop hiding that seal under your choker?"

Rette's hand flew to the choker around her neck, her eyes flickering to her friends and their questioning looks. She hadn't paid the seal any attention since the fight had started. Her hand banded around her throat protectively. She had gone this long without telling anyone other than Mavis. She really didn't want to tell anyone now.

"I know you've felt it stirring. Every time you get angry, every time you lose control of your temper. You can hear it chanting in your ear, telling you to kill, to maim and destroy. To cast this world into tribulation. I've seen you let loose of it before, I've watched as your vision become tunneled and you don't stop until everything in your path is destroyed." Lachlan said, describing her fits of anger to a "t". "But around these humans, you've had to hide it, to fight it, constantly having to push it back so you don't hurt anyone around you. It must be so tiring to deny what you truly are, Amoreta."

Fighting back the urges that arose when her anger grew, was tiring. It was, literally, a fight for her body every single time. And it had only gotten worse the stronger she had gotten.

"Come now, Amoreta. Come with me." Lachlan insisted, holding out a hand. "You will have punishment for your disobedience, but in the long run, you won't have to hide who you are anymore. You'll be strong, you'll be unstoppable...you'll be happy."

Happy, he said.

What did he know about happiness!?

She had been miserable every day of her life. Every day she had hoped it would be her last because at least then, she wouldn't have to live with the fear and anger gnawing at her constantly. Had she stayed, had she lived with it, she would have grown up killing and hurting others, causing destruction and ruining lives just like he had ruined hers. Happiness? No, she had never been happy and she knew she would have never experienced a moment of happiness if she had stayed.

No, her happiness was now.

Her happiness was all the laughs with her friends, all the random, stupid fights that were started for no reason, all the celebrations that ended in a guild hall full of passed out guild mates. Going on jobs with her teammates, sitting back and chilling with her friends, going home everyday with her best friend and having a quiet meal together. The bright-as-the-sun smile Sting greeted her with whenever he saw her. That was her happiness.

And she loved her happiness.

"No."

"What was that?" Lachlan growled, glaring at his daughter.

Rette stood there, her fists balled at her sides. When she raised her head, she had a look on her face he had never seen before. So many emotions played through her eyes. Happiness, joy...love.

"I said no, Father." Rette told him, her voice calm. "I'm not Amoreta anymore. I'm not the little girl who cowered in front of you and did as you said because she was too scared to try to do anything else. That's not me anymore. I'm not Amoreta Banesbloud. I am Rette Starrilia, the Nexus Mage, a fairy of Fairy Tail. _**That's**_ who I am."

Lachlan laughed again, but there was no humor behind this laugh. He wasn't happy that she was actually standing up to him, but Rette wasn't the same scared, little girl she had been. She wasn't going to sit back and let him take away what was dearest to her. Not again, at least.

"What can possibly be so appealing about these humans?" Lachlan asked, turning a disgusted look on her friends. "They're nothing, just useless little ants for us to step on."

"No. They are so much more than you will ever be able to understand." Lachlan's eyes snapped to his daughter as she cast a look at her friends. When her eyes returned to him, they were firm. "It's simple...I love them."

"Love!? Ha! Such a useless emotion and you don't even know what it is!" Lachlan snapped.

"I might not have when I was little, but I do know now and it's not useless. I love these people and for some strange reason beyond my understanding, they love me. Because of that connection, because of those bonds, I've gotten stronger. I love these people for every sacrifice they've made for me, for every time they've bled for me or gained injury because of me. I love them for every smile they've given me, for the fact that they never tried to control me. I love them for every kind word they've ever said."

She could go on and on, listing the things about her friends that she loved with all of her heart. Even things that most people wouldn't love, she adored. Like Natsu's stupidity and his way of starting fights, or Erza's over bearing ways. She loved it all because it was what made her friends who they were and she loved them all with all of her broken heart.

"I love them without a single doubt. Unlike you. You, I hate." Rette went on, finally putting to words what she had felt for years. "I hate you for everything you've ever taken from me, for every time you pushed and beat me, for all the lies and fear. I hate you for never once protecting me, for never once offering me even a moment of reprieve. I hate you for never once delivering me from pain, for being the one to cause it. I hate you so much, it drives me insane."

If truth was to be told, all she had ever wanted, all she had ever craved in her life, was to know, just for one brief second, that her father had cared for her at all. Was it so much to ask for? For just a moment of love from the man that was suppose to be her father? Or was that too human of an emotion for someone like her?

"Heh...looks like you did get something from me after all." Lachlan remarked darkly, his eyes fixed solely on his daughter. "Because I hate you, too."

Was she crazy that that remark only made her heart ache? All she had ever asked for was a moment of love and instead of love, he had given her pain. All she had ever wanted as a child was for him to acknowledge her as his daughter, for him to deem her good enough. Just being good enough would have made her dark days better, but, of course, he couldn't even so much as give her that. He had sat back, watched her bleed and writhe in pain, had squashed all her hopes, and had ignored her pleas for help. All with a smile on his face.

Rette, herself, didn't understand it. Perhaps it was the innate need in every child to gain the approve and love of their parents. The need to be loved by one's own flesh and blood. It was a little difficult for a person to expect love from anyone else if their own flesh and blood hated them enough to put them through hell on earth. She had found the love and acceptance anyhow, though it had taken so many years and a lot of time on her own.

She had learned that everything she did in life, had to be for something, or for someone. Lachlan might have held her down, might have tried to suffocate the life out of her until she was a mindless minion following his orders, but she wasn't going to go down for nothing. Yes, it hurt to know that her father, her own flesh and blood, hated her, but it was a pain she had long since grown use to. Besides, she had some news for him.

"How you feel doesn't matter, Amoreta. I am your father and you will obey me." Lachlan said.

"No. No, you're not." Rette replied. "I had a dad after I ran away from you and I have a father who loves me now. My father is Makarov Dreyer, not you!"

She had never said it aloud, had never once claimed Makarov as her father, but now that she had said it...she knew it was true. Makarov, in more ways than one, had been the father she had always craved. Yes, Tundron had been her dad, had been the creature she had called daddy when she had awoken from a nightmare, but Makarov was the one that had not only taken her in, but had taught her that family wasn't just the people related to her by blood. They were the people who stood by her through thick and thin and loved her despite her flaws and short comings. Makarov protected her, even when she didn't need it, stood up for her even when she could do it on her own, encouraged her, supported her, and loved her as if she really was his own daughter.

Makarov, not Lachlan, was her father.

And she was going to protect the family her father loved so dearly.

No matter what it took.

Rette tugged at her gloves, yanking them off and throwing them to the side. This bared the brands on the back of her hands, as well as the strange, crystal bands around her wrist that shifted from one color to the next.

"I'm done talking to you, done trying to live up to your impossible standards. No matter the methods I have to use, I'm ending this here and now." Rette announced.

She was done holding back in fear, she was done cowering, done running and hiding. Her friends had helped her so much, had supported her for so long. This time, she was going to stand on her own two feet and face what lay in front of her. So she braced her feet and dug deep, pulling forth every last bit of magic she could. She would need it all to preform the next spell she had in her arsenal. Well...preform it and not kill herself.

She just hoped Makarov would forgive her for lying to him.

As her magic built around her, the sky directly over head begun to darken. She had claimed, not long ago, "I never said I used it", but the truth was, while she had never said she had use it...she never said she hadn't, either. And what was a little more insanity when she was already swimming in the deep end?

Rette focused her concentration, the black lines of a magic array drawing itself on her very skin. This was dangerous, but she doubted her normal arsenal of magic spells would stand a chance against her father.

"Divine retribution of allies fallen, the almighty revenge of the world beyond, grand gift of the One Magic, powerful creator of life and blesser of magic, grant thy revenge!" Rette raised an arm to the sky as she cried out the incantation. Wind built as the air around her grew thick and dense with an icky feeling that made it difficult for her to breathe. Even Lachlan locked his knees to keep from being knocked over. The sky over head swirled, a pillar of black light falling on Rette and her father. "Arc of Tribulation...Tribulation of the Fallen!"

Darkness and tribulation...a fitting magic for one who had been born in the dark. It had been the first magic she had ever learned...the only magic her father had taught her. Even knowing that his half human daughter would fall into a endless, spiraling pit of insanity and distrust, he had taught her the magic. Perhaps, if she had been fully human, the magic would have twisted her far worse than it had and now that she was older, she understood what damage the magic had already done in her life.

Trusting, loving others, opening herself up, showing her emotions, or even just understanding them, was extremely difficult for her and it was all because of this magic her father had forced on her. It was part of the reason why she had stopped using it, but now...it if meant saving her friends from the nightmare that was her father, then she would gladly deal with the results.

Almost as soon as the last word of the incantation was out of her mouth, she felt the burning pain flood her body, making her muscles seize and clamp down on her bones. The pain, though, wasn't the worst part. It was the emotional and mental toll it took on her afterward. Pain eventually faded, but the hallow, distrustful, self hating feeling the magic left her with...that never went away.

Distantly, she heard the scream of her name as the world around her and Lachlan was swallowed in darkness. The pressure that hit next, drove Rette to her hands and knees. Whatever she felt, though, would be twenty times worse for Lachlan. For the person on the receiving end, they would feel all the pain that her injured and fallen comrades had felt, but a hundred times worse and all at once. To him, it would feel like something unseen was ripping him apart, all without leaving a single mark on his body.

She heard his cursing turn to yells as the pressure increased on her body. Then she felt it. Rette gasped, curling in on herself as somewhere in her gut, it felt like someone had grabbed her insides and was twisting them about. This part...this was new. She had never felt this while casting one of the spells. It was only when the pressure and force of the spell finally lifted, that she got any relief from the pain. As the darkness faded and light returned, she was left panting for breath, the hallow feeling settling in and increasing until she felt like she would never feel anything but self loathing.

Raising her head, Rette peered towards Lachlan. He was sprawled on his back, not moving an inch. Rette couldn't muster up any kind of emotion to seeing her father, her life long tormentor, laying there like that. Not joy, not relief, nothing. All she could feel was the pain in her gut. She didn't know what was going on. This pain was new and was followed by the feeling of something sucking energy from her body, both magical and physical. It made her disoriented to the point that she could just barely make out her friends calling to her.

She tried to raise to her feet and instantly crashed back to the ground. It was like her body had no strength left. While the Arc of Tribulation spells had left her tired when she was younger, she was stronger now, with more magic energy. It shouldn't have left her feeling the way she was.

"Exhausting, isn't it?"

Rette's eyes went wide, her head rising. Lachlan was shifting, climbing to his feet as he dusted himself off as if nothing had happened. No, this couldn't be. He shouldn't have been able to shake off the spell like that. He shouldn't have been able to get back up as if nothing had happened.

He should have been dead.

Lachlan grinned, looking down at her as he straightened his clothes. Seeing her exhausted and close to defeat, had always been an amusing time for him. Rette, though, couldn't conjure up the anger she had always felt when she saw that look on his face.

"I had an inkling that you would try that. Do you honestly think I would have taught you such a thing without making sure you couldn't use it against me? It seems you've also gained your mother's naivety." Lachlan remarked.

"My mother was a great mage." Rette replied.

"How would you know, Amoreta? I killed her when you were only a few days old. Had I known you would be such a failure, I would have kept her around. Oh, well. As they say, hind sight is twenty/twenty." Lachlan said with a sigh.

Okay, so a little of that anger was starting to bleed through the numbness.

Then Lachlan turned his eyes on her friends. He eyed them for a moment as he popped each of his knuckles, one at a time. It felt like ice was being poured down her back when she saw the slow grin curl his lips up. She knew what he was thinking before he ever said a word.

"Be a good girl and stay right there, Amoreta, while I..."greet" your so called family." Lachlan said.

"Greet" her ass!

The numb feeling that had fallen over her was suddenly shattered as anger and fear for her friends dumped adrenaline into her system. She was scrambling forward before she knew it, hitting her father at the waist and wrapping her arms around his waist to drag him to a stop. She firmly braced her feet and refused to be budged from the spot. Lachlan grappled with her, jamming an elbow into her collar bone, anything to get her to release him. Rette held on tight, turning her eyes to her friends.

"Get out of here! He will kill you!" Rette snapped.

Her friends jolted when she screamed. None of them wanted to leave her when they all knew the warning about the man with the scars on his face. Rette, seeing this, grit her teeth.

"Go... _ **NOW!**_ " she snapped.

"You are really starting to aggravate me, Amoreta." Lachlan growled.

Rette let out a grunt when one of his hands was suddenly shoved into her face, pushing her back as he pried her arms free. Shoving, he sent her toppling over easily. In the process, he grabbed a hold of her choker, pulling it off. Rette hit the ground, her hand instantly flying up to the intricately carved seal that wrapped around her throat.

"I think it's time I force you to remember exactly what it is you are, Amoreta."

Rette couldn't move fast enough to get away from her father. She took to the air again, knowing that to let him catch her now would mean him exposing the last secret she had managed to keep. She blew past Natsu and Gray as Mard Geer dragged their heads against broken walls, landing on a perch from which she could see both Natsu and Gray's fight and Sting and Rogue's fight.

A second later, her father hit her from behind. Rette rolled with him, fighting to get her feet between him and her, but his hand clamped around her throat, driving her backwards onto the ground. Rette gripped at his wrist, trying to pry his fingers away. Lachlan simply grinned down at her as Natsu and the others called out to her.

All four tried to abandon their fights to go to her rescue, but were stopped. From where they stood, all any of them could see was Rette fighting with her father to pry his hand away from her throat. The man grinned as a dark magic rolled off him, traveling down his arm to Rette. The sounds that left Rette then, had them increasing their fight to get to her. Screams of pain and sounds of gagging left her.

They froze, though, as, before their eyes, Rette's hands begun to turn into claws, dark marks spreading from her neck to color parts of her skin a dark maroon in color. The marks spread down her legs, thickening and turning to scales as her feet grew in length, her toes turning to claws. She clawed at Lachlan's arm, gagging and gasping in pain as horns begun to curl from her temples, skeletal-like claws curling over her cheeks as her ears grew until they were pointed, the pointed ends split in two.

The transformation was nothing like her Take Over magic and seemed to be very painful for Rette. Only when it was done did Lachlan release Rette, backing away from her. Rette rolled over to her hands and knees, gasping in a pained breath. With her on her in that position, they could see the long, furry ended, maroon tail that curled out from her tail bone, as well as the maroon, fur covered wings that had grown from her shoulder blades. When she raised her face, they found that the maroon marks had moved to her face, slashing across her face from the right side of her chin, over her nose, and across the left eye.

The change that really surprised them, was when she opened her eyes. Her right eye was still the same as it had always been, but the left was not. There was no pupil, no line between the whites of her eyes and the irises. Hell, there wasn't even the white to the eye. The whole eye, whites and all, was magenta in color, the edge changing to lavender.

Lachlan laughed as he looked at his daughter trying to get her bearings. Turning to look at her friends, he flashed his fang-like teeth in a grin.

"Do you boys get it now? This, _**this**_ , is Amoreta's real form. Disappointingly, she was far too human when she was born. She didn't have a demon form of her own. Not very useful to me." Lachlan remarked, glancing at Rette, who was still disoriented from the forced transformation. "So, I experimented and finally, with the help of my lord, Lord Zeref, I was able to seal a fellow demon inside her."

Rette...Rette had a demon sealed into her body.

It was different from her Take Over magic, she couldn't control the demon. All she could do was hope the seal held out and the demon remained locked away. It did, though, explain her anger. When she was angry, it was like she had to fight to keep control of her body. Now they knew what she had to fight.

Lachlan laughed again. He couldn't be happier with the turmoil he was wrecking in his daughter's mind, heart, and life. Gesturing grandly towards Rette, he declared the one thing that made Natsu, Gray, Sting, and Rogue stare at Rette in horror.

"Take a good look, boys. This is one of Lord Zeref's demons. Amoreta, the demon of Tribulation."

END

Kyandi: For those of you who have read the manga through to the end, you know understand what I meant by Rette and Natsu having more in common.

Rette: The difference being that I can handle it without it nearly killing me.

Kyandi: Well, you do have a knack for mixing magic.

Rette: Ironically, Kyandi-sama didn't even plan for that being the case when she first devised my magic.

Kyandi: It just kind of fell together. I'm lucky that way.

Rette: It's about all the luck you do have.

Kyandi: Sadly, that's about right. Anyway, we've digressed. Everyone, I hope you all enjoy the holidays and that the season brings you all good cheer.

Rette: We will be back before New Year's to wish you all a great start to the new year.

Kyandi: Right. So everyone enjoy and review, and have a great holiday.

Rette: We will return before New Year's.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	53. Done and Over

Kyandi: ...

Rette: What are you doing?

Kyandi: I'm putting on protective gear.

Rette: Why?

Kyandi: My readers are going to kill me when they finish reading this chapter.

Rette: Well you really only have yourself to blame.

Kyandi: Gee, I love you too.

Rette: Don't you think you should greet your readers?

Kyandi: Hello all Kyandiacs, goodbye world.

Rette: You're being over dramatic. I guess I'm going to have to wrap this up.

Kyandi:...I'm so dead...

Rette: Everyone, please enjoy and review. Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 53 Done and Over

Silence.

Silence was never good, silence was deafening, but Rette couldn't bring herself to look up from the ground, her head hanging. She couldn't even began to think of something to say, some excuse to give, and she wouldn't give excuses. Her father was right. This was who she was.

The halfling spawn of a demon.

Her guild, her friends, had accepted a lot about her, but everything paled in comparison to this reveal. With all they had learned of her, she had asked them to accept and wave off a lot. This was just too much. Far too much. How in the world could she expect them to accept a creature like her.

Lachlan's laugh rang in her ears then, making her shoulders hunch more. Damn him, damn this whole thing, damn her and this cursed form. Rette was so sick and tired of living in fear, whether that fear was of Lachlan, of being thrown back into the darkness of her past, or of others finding out exactly what she was. It always seemed as if her father and life were constantly trying to tell her that, instead of being free, she would burn for something she couldn't control.

It sucked being different.

And maybe it was the form she was in, maybe it was the demon's influence in her, but she could feel her anger at her father rocketing up one notch at a time. She hated this, she hated him. What she wouldn't give to kill him, to end this constant fear and anger. Then she could leave, she could vanish and never darken Fairy Tail's doorstep again. After all, how could she even began to ask them to accept this?

"We don't care."

Rette's head flew up, shock shaking her out of her thoughts. Her eyes landed on Natsu, who, firmly, stated that they didn't care. He was staring directly at Rette, his eyes locking on hers, refusing to let her look away from him.

"What was that?" Lachlan demanded.

"We don't care what you have to say! We don't care about any of that stuff!" Natsu snapped.

"We know exactly who she is and nothing you say can change that. Her name isn't Amoreta. It's Rette!" Sting added.

"We know everything we need to know about her. She's stubborn and pessimistic, yeah, but she loyal and devoted. She protects those she cares about, fiercely, and she's a supportive friend. She's our friend, our family!" Gray chimed in.

"She's a thousand times better than someone like you." Rogue agreed.

"We aren't going to stop supporting her, stop being there for her, because of something you did to her! Rette is our friend and we refuse to let you take her away!" Natsu yelled. "We'll fight you for her!"

"Guys..."

Rette couldn't even put to words what she was feeling. She felt like her heart had just tried to jump out of her chest. She...she...she knew she couldn't let them fight for her. Ultimately, in the end, she knew she wasn't worth it. Her friends, the people she had been surrounded by all this time...they were too good for the likes of her. She had allowed herself to bask in the dream for too long. Now it was time to wake up and face the truth.

She was a monster and they deserved better.

With that thought firmly in her head, Rette rose to her feet. All eyes locked on Rette, Natsu grinning, thinking he had reached her and had given her the heart to carry on the fight.

"Rette-"

"Stay out of it."

Her four friends froze, staring up at her as she raised her head. Her expression was something they could only describe as seriously deadly. There was nothing in her eyes except something along the lines of disgust. Though they didn't know what it was directed at.

"Rette?" Gray called.

"This is my fight. Stay out of it, for your own good. Focus on winning and living." she told them.

With that, she turned to face her father. Lachlan raised an eyebrow when he saw the expression on her face. It was almost...sad, as she looked at him. As if her heart was breaking under some kind of realization.

"You know, in some ways...you're right, Father."

Rette's admittance surprised them all and instantly rose protests from her friends. But Rette merely held up a clawed hand, silencing her four friends. She needed them to be quiet.

"I'm not worth anything." Rette silenced her friends' protests once more. "I'm well aware of my short comings. As a human and as a demon, because, sadly, I can never be either or. I can try to deny one side or the other, can try to continue on as if I never knew this is what I am, but that's just trying to fool myself, as well as those around me. Constantly, it feels like I'm awake, but my world, who I am, is half asleep. So, you're right...I am tired of trying to hide what I am."

Rette fixed her eyes on her father, her shoulders stiffening as she straightened them. Her back went straight and she braced her feet. She knew what she said was true. Whether she was trying to be a human or a demon, she always came up short. She was forced to walk the middle ground in a situation where none existed. But she had managed to thrive, all these years, creating just enough ground for her to take that vital next step.

She had built herself a life, had changed, bit by bit. So, yes, she was aware that, someday, everything would eventually catch up to her. There really was no getting away when a person was trying to run from their past. Eventually, it always caught up and Rette had been running for way too long. She knew that someday she would have to face what was inside her, would have to accept everything she was and everything she had been forced to do under her father's orders.

Someday.

For now...she could accept the person she had become, the better person her friends had made her.

"I'm tired of being afraid, of being angry, tried of constantly feeling like the little child you use to shame by making her walk around naked after you whipped her." Mard Geer glanced at Lachlan, who merely shrugged his shoulders. He had done a lot of things like that to Rette when he was bored. "I'm tired of everything, of constantly never getting enough sleep because of nightmares, of always having to fight just to keep control of my body...I'm tired of feeling angry at myself because some, tiny part of me is still trying to find approval from her heartless father. One kind word, or even a half decent word, just one! Would that have killed you!?"

"Yes."

The answer was quick and blunt, and left Lachlan without a moment's thought. Rette heaved a sigh. She should have known. If ever there was a person in the world that shouldn't of had kids...it was Lachlan Banesbloud. Funnily enough, despite expecting it, she couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her lips.

"Go figure. You always were the world's worst father." Rette said lowly. "Well then, I call it quits."

"What!?"

Rette ignored the yell from her friends. She hadn't meant what they thought she meant. She wasn't calling it quits in that way.

"What do you mean?" Lachlan done.

"I done with all of that. I know I'm not worth much, but this is my life and I'm calling my own shots for now on." Rette replied, pointing one claw at her chest. "So, no, I don't care if not good enough for you and I don't care what you want to think about me. I honestly don't know why I ever cared, because, frankly, all that you are, everything that makes you, you, is everything I don't ever want to be."

"That's right. You won't ever be like me, because you are nothing in this world without me, Amoreta." Lachlan growled, making his daughter let out a curt laugh.

Maybe she had lost her mind and that was where she got the courage to say what she was saying.

"To you, I'm nothing, simply because I'm nothing like you. You only think you know me, but you have no idea. I don't want to be you, or anything like you. Yes, I'm not fully human, but I'm not fully demon either and I never want to be. You're a foul, disgusting creature, so shove it where the sun don't shine. I'm done! When everything is done, and this life is over, there's only going to be one name on my grave and that's not Amoreta. It's Rette Starrilia." Rette snapped. "You don't control me anymore, and truthfully, I think that scares you."

"Scares me!? You're awfully full of yourself, girl. I don't fear anyone." Lachlan snapped back.

"Everyone fears something. Even demons like you. All you've ever done is try to build yourself up, put yourself above others so they would fear you, so that you could tear down others, like me. You want to know what else I'm tired of? I'm so tired of you telling me who and what I should be, tired of you telling me what I can and can't do and what in this world I should believe. I'm so sick and tired of you telling me that I will burn in hell, that I will never be free! I hate to break it to you, but you don't have control of me anymore."

Lachlan didn't like hearing this, but with each word, Rette felt her confidence grow. Everything was coming to light now. Why not share with the world what she had been holding back for so long. All her fears, her concerns, what she was so tired of, what she constantly kept hidden. She was done hiding, done holding it back.

"Yeah, you might be able to control this seal, but guess what...I'm the one in control, not the demon! You really think I would have gone this long without learning a little mental fortitude?" Rette asked. "So if this form is what it'll take to end this once and for all, then to hell with it!"

Lachlan's eyes widened as Rette's wings spread and she was suddenly shooting towards him with more speed than she had before. All four of her friends hissed when Rette smacked her father hard enough to send him flying straight through a thick slab of broken wall. Rette's clawed toes barely touched the ground before, with a whip of her tail, she was on the move again. Lachlan was quick to react this time, moving before she could hit him. Following the two after that, was a difficult task. Her friends were only able to tell where she was by the sudden explosion of rock and dirt when they crashed into something.

They soon found out that Rette's "curse" was similar to her actual magic. She was able to copy and combine the curses of all the other demons she had come in contact with. Evident by the the fact that after punching her, Lachlan's fist exploded, thorns bursting forth to wrap him tightly. Rette perched herself on a cliff over head, her long tail flicking back forth over her head. Opening her mouth, she imitated the sound of high speed, slicing winds and a tornado burst to life, black water sprouting from it's base to flood the bowl shaped crater Lachlan had ended up in after the explosion of his fist.

Natsu and Gray jumped away from Mard Geer as the tornado suddenly veered their way, smashing into Mard Geer, who was able to pull himself free and jump clear.

"Lachlan, control your daughter." Mard Geer called.

"If you think you can do a better job, then you take her! She's stubborn, just like her mother!" Lachlan snapped back.

He cursed when Rette suddenly landed on his head, pouching on him similar to the way a cat would pouch on a mouse. Her tail flicking and all. Lachlan threw her off with an annoyed yell. Rette simply rolled with the action, popping back to her clawed feet, gave a single hop, and was crashing back into Lachlan once more. It was almost as if her energy had doubled from her normal levels. She would pounce on Lachlan, dealing damage, and then would bounce away.

Lachlan finally grew tired of it.

With a stomp of his foot, a thick, dark cloud exploded outward. As it rolled over Rette's friends, all any of them could see or hear was their worst nightmares coming to life. It left each and everyone of them pale and shaken.

"What the hell was that?" Gray asked.

"When I said he was what my nightmares were made of...I meant in a literal sense." Natsu and Gray both jumped, looking down at their feet to find Rette, literally, popping up out of a hole in the ground. She was now right between the two, her tail curling over her back as her wings shifted. "Lachlan Banesbloud is the demon of nightmares. Every person in the world has something they fear. He taps into that and brings it to life for his victims and when they're paralyzed in fear and unable to see, much less fight back against, an enemy...he slowly cuts them to ribbons."

"This guy is seriously twisted!" Gray snapped.

"Now you see why I'm so messed up, myself." Rette replied. "You don't have a father like that and not come out of it less than human."

Gray and Natsu looked down at Rette, but her eyes were set on her father as he got to his feet and angrily dusted himself. Spinning on the spot, he yelled her name, sounding pissed beyond belief. If the way his eyes were glowing, the whites turning black, was any indication, then he was far beyond being angry.

"You are really starting to piss me off." Lachlan snapped.

"Tribulation is to be in a state of great trouble, strife, and suffering. I am only as you made me." Rette retorted.

Rette suddenly spread her wings, shooting straight into the sky. To Gray and Natsu's great surprise, she latched onto the back of their belts and took them with her, saving them from Lachlan and Mard Geer's combined attack.

"Well...obviously, I didn't get my temperament from him. He becomes angry far easier than I do." Rette remarked as they looked down at Lachlan and Mard Geer.

"Yeah, well your temper is nothing to sneeze at." Gray retorted.

"Yes, I know, but now you know why. Anger is one of the easiest emotions for a demon to latch onto and then act through. It's why I always tried to hide emotion, to fight it back. It was just...easier." Rette replied. Gray and Natsu glanced over their shoulders at Rette. "She, the demon, is Amoreta, not me. We just got lumped together under one name. Amoreta is very...vindictive. She doesn't like that I've had the control all these years."

"You make it sound like two different personalities." Gray said.

"In a way, it is. We're two separate beings sharing one living space, basically. Only, the other one is a crazy psychopath who finds joy in taunting and tormenting others, in making life on this planet a lot more difficult than it really should be." Rette replied. Shifting her attention below to where Mard Geer and Lachlan stared up at them, Rette shifted her grip on her teammates. "I'm going to drop you on him. Best of luck."

Gray and Natsu nodded, bracing themselves before Rette released them, letting them drop towards Mard Geer. Rette instantly followed, dive bombing Lachlan, who took the full body attack with a grunt. He landed on his back, Rette on his chest, and his expression that of someone highly annoyed.

"If I knew you were going to get this big, I would have done something to keep you that same size as Lamy." Lachlan retorted sourly.

"Are you calling me fat?" Rette demanded.

"It's the damn horns!" Lachlan snapped, reaching for the horns curling out of Rette's temples. Rette jumped into the air, her wings spreading to catch her. "I really want to rip them out!"

"Temper, temper." Rette tsked.

Lachlan's reply was swipe of clawed fingers that sent dark blades flying her direction. With a pump of her wings, Rette rocketed backwards. She twisted, turning her head to make sure she wouldn't run into a rock face or anything. Instead, she was greeted with the quickly approaching back of Jiemma. Twisting, she hit feet first, driving the male forward. Sting and Rogue stared at her in surprise as she twisted once more and took off again, leaving a furious Jiemma cursing her.

It kind of scared her how easily being the her demon form came back to her. She hadn't used the form since she was five, and yet, it was as if no time had passed. She had quickly fallen back into how to move her wings, how to make her tail whip out how she wanted it to, how to use her curse. It all came back to her so easily. While it helped with fighting, it upset her. It only showed that she had a demon half as well.

Not that she could dwell on that long.

Lachlan appeared in front of her face. Rette dropped, sailing right between his legs. Lachlan whipped around, his eyes widening when Rette clicked her tongue to make a sound like that of an explosion. With a grunted yell, Lachlan was sent flying right into Mard Geer, knocking the demon to the side. Rette took the chance to pounce on both of them, driving her feet into Lachlan's back and Lachlan into Mard Geer.

"What was that about me being too big?" Rette demanded.

She jumped away with both demons suddenly surged up. She landed between Gray and Natsu. Lachlan and Mard Geer got to their feet, Lachlan dusting off his clothes as he muttered to himself.

"Is it really so difficult to handle one little girl?" Mard Geer asked.

"You're more than welcome to try to deal with her, if you want. I'd be happy to take the two little boys off your claws." Lachlan retorted, waving a hand in Rette, Natsu, and Gray's direction.

"I think daddy dearest isn't too pleased with you, Rette." Gray remarked.

"Story of my life." Rette retorted.

"Wait...what are they doing?"

Natsu suddenly asking that, had Rette fixing her eyes completely on Lachlan and Mard Geer. Much like Sting and Rogue had done earlier, the two were getting ready to combine their attacks. Rette didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Get down!" Rette snapped.

She jumped up, pushing her two friends down and joining them. Her wings spread to completely cover her two friends. When the attack hit, all Natsu and Gray felt was the increase in pressure on their bodies. Rette, though, felt the burnt of the attack right between her shoulder blades where her wings sprouted. It ached too much to move her wings that Natsu and Gray had to move them off of them.

"Rette!"

The moment they laid eyes on Rette's back, they were met with a bloody mess. Rette, braced on her hands and knees, really just wanted to collapse then and there and not move again, but the fight wasn't over.

"I'll be fine." Rette told her friends, as the two hovered over her. "Demons' curses can hurt and even kill each other, but when compared to the damage done to humans, it's less. That would have killed the two of you, but I'll be fine. It's about the only good thing about being half and half."

"Listen to her boys. About all she was ever good at was remembering facts." Lachlan called.

Rette glanced at her father before lowering her voice. She turned to look at Gray.

"Gray." Gray turned his eyes to Rette. "If I can create an opening, do you think you can hit him with your Devil Slaying magic? I can't handle this on my own. Not with my wings out of commission and I can't use my magic in this form."

Gray nodded in agreement. Taking out one of the two demons would help matters considerably and up until that point, Rette had been relying upon speed to best Lachlan, who wasn't all that fast himself. In her current form, her wings were a key part of her speed. Without them...she was going to need help.

"But what about the other one?" Gray asked.

"Leave him to me." Natsu said confidently.

"Don't get yourself killed." Rette told him.

"I should be saying that to you!" Natsu snapped.

"Not happening. I've fought too long to hold on to this life. I won't willingly let someone kill me, unless it was for a damn good reason. Right now, I'm not seeing any reason. Are you?" Rette asked.

"Hell no!" Natsu snapped.

"Good, then don't worry about it. I'm not going to let him kill me." Rette assured him.

"Then let's get this done." Gray added.

"Right...go!"

With the single word, the three broke apart. Rette charged for her father while Natsu and Gray went after Mard Geer. Thinking that his daughter was still going at it alone, Lachlan turned his full attention to her jumping up cliffs and making her follow. Though her wings were folded uselessly at her back, cutting her speed, she was still fast enough that if he didn't focus, she would get the drop on him. As it was, Rette was able to plant one clawed foot into his gut, knocking him back. Lachlan rolled, coming back to his feet, but Rette had jumped clear of his immediate area.

Thinking she was running from him, Lachlan went after her, but something catching the light and reflecting it back, caught his eye. He turned, looking down, just as Gray let loose an icy arrow made of his Devil Slaying magic. Lachlan only had time to utter a curse before it hit him full on in the chest. It went straight through him, crumpling him to the ground, where he lay, his eyes wide open and lifeless. Rette gave one cheer, jumping in the air.

The moment she landed, though, she felt it hit her hard. It was like the draining feeling she had felt earlier, only worse. She stumbled and fell to her knees, her world suddenly tipping on it's side. She pressed one hand to her face as her world continued to rock and sway.

"Rette!?" Gray called. "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know. Its like all my energy is suddenly gone." Rette replied.

When she pulled her hand back, she found that her body had reverted back to it's human form. Her energy had fallen so much that she couldn't maintain the demon form, even if she wanted to. On the bright side, her back didn't hurt as much without the damaged wings weighting her down.

"It's a real bitch, isn't it?"

Rette's eyes widened a fraction before an arm wrapped around her neck, heaving her up off the ground.

"Rette!"

Rette twisted, turning to see who had grabbed her. Her eyes were wide open, her heart plummeting in her chest when she saw Lachlan looking back at her, a sadistic grin on his face as he looked back at her.

"But how...!? Gray hit you!" Rette managed to choke out.

"You should be dead!" Gray yelled.

Lachlan, one arm holding Rette off the ground, spread the other arm, grinning at Gray and Natsu. Taking hold of his shredded top, he pulled it open, revealing his chest as the last little bit of the hole Gray had opened there, sealed shut.

"Hate to break it to you, boy, but I'm harder than that to kill. In fact, you and your Devil Slayer magic, won't be able to hurt me...not as long as Amoreta, here, is alive and well." Lachlan said, patting Rette's head.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

"See this?" Lachlan grabbed Rette's chin, forcing her head back to bare the black symbols that formed the seal around her neck. "This is actually two seals in one. One seals the demon in her, and the other...seals her life to me."

Rette's froze. It did what!? She had never heard anything about that. From the way he grinned at her, the knowledge that she had never guessed making his day, she knew he wasn't lying.

"See, Lord Zeref and I always knew that one day Amoreta would try to free herself by trying to kill me. So, while we sealed the demon in her, we sealed her life to me. As long as she lives, no matter what happens, I will always survive and heal. Its why, despite being killed twice today, I'm still here. It's also why she feels so drained." Lachlan explained. "Unfortunately for her, it's a one way deal, so she can still be killed."

Rette's eyes widened as the information sank in. Her father had linked her life to his. As long as she lived, so did he and as long as he lived, he would continue to torment and hurt others. It made it painfully clear that nothing she had done over the years, would have killed him. No matter how strong she got, no matter the magic she used, he would continue to live because she continued to live. She could see this knowledge sink into the heads of Natsu, Gray, Sting and Rogue. The change in their expressions, even had Lachlan laughing.

"It actually works out for us, doesn't it, Mard?" Lachlan asked, Mard Geer simply nodding. "You see, when I found out that the ones that were interfering with us, was the so called guild that my idiotic daughter had joined...well, I was ecstatic! I knew that if you ridiculous humans cared, even just a bit, about her and her life, you would never have it in you to do what is necessary to kill me. In other words, to kill me...you have to kill her first."

Lachlan's insane laughter filled the air as he swung Rette around so that she was standing right in front of him. He wrapped one arm around her throat again, grabbing her chin with the free hand. He grinned at the boys as he pressed his cheek to hers.

"Tell me, boys...do any of you have what it takes to kill me?" Lachlan asked. "Because, if you can't kill me, kill her, then I'll make my way through your guilds, torturing and killing each and everyone of her so called friends."

That wasn't a threat...it was a promise.

Rette knew he would do exactly as he said because nothing would bring him more joy. She also knew, looking at each of her friends, that they would never be able to kill her in order to kill Lachlan and save their friends. None of them were the types to let down one friend, even if that risked everyone else. They cherished each and every friend far too much. Even if she would rather die to save the others, even if she begged them to kill her to spare the others, they wouldn't do it. Rette, though, would gladly give her life to save her friends...

Wait.

Rette's eyes widened as the true meaning behind Future Rogue's warning hit her full force in the chest. He had warned that she would let herself be killed. Rette, herself, had said that if she let herself be killed than it had to be for a reason.

For this reason.

Rette completely understood the warning then. Future Rogue hadn't been warning them to guard her against someone else.

He had been warning them to guard her against herself.

While it hurt her, to think of leaving her friends behind, while she knew they would cry and mourn, if it meant they would continue to live...she would, indeed, forfeit her life. Now that she understood the warning, she couldn't help the small laugh that left her. All eyes focused on Rette as a smile, the sweetest her friends had ever seen, curled her lips.

"I understand his warning now." she said softly.

"Rette?" Sting called out, fear suddenly gnawing at his gut.

Rette looked at each of them in turn, already missing the friends she had held so dear, despite them being right in front of her. All four caught on to what she was thinking, just as she raised her left hand to her chest, placing the palm flat over where her heart rested. Just as the magic array appeared and the spell was released, Rette uttered two words before the beam of light sliced right through both hers and Lachlan's chests.

"I'm sorry."

Silence fell over the battlefield, her four friends watching in horror as, if in slow motion, Lachlan released Rette and the two fell from their perch, Rette hitting the ground below. All over the battlefield, Rette's guild mates and friends froze, each of them sensing the sudden vanishing of Rette's magical energy. Even in the control room, Thyme suddenly gasped, grasping at her chest with her tiny paws as the bond she shared with Rette, sudden snapped and dissolved.

"Thyme?" Mira asked, concerned.

"Rette..."

Thyme couldn't get the words to come to her mouth as tears filled her eyes, spilling down her fur covered cheeks. She didn't need to say it for her friends to know. They all stared in horror at Thyme as she sobbed, her heartbroken cries filling the room.

"N-no...it can't be..." Happy said lowly.

But there was no denying it. Thyme could always, without fail, sense Rette through their bond. If it was gone, if it had so suddenly snapped, there was only one real answer.

"Rette...is dead..."

END

Kyandi: Please don't kill me!

Thyme: ...

Kyandi: Are you mad at me, too?

Thyme...grrr...

Kyandi: I will take that as a yes. Everyone, please don't hate me. Believe me, the story isn't over just yet. I hope you all continue to enjoy and review. I will have another chapter ready as soon as possible. Maybe for my birthday, I'll be able to update another chapter, which means you'll have a new chapter in three days. Hopefully. Until then, please don't kill me! Bye!


	54. Back Again

Kyandi: Hey there everyone. I hope no one is still mad at me.

Thyme: ...

Kyandi: Well, I see at least one person is still mad.

Thyme: ...

Kyandi: Anyway...To answer the question being asked...yes, Rette is really dead. As for rather she will stay that way...well, you just have to read. So, before anyone takes the chance to try to take their frustration out on me, let's move on. Everyone, enjoy and review. I do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 54 Back Again

"Rette? Rette!?"

Abandoning their fights, Natsu, Gray, Sting and Rogue, ran to Rette, Sting getting there first. He fell to his knees beside her prone body, not even noticing the blood pooling on the ground, shining ruby red in the sunlight. He scooped up Rette's body, pulling her into his arms as the other three crowded around him.

"Rette? Come on, Rette, speak to me!" Sting pleaded.

With his free hand, he smacked her cheek lightly, but she didn't stir. Already, the warmth of her body was fading, her skin growing cold as the color quickly drained away with her blood. There was no breath coming from her lips, no beat of her destroyed heart. If the gaping hole in her chest where her heart was suppose to be, wasn't evidence enough, they no longer had any doubt in their minds.

Rette was dead.

It was a fact that soon reached everyone of her friends who could no longer sense her magical energy. Several cried out, others fought tears as they balled up their fists, and some stared at the ground in horror and disbelief. None of them had ever expected Rette to actually die, despite the warning from the future. She had always gotten hurt, sometimes more than everyone else, sometimes less, but she had always bounced back, as if nothing had every happened. Even when she didn't have enough magical energy to fight with, they could still sense her presence.

But now...none of them could sense even a speck of her energy left.

Sting couldn't believe it. Rette, the usually vibrant, vital girl he knew, lay dead in his arms, her body limp and lifeless. He couldn't force himself to release her, even knowing he still had a fight that needed to be fought. He gripped her tightly in his arms. It was then that he noticed something laying forgotten on the ground, not a foot from Rette. There, the strap broken, was the choker Rette always wore. Sting reached out, snatching it off the ground.

The charm was unharmed, the fire trapped inside, flickering as he looked at it. Gripping it tightly in his hand, he buried his nose in Rette's hair, holding her tight to his chest. He had just found her, had just found a girl that made his heart skip a beat every time he saw her. Had just found a girl who the very thought of her brightened his whole day. Hell, there were even days that all he could think about was Rette.

And now...now she was gone.

Right before his eyes.

They now understood Rette's words, understood what it was that she had come to understand about the warning. Rogue silently bowed his head, laying a hand on his partner's shoulder. Gray cursed and punched the ground, while Natsu continued to stare at Rette's ghost white face.

Mard Geer, held out a hand when Jiemma started towards the four mourning mages. Jiemma stopped though he wasn't too happy about it.

"That is enough, Lachlan." Mard Geer called.

All four mages froze when a twisted sort of laughter suddenly filled the air.

"Heh...who would have thought. Amoreta had always been more of a self centered person." All four turned looks of mixed shock and anger on Lachlan as the man got to his feet, laughing to himself as he stood, one hand pressed to the slowly healing hole in his chest. "She only ever cared about her own survival. Didn't cross my mind once, even with all her talk, that she would give her life to protect someone else."

"How!?" Natsu snapped. "How are you still alive!?"

"Why are you still here when Rette..." Sting couldn't finish that sentence.

Lachlan only laughed harder. He was finally back on his feet, running a hand through his hair as he glanced at his daughter.

"I'll give her one thing...she's become stronger, but I'm a demon. It might have been a righteous act she preformed, but her aim was off and she missed a vital hit." Lachlan said, spreading his arms. "Amoreta, no matter how hard she tried, was, and will always be, nothing more than a colossal failure. Even in death, she couldn't do anything! It was her own stupidity that killed her. Had she ran away and forsaken you, which is about all she's good for, then she might have lived a little longer. Amoreta-"

" _ **Rette! Her name is Rette!**_ "

This dark snap came from Sting. Lachlan snickered at the dark look on Sting's face. His cold magenta eyes flashed with a sense of ruthlessness and cold insanity as he grinned. It hurt them to see him look at them with that kind of look in eyes almost exactly like Rette's.

"Ah, yes. That ridiculous nickname her mother gave her. Turned out that they were more alike than I thought. Same stubbornness, same refusal to obey, and the same asinine sense of devotion to humans. Neither could just do as they were told. Lord Zeref blessed her with the name Amoreta, the day she was born and her idiotic mother insisted on calling her Rette. Oh, what was her name again...? Ah! Irini Starrilia. Took on her mother's name in the end, it seems." Lachlan remarked.

Irini Starrilia.

Rette had once said that her full name was Rette Irini Starrilia. Now they knew it was just a mix of her mother's name and the nickname her mother had given her. Even not knowing her mother, Rette had tried to honor her.

"Irini didn't like the name Amoreta. She wanted to call the girl Rette. I knew the moment she first held the girl that Irini had become emotionally attached. Did you know that Irini died with Amoreta in her arms? She tried to steal Amoreta from me. The foolish woman! Died in vain and in the most pain I could give her. I made sure Amoreta knew the story growing up, too. Thought it might deter her from repeating her mother's mistake, but no. She, too, defied me and died for some ridiculous notion of love."

Lachlan gave a demented laugh, laughing at all the plight his daughter had faced in life. Sting's grip on Rette's body grew tighter. This man, the man that was suppose to be her greatest protector, the one who was suppose to love her unconditionally, had been her biggest tormentor. He had made her life a living hell, casting her into nightmares and darkness from the day she was born. That Rette had managed to have any conpacity to love at all, was amazing in and of itself.

But love she had.

She had loved her friends, her guild, her family, enough that she had given everything for them. Had given everything to save them from the very man who had haunted her very steps her whole life. Right to the very end, she had loved them enough that she hadn't thought twice about which was more important, her life or their's.

Sting would kill this man for what he had done to Rette. She had deserved so much more than this man had ever given her. So much more than life had given her at birth. She had deserved a life of love and laughter and had gotten a life plagued with nightmares and constant fear and darkness. The mere thought brought more tears to his eyes.

If only they could have her back.

They would never let her be alone in her secrets, ever again.

-0-0-0-0-

 _So many tears_...

Viewing the world from above, invisible to the eyes of her guild mates, Rette watched her friends cry. She watched Sting hug her lifeless body as he, Rogue, Natsu, and Gray mourned her. She watched as Thyme cried her heart out, letting Lily hug her as the other exceeds, Mira, and Erza cried silently. She even watched as Makarov, detached from the battle in order to prep Lumen Histoire, shed tears for her.

She watched as the people who had become all the family she had in the world, cried out in heartache.

It broke the last, tattered remains of her heart. She had thought that, yes, they would cry, but at least they would be alive and safe. But this? She had never expected to find someone in the life given to her, that would cry so earnestly for her. Even as nothing more than a spirit floating above the world, Rette felt like someone was stepping on her chest. It hurt so much, knowing that she was the one that had made her friends cry so.

She hadn't wanted this.

She didn't want to leave them too heartbroken to defend themselves. She didn't want them to blame themselves, or mourn her. Rette was sure she wasn't worth it. Yet, cry they did. And there was no going back. Her choice had been made and there was no changing it now.

"Such wonderful friends you have."

Rette, out of surprise, turned. In the course of the turn, the world around her turned from the battlefield her friends still fought on, to a field of wildflowers where the sun shine so lovely over the world. Rette looked around her, surprised and in awe of the simple beauty of the field.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Rette's head turned to the side as a young woman stepped up beside her. For a moment, she thought she was looking into a mirror. The woman smiling gently back at her, looked exactly like her, except for two things. Where Rette's hair was chopped off just above shoulder length, the woman's silver hair fell clear down her waist. But that wasn't all. Staring back at Rette wasn't a pair of magenta eyes edged in lavender. These eyes were a pure, beautiful, lavender.

Rette knew who she was instantly.

"Mother?"

The woman smiled brightly, turning to fully face Rette. Reaching out, she took Rette's hands in hers. Rette was surprised to feel warmth surround her cold fingers.

"Look at you...so grown up, so beautiful. I knew from the very first moment I held you in my arms, that you would be so pretty." she told Rette.

Rette couldn't believe it. Standing before her was Irini Starrilia, the very woman who had given birth to her. She had thought she would never get a chance to see Irini for herself. Of course, it took dying for her finally get to see her.

"You...You're really my mother?" Rette asked.

"Yes, I am." Irini laughed softly at the look on Rette's face, reaching up to press one hand to Rette's cheek. "Why are you so surprised? I have always been there with you, my dear daughter, watching you as you fought to make a place in the world. I never left you for even a second."

"You didn't? Why not?" Rette asked.

"Such a silly question. You, my dear Rette, are my precious daughter."

"But, I...I thought..."

"You thought I would hate you, did you not?" Irini asked.

Rette nodded silently, unable to speak the words she had thought for as long as she could remember. After all, Lachlan had killed Irini because of her, he had forced Irini to have her.

"I suppose Lachlan told you that." When Rette nodded again, Irini shook her head. "Oh, your father really just...he was so charming when I first met him, had me completely fooled. But I am digressing."

Irini let go of Rette's hand, placing both of her hands on Rette's cheeks. She leaned forward, placing her forehead on Rette's. The smile on her face was so sweet, so kind that Rette couldn't deny it was genuine.

"Rette, no matter what Lachlan did or has said, from the very first time I felt you kick in my belly, I have loved you more fiercely than life."

She...loved her.

Rette could have cried in that moment. The one thing she had sought from Lachlan her whole childhood, she now found so easily in the very woman who should of had a reason to hate her, who should have rejected her. Irini laughed softly, her thumb rubbing at Rette's cheeks.

"It is not something to get teary eyed about. I am your mother. Lachlan might have tricked me, but I chose to keep you, to carry you and bring you into this world, all with the hopes of getting you away from the world Lachlan had trapped the both of us in. I am sorry that I failed at keeping you safe, as a mother should." Irini told her.

Rette latched onto Irini's wrist then, shaking her head fiercely.

"It's not your fault." Rette said firmly.

"And nor is it your's. Rette, as your parents, we should have protected you. I had no way of knowing what Lachlan was before he revealed himself and when I tried to take you away...well, I just was not fast enough. I am so sorry you had to live the life you did, but look at you!" Irini said, stepping back to look down at Rette with a smile. "I could not be any prouder of the strong, kind, and hopeful woman you have grown into."

It was everything Rette had always wanted to hear, just once. To know that at least one of her parents had loved her and was proud of her...Rette felt like several weights had been taken off her shoulders.

"Only one thing has ever upset me when I watched you." Irini said.

"What?"

Irini studied Rette's face, one hand sweeping her hair out of her eyes.

"You have tried to close yourself off from others and the world. You have let fear of losing another, fear of them knowing what you are, and the fear of rejection keep you from realizing that there are so many people around you, that love you for exactly who you are. You have kept them all at a distance and all that is doing, is hurting you. My dear, beloved daughter, you are so much more than you believe yourself to be. You just need to open your eyes and see it for yourself." Irini told her.

"It doesn't matter now. I'm dead."

Irini's smile, this time, was slow with a hint of mischievous to it. Leaning back on her heels, she gave her daughter a wink.

"You just leave that to me. You did not get your inclination towards Light of Creation magic from your father and there are several of those spells that you do not know yet."

With that, Irini vanished. Rette turned on the spot, looking around her, trying to locate the woman.

"Mother!? Mother, where did you go?" Rette called.

Laughter drifted to her on the wind that suddenly breezed through the flowery field. Rette had to pin her hair against her head to keep it out of her eyes.

"Just wait there, my dear. I will be back."

The wind died out, leaving Rette alone in the field. Rette heaved a sigh and dropped to sit among the flowers. Staring up at the blue sky above, Rette could only think one thing.

"Who knew I had such a playful mother?"

-0-0-0-0-

"What are we going to do?"

Rogue asked the question that his current comrades didn't want to answer. They all four knew there was still a fight to fight, but they couldn't just leave Rette like that. Even if she was gone already. A light, airy laugh reached their ears then, playing on the wind as it blew across the area. Everyone, even Lachlan, Jiemma, and Mard Geer, look up at as it played like bells. It even carried to the other members of Fairy Tail.

" _Don't worry, young ones._ "

Natsu, Gray, Rogue, and Sting's eyes widened as the voice sounded. It was similar to Rette's, though more mature and far more cheerful than Rette's had ever been. They looked around, but there was no one there and they knew it hadn't been Rette. Sting's hand growing warm, had his raising it to peer at Rette's choker clasped there. The charm was glowing, the internal flame shimmering and flickering brighter.

"Was that...the charm?" Rogue asked.

" _That is right, young one! Do not cry, do not worry. Any of you. Have faith and you will be rewarded._ "

The voice played across the battle field, reaching each and every one of Rette's friends. With it, came a relaxing presence that soothed all tears from her friends' eyes. Even Thyme's cries tapered off as she looked around trying to locate the speaker.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked.

Another laugh rang in the air, soft and sweet.

" _Just someone who has loved Rette from the very first kick in the womb._ " replied the woman.

"You mean..." Across the battle field, Lucy trailed off.

"You're her mother." Makarov finished from his spot away from the battle.

" _That is right. Thank you so much for the love and devotion you have showed my daughter, all of you. How much you care is not lost on her, or me._ "

Suddenly, to their surprise, images begun to play in all of their heads as feelings that wasn't their's, washed over them all. Closing their eyes, they could all see events from the time Rette joined Fairy Tail, play behind their eye lids. All of it played out from Rette's point of view, her feelings filling them as keenly as if they were their own.

From the confusion and awkwardness when she first woke up in the infirmary of the Fairy Tail guild hall, to the slowly developing feelings of friendship, affection, and love she felt increase with each battle she fought with her friends. Even a brief flashing of the events with Weiss, playing, letting them feel the intense and almost instant love she had felt for the child...and the increasing love she felt for Sting.

Individual moments with different people, flashed in their minds. A dinner with Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman that left them feeling the deep sibling love Rette had fostered for them, a moment in the guild hall, sitting around a table with her female friends, and the affection she held so dearly for each of them. A memory of Rette sitting at the bar and listening to one of Makarov's stories that had them feeling the strong father/daughter bond she had developed for the old man. Even a memory of Rette breaking up a fight between Natsu and Gray that had them feeling Rette's sisterly frustration at having to break up yet another fight between two guys who had become like brothers to her.

Seeing and feeling how she had saw and felt about each of them, brought more tears to her friends' eyes. Despite her inability to express her feelings, Rette had cared just as deeply as the rest of them. There were even feelings and thoughts that Rette had managed to keep from Thyme. The next memory to play, was that of Rette sitting on the cliff side her house was perched on, watching the guild hall below by herself. In the memory, she was talking, as if she was talking her mother's spirit. Kind of like Lucy did with her letters to her mother.

" _It surprises me, Mother. They're a funny bunch. Weirder than any I've ever met and that's coming from someone raised in the Compound and by dragons. But...it's not a bad thing. I like them, honestly. Even broken as I am, even unable to express myself, to be honest with them, they've accepted me. Even with Thyme with me, with all the people in the world around me, I've always felt like I've been alone from the start, but here...I almost feel like I can forget the past and just belong._ "

In the memory, Rette heaved a sigh, her eyes closing for a moment as an image of Lachlan, minus the scars, flashed through her mind. They could almost feel the shiver that had run down her spine in the memory.

" _You know Father, though. He might be leaving me to my own devices for now, but he won't leave me alone forever. One day, he'll come back for me and I'll have to pay for what I've done. It'll be better for all if they don't know the real me, if they don't get too far in. At least then, when I have to leave, they won't dwell. This won't last forever, but even then...I can't regret a single day in this guild, Mother. When I'm forced to go, I'll miss them more than anything else in this life. They are probably the only piece of heaven I'll ever see. They have made this nightmare of a life, worth living. For them, there really is nothing I wouldn't do._ "

They could feel the truth behind Rette's words as she spoke, spilling her honest thoughts to the air. Through her eyes, they could see as she scanned the guild hall, watching as people left for the night, talking and laughing.

" _I honestly love them all and despite me not being a perfect person, or even a half way decent one, they love me.. My point in telling you this, Mother, is because I just wanted to let you know that I've found a reason for me try to live this life to the fullest, a reason to smile and laugh, a reason to continue hoping for a better tomorrow. I've found a reason to exist and that reason is them. I won't let Father hurt them like he has so many before. I would rather die then allow such a thing because they deserve so much better than a person like me could ever give them and my life is the least I could give them._ " Rette gave a curt laugh. " _If these fits keep increasing, giving my life won't be so far off. They're slowly killing me. Perhaps that would be a good thing. End things before they get too deep. But still...it hurts to think of leaving them, Mother. Maybe one day, just maybe, I'll be able to tell them how much they mean to me. Maybe._ "

The memory faded, leaving Rette's friends lost for words. Rette, long before the warning from Future Rogue, had planned to trade her life to save them all from her father. She had deemed her life so insignificant when compared to that of her friends. All the while, she had been hiding that slowly and surely, she was dying.

And none of them had even guessed.

" _My daughter never was one to make others worry for her. She has been bound to this life by what her father has done to her and she refused to let any of you be effected by it. There is no doubt in my mind that she loves you all just as dearly as I love her. Because of all of you, she does not have to face this life alone and for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are her family and you love her like such. For that, I will do the only thing left that I can. I will return my daughter to you all._ " Surprise spread through them all, but so did joy. Joy at the thought of having Rette back, safe and alive. The voice sounded louder in Sting's head this time. " _Place the charm in her choker, on her chest and I will handle the rest_."

Sting turned his eyes to the charm. He cast a glance to Rogue, Natsu, and Gray, who nodded. The voice, Rette's mother, had told them to have faith and they would be rewarded. Anything for Rette. He laid Rette flat on the ground, placing the choker on her chest as requested.

" _Very good. Do me a favor...do not let her be so reckless anymore._ " Irini said, before her attention shifted to Makarov, her voice sounding louder in his ears, though it still reached all of the others. " _Please, I just beg one thing of you...give her the love I could not._ "

Across the battle field, Natsu, Sting, Gray, and Rogue, shielded their eyes as the stone in Rette's choker, shined brighter, the light growing brighter and brighter until it was blinding to all near it. It pulsed before the flames inside the stone seeped into Rette's chest. Light spilled through Rette's veins as the stone went dark and dull. It filled Rette from head to toe, making her skin glow. Before their eyes, the hole in her chest closed and vanished, but it didn't stop there. As they watched, the scar on her stomach faded and vanished, the brands on her hands and the scar around one ankle, doing the same.

Only when it was all gone, her skin as unmarked as the day she was born, did the light fade away. They waited with baited breath, the seconds ticking away. And then...

Rette gasped, sucking in a breath, her eyes flying open. She jolted up, coughing as her lungs fought to pull in air. Sting caught her in his arms and her arms instantly wrapped around him as she gasped in more and more air.

She was alive!

Rette was alive!

Her four friends cried in joy as she clung to Sting, trying to calm her breathing. Her eyes were wide open, surprise and disbelief coloring them. Even Lachlan was shocked speechless, Mard Geer silently surprised. She had been dead and now, not only was she alive, but ever scar Lachlan had managed to leave on her, was gone.

"You're alive!" Sting exclaimed.

"Yeah...I'm never doing that again." Rette declared, sinking against Sting's chest in relief.

"You better not!" Natsu snapped at her.

Rette gave him a look of warning about yelling in her ear and Natsu backed up.

"But what happened? Was that really your mother we heard?" Gray asked.

Rette opened her mouth to answer but was cut off.

"The one and the only."

All five of them whipped around, finding a ghostly figure standing there in a gown made of light. All four of Rette's friends, couldn't keep their mouths from dropping open as they looked from Rette to the ghostly figure. The two looked so much alike.

"Mother." Rette said softly.

"Rette, my dear daughter, you are where you belong. It was not time for you to come to me. Not yet." Irini told her daughter.

Rette nodded, not trusting her voice. For some reason, her emotions seemed stronger now and it was all she could do to keep her voice level and calm.

"Irini." The growl came from Lachlan, making Irini, Rette, and her friends, look at him. "I should have known that even death wouldn't keep you from interfering."

"Of course not. She is my daughter, Lachlan. You do not deserve her." Irini replied.

Turning, Irini dropped to her knees in front of Rette and Sting. Reaching out, she cupped Rette's face and leaned forward, whispering in her daughter's ear. Her voice was pitched so lowly that even Sting couldn't hear what she had said. When she pulled back, she smiled at Rette.

"You show Lachlan what Starrilia women are capable of and know that no matter where you go and no matter what you, I am always there and I am always proud." Irini told Rette. "Now...take care of your friends. Do not leave them again."

Irini leaned in, one last time, whispering, "I love you, my daughter", before giving her a kiss on the forehead. With that, Irini vanished. For a moment, all they could do was stare at the spot where she had been. Rette couldn't help the sinking, but happy feeling that settled in her chest. While she wouldn't be able to see her mother again while living, she now knew that her mother loved her. That was enough for her.

Rette was just glad to be back with her friends. Now they could stop crying. She had realized something in her few minutes of out-of-body experience...she never wanted to be the cause of her friends' sadness again. Never again. She would have to apologize to all of them.

"So...are you going to let go anytime soon?" Sting asked, a grin on his face as he looked down at her.

"If I could have my way...no. I would never let go." Rette retorted.

While the comment had Sting's cheeks turning a little red, it had her other three friends chuckling. Sting would have loved to let her stay there...at any other time. Right now, they still had a fight to finish. Clapping reached their ears then, making them all turn to look at Lachlan. While there was a grin twisting his lips, his eyes were hard and cold. Sting felt Rette stiffen in his arms.

"Bravo, what a show. To think Irini had such a trick up her sleeve. That woman always did drive me up the wall." Lachlan drawled darkly, his anger showing despite his grin. "And you have grown up to be the same way."

Sting tightened his arms around Rette before slipped an arm under her knees and raising to his feet. He held her close to his chest, settling her in his arms.

"I'm going to get Rette away from here." Sting told the others.

"No, Sting. Set me down. I'll fight."

Her friends looked down at Rette as she spoke firmly. Despite the cold sweat that had broken out on her body, her eyes were set in determination as she looked at Lachlan.

"Are you sure?" Gray asked.

"This is my fight, he started it with me, so I'll end it. I'm not going to let any of you get hurt fighting my fight for me." Rette replied.

Sting looked at the others, silently questioning what they thought. Natsu and Gray grinned. Rette was a fairy through and through, alright. She wouldn't give up, even when it scared her to death. Sting knew that, too. Though he really didn't want to, though he really wanted to put her somewhere safe and leave her there, he sat her on her feet.

"You better not die again." he told her.

Rette press a hand to his chest, turning her head to look up into his eyes. She gave him a smile then. Not one of the half smiles she had always given him. This was a full blown smile, given easily.

"I won't make my friends cry again." she promised.

Turning, she locked her eyes on Lachlan. She was done and tired of pretenses and hiding and holding onto things that only seemed to drag her down. So, while she might never know why they left, she was more than ready to move past the grudge she had held on her dragons. If she was going to beat Lachlan, she needed every spell and trick in her arsenal.

That included her trump card.

"The four of you might want to take a step back." she advised.

Without questioning her, the four took three giant steps away from Rette. They didn't know what she was up to, but they had a feeling that doing what she said was probably in their best interest. Drawing in a deep breath, Rette reached deep, diving into her Second Origin.

She would show her father what the child of dragons could do.

The burst of power that exploded out from Rette, swept over her friends, fierce and strong. Crystals begun to sprout from the ground around her feet, ice coating them in a layer of frost. Before their eyes, Rette under went a transformation they had thought her incapable of making, but the moment they saw the scales spreading over her skin, they knew what it was.

Dragon Force.

Scale of a shining silver spread up over Rette's cheeks and down her arms and legs. Claws, like those of a dragon, took place of her hands and feet, small wings coated equally in ice and crystal, sprouting from her back. Even a dragon-like tail sprouted from the base of her spine as her incisors sharpened into visible fangs.

Rette's Dragon Force had her looking more like a dragon than any of them. Perhaps that was because of the fact that she had had two dragons and had the magic of them both, so the magic effected her more than it did them.

"You can use Dragon Force!?" Natsu gasped.

"Of course I can. I am a Dragon Slayer." Rette replied. "Just because I never used it before, doesn't mean I can't."

"But it's so much more..." Rogue trailed off.

"Dragon-like? Yeah, I noticed that. It's probably due to having two types of Dragon Slayer magics. I never got the chance to ask Tundron and Chrysalis." Rette said.

Now that they knew, the other Dragon Slayers present couldn't help but wonder how Rette handled it. Demon and dragon, all wrapped up in one. Then again, it was Rette who had a knack for balancing and combining magics of all sorts.

"But it's not important." Rette said. "Let's finish what we started."

With that, Rette dropped to her knees, her eyes going to the skies above. She could still sense Igneel and Acnologia somewhere above her head. As long as Acnologia was there, she might as well make use of him and help out her comrade Dragon Slayers and dragon. She dug her clawed fingers into the ground.

"Twin Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Territory of the Twin Dragons!"

A large magic circle that was a swirl of ice blue and purple in color, appeared in the sky over them, spreading to cover the area. Crystal and ice shot from the ground forming four pillars at the edges of the circle, making Lachlan, Mard Geer, and Jiemma look around. A top of the pillars sat statues of dragons. The pillars marked four, evenly spaced points at the edges of the wide magic circle and once they were fully formed, their eyes glowed the same color as Rette's eyes, Rette eyes flashing the same way, showing that the pillars were connected to her.

Taking a deep breath, Rette leaned her head back, opened her mouth, and let out the loudest, most dragon-like cry. The cry even reached Igneel and Acnologia above, the two dragons pausing as they heard it. Igneel looked towards the ground, a break in the clouds, showing them Rette below.

"A Queen's Cry. She truly is all Chrysalis and Tundron said her to be." Igneel remarked, amused.

Acnologia, on the other hand, was not so amused. Already, he could feel his energy, his magic, draining, transferring to Rette, who then sent it out to each of the Dragons Slayers on the battle field and Igneel.

Below, Natsu, Sting, and Rogue felt an increase in their magic, their energy returning to drive away their fatigue. Rette slowly rose to her feet, glancing over her shoulder at her friends.

"Sorry I can't restore your magic too, Gray." she told him.

"Don't worry about me. I'm good enough." he assured her.

Rette nodded and turned back to look towards her father. No, towards Lachlan. He wasn't her father, no matter the blood ties and now...now she was going to prove that he had no more hold on her life. It was time to end this and return to her family. Her real family.

"Let's go." she declared.

With renewed vigor, the five of them charged into the fight once more. All over the battle field, the return of Rette's magic energy, sparked a new burst of energy in all of her friends. Just as Rette went into her fight with firm resolve, her friends did too. Rette hit Lachlan hard, her dragon claws slashing across his chest with an amount of force that surprised him. With a grunt, he jumped back, five deep gashes opened across his chest.

Rette refused to let up, just continued her attacks. Her friends did the same, continuing their own fights. With their energy returned and a firm resolve in their hearts to take Minerva back home and see Rette and her guild whole and together again, Sting and Rogue quickly put an end to their fight, finishing Jiemma, even though it wiped them of what energy Rette had been able to restore to them. Collapsing to the ground, they left the rest to Rette, Natsu, and Gray.

While Rette clashed with her father, Gray and Natsu were busy, having their heads dragged along the ground by Mard Geer. They quickly turned the tide, attacking Mard Geer as a team. Mard Geer took the damage, but bounced back, launching a counter attack. Back and forth they went, trading off blows and destroying the general area. Mard Geer declared himself thoroughly entertained.

"A long time ago," Mard Geer said, staring at Gray and Natsu. "magic was born as one. Eventually, it developed into many different kinds of magic. Historically, END created a new possibility for magic. Curses. The source of their power are actual "curses". Hatred...envy...grudges. Or in the case of Lachlan's daughter...tribulation. All negative feelings make them stronger. They are based on the nature of life. Even Lachlan's daughter can't escape that."

"Who cares! Then magic will create the future!" Natsu declared.

"Magic has no future. Curses are superior in all aspects." Mard Geer insisted.

With that declaration, Mard Geer used his ultimate curse, The Memory of Death, to try to completely destroy Natsu and Gray. The sheer feeling of the curse, made the hair on the back of Rette's neck stand on end, but she knew, before they revealed themselves, that Natsu and Gray were just fine. Thinking that he had destroyed them for good, Mard Geer returned to his human form. To his rude awakening, Natsu and Gray burst free of the ground, for the most part unharmed thanks to Gray's new magic.

This, however, took the last of Gray's magic, leaving the fight to Natsu. Angry at the fall of his comrade, Natsu hit Mard Geer with all he had and when it looked like he was out of juice and Mard Geer would win, he revealed that Gray wasn't done for just yet. He had set Mard Geer up, giving Gray the opening he needed. One hit was all it took to bring Mard Geer down for good, leaving him laying on the ground, unable to move.

All that was left, was Rette's fight.

Rette had her father pinned, landing one hit after another, driving him back. Just when she was sure she might be able to land a final blow, she suddenly felt the magic in the air around her began to thin. Gritting her teeth, Rette staggered back, her Dragon Force form faltering before vanishing, leaving her in her human form. Only her demon half kept her standing while all the other mages began to weaken. Rette instant backed off from her father, retreating to Gray and Natsu. Lachlan followed, standing off to the side to watch with a grin on his face.

Rette knew what was going on without being told.

"This is only the beginning. The disappearance of magic will eventually become "emptiness" and END shall resurrect, feeding off of that energy." Mard Geer said from where he lay. "And when the strongest Etherious rises, you humans will no longer have the defense you call magic."

"This is your last chance, Amoreta. Join me, or die with these humans." Lachlan called.

Rette's eyes flickered upwards for a moment before returning to her father.

"Shove it where the sun don't shine." she told him.

Lachlan growled before taking a single step forward. A grin spread across Rette's face, just before both Igneel and Acnologia fell from the sky, landing where Lachlan had been standing. Rette cursed when it was revealed that Lachlan had escaped being crushed.

"Damn. I was hoping they would crush him." Rette muttered.

Igneel, with Acnologia pinned under his clawed feet, rose his head, rising his voice.

"Don't give up, humans!"

A cry from the sky, had all of them looking up. A magic so familiar to Rette as her own, settled over Rette's sense, making her eyes widened. It couldn't be...it just couldn't.

"Tundron...Chrysalis..."

The names left Rette in a whisper. Part of her screamed that it couldn't be possible, but she knew the magic that washed over her, she knew it was them. It made her heart pound faster in her chest at the thought of getting to see them again.

"The dragons that you've freed are dancing in the skies of Ishgar." Igneel declared.

Bit by bit, Rette could fell the vanishing of the negating effect of Face, her magic returning. With it's return, she could feel her dragons' magic more clearly, as well as that of four other dragons she was sure she had never sensed before, despite their magic ringing a familiar bell in her.

"We've stopped END's resurrection." Igneel declared.

"Weisslogia's still alive?" Sting asked in shock.

"So is Skiadrum, Tundron, Chrysalis, Metalicana, and Grandeeney. We've all been inside you Dragon Slayers. Or more like, we've been asleep inside you due to a sealing spell." Igneel explained.

"And...the trigger was that throbbing we felt just now?" Rogue asked.

Rette felt her knees wobble before they gave, causing her to sink to the ground. She couldn't believe it. Tundron and Chrysalis were alive and had been hiding inside her for all this time.

"Oh yeah! I didn't hear about that, y'know! Why the hell were you in me! I don't remember eating you!" Natsu yelled.

"There were reasons for that. The first would be so that we could stop you Dragon Slayers from transforming into dragons like Acnologia. And the second-"

Igneel was cut off as Acnologia suddenly surged up, knocking Igneel off. Igneel promised that they would talk after he dealt with Acnologia and took off into the skies, yelling for Natsu to get the book of END. Rette still had her own fight to fight. Her attention was split though, was Natsu and Gray started fighting over the book. Gray wanted to destroy it, right then and there, while Natsu had promised to take it back to Igneel. Sting and Rogue tried to get them to cut it out, but before Rette could add her two jewel worth, the book vanished.

A new, but familiar magic suddenly washed over Rette, making her whip around as a voice spoke.

"This book belongs to me." All of them turned, Lachlan turning with a big grin on his face. "So I'm taking it back. It's really important, you know."

There, standing before them with the book in his hand, was Zeref. Lachlan greeted Zeref cheerfully and brightly. Zeref nodded to his faithful follower, his eyes scanning the others while a small smile fell on his face.

"Zeref..." Rette whispered as the man came towards them.

"Mard Geer, you did well. You were just about to revive END. You can sleep now." Zeref told the defeated demon.

Mard Geer, just as well as Lachlan and Rette did, knew exactly what Zeref meant. He tried to insist that he could fulfill Zeref's wish, but with a simple, "You can't." Zeref returned Mard Geer to his book and set the book on fire, destroying it and the demon, himself.

"You...! You created that demon!" Gray snapped.

"Yes. But I don't need it anymore." Zeref replied.

Gray took a step forward, but Rette caught his pants leg, pulling him to a stop. When Gray looked back at her wide eyed expression, she shook her head.

"Don't. You don't know him. Once he makes up his mind, there's no changing it." Rette warned him.

"It's been a long time, Amoreta. I'm glad to see you still remember me so clearly."

Rette's eyes went to Zeref as he spoke. He was smiling at her, but she had no doubt in her mind that he was not pleased with her. Lachlan looked from her to Zeref.

"I was just about to finish things with her, Lord Zeref." Lachlan said.

"No. Just leave her be for now, Lachlan." Zeref ordered.

If it had been anyone else other than Zeref, Lachlan would have argued, but all he did was cast one more look at Rette before nodding. Zeref turned his attention to Natsu then.

"I wanted to finish my fight against you today. However, Acnologia got in our way. Will he end history once again? Or will a miracle happen? I'm not sure." Zeref remarked.

"What are you saying?" Natsu asked.

"If you can survive this desperate situation...I will give you more despair." Zeref promised, turning to leave. Before he did, his eyes focused on Rette. "Amoreta...I look forward to our next meeting. We have a lot to catch up on."

With that, he turned, calling for Lachlan to come. Lachlan gave Rette a grin before turning to join his lord. In the blink of an eye, the two vanished. Only when Rette could no longer feel their energies, did she begin to relax, the long fight finally catching up with her.

"That bastard...he took the book with him." Gray growled.

Natsu took off then, going to help Igneel in his fight against Acnologia. Rette would have gone with him, but the trauma of her death, the exhaustion of the long fight, all of it finally caught up to her, making her body feel like jelly. She did feel, however, when Igneel's magic energy vanished, signalling his death at the claws of Acnologia.

With Igneel's death, Acnologia left. Rette, Gray, Sting and Rogue relocated to where all of their friends were. There they found their dragons waiting. Rette couldn't help but stare as the looked over the familiar, elegant, crystal covered form of Chrysalis and the craggy, muscled, icy form of Tundron with the spikes on his back that she remembered being hung from more times than she could count. Both gave her their dragon version of smiles when they saw her.

"Igneel, together with the bravery of all of you, has driven away Acnologia." Grandeeney said. "You did well trying to destroy Face, Wendy."

"It's because Carla was with me." Wendy replied, wiping tears from her eyes.

"As always, you've got that vile look in your eyes." Metalicana told Gajeel.

"Shut it!" Gajeel snapped back.

"I'm pretty sure I killed you." Sting told his dragon.

"I also am quite certain I saw you die, Skiadrum." Rogue added.

"We can alter human memories essentially at will." Weisslogia replied.

"Igneel was against use doing so, though. Ultimately, what we intended to do was grant you Dragon Slayers both the memory of killing us and the results you would achieve had you actually done so." Skiadrum added.

"Even so...to call us "dead" would only be half incorrect." Weisslogia said.

"What do you mean?" Rette asked, stepping up to join the other Dragon Slayers.

"Rette, my dear," Chrysalis said, her voice soft. "...we are already dead."

"Really?" Wendy asked.

"A very long time ago, our souls were extracted from us by Acnologia's Dragon Slayer magic." Grandeeney said. "That is why, in addition to the two objectives of stopping your dragonification and defeating Acnologia, the reason we remained inside your bodies was to prolong our own lives."

"Once we leave your bodies, we are unable to return to them. The strength we displayed today we did so for both the first and last time. This is yet another reason we did not show ourselves till now." Skiadrum added.

" Even Igneel was unable to defeat Acnologia. Then again, Igneel only had what little strength he managed to retain in his half-dead state. O humans, please, permit not Igneel's name to suffer blemish." Metalicana asked.

"There was never a dragon as gallant, nor any as human-loving as Igneel." Tundron agreed.

"We have not had the chance to tell you everything but, alas, the time has come. The time for us to part." Grandeeney said.

"No..." Wendy cried.

"There will be many hardships in the future to come, but I am confident you all will overcome them." Grandeeney told Wendy.

"No, don't go...don't go, Grandeeney." Wendy pleaded.

Gajeel laid a hand on her head then, patting her head.

"Let's send them off with our head held high." Gajeel told her.

Tundron and Chrysalis focused in on their adopted daughter then. Rette was staring at the ground, unable to raise her head and meet their eyes.

"Raise your head, child, and speak to us. Just one last time." Chrysalis asked.

Rette raised her head, her eyes landing on them as she swallowed hard.

"Tundron...Chrysalis...I..." Rette cut off, as she looked at her dragons watching her fondly. It had been so long sine she had seen them. She had been afraid she would forget what they looked like before she would ever see them again and now she found out...they had been with her the whole time. She had been so wrong about them. "I...I thought..."

"We know what you thought, little one." Chrysalis said softly.

"We have been with you through these long years, watching the world through your eyes. We know every time you cursed us for abandoning you and every time you cursed this world around you." Tundron added.

Rette's eyes instantly fell to the ground, humiliation and shame burning through her as she realized that, while she had been cursing them for breaking their promise to her, they had been keeping it, staying with her through thick and thin without her even knowing it. She felt like a fool for having ever doubted them. Knowing their human child as they did, Chrysalis and Tundron shared a look before Chrysalis reached out one claw, gently tilting Rette's face up.

"Look at us, child." she told her.

"I'm sorry. I...I doubted your promise." Rette said lowly.

"We knew, from the moment we first laid eyes on your eyes, what we were getting ourselves into. Such a dead gaze you had, unable to see anything to live for, yet such a fierce hope that everything would turn out alright anyway. We knew, the moment we vanished, that you would doubt us, curse us, even hate us. That was what you had come to expect of the world and all who dwell in it." Tundron told her.

"But we did it for your future, for you. Rette, child, you needed so much more than we could give. You have been unable to see anything but the ground in this world that has left you cold inside, for far too long. You've been beaten, bruised, and broken, have felt pain instead of the love you deserved and had come to expect nothing else from the world. You are so much more than your human father has made you. You just hadn't been able to realize it." Chrysalis told her.

"You gave us life and meaning. More importantly...you gave us hope. If someone as beaten as you, someone who came to us as a shell of a person, can still have so much hope for the world, then there had to be hope for the human race yet." Tundron added.

"We love you so much, Rette, that we knew you needed to learn to trust humans again. And look at you now. So loved, and loved so dearly. It seems like, in a blink of an eye, you've grown up into a respected, beautiful young woman." Chrysalis remarked, one claw rubbing gently against Rette's cheek.

"We hated to leave you and we hate to leave again, but you're grown now and so strong. You don't need us to shelter you anymore." Tundron insisted.

Rette bit her bottom lip, her eyes burning with tears she had not been able to shed in a long time. To her surprise, she felt something warm slide down her cheek, her vision blurring. With a rumble of a chuckle, Tundron reached out, wiping one large knuckle across her face.

"I though you said you had no more tears to shed." Tundron teased.

Rette tried hard to fight back the flow of tears down her face, having not shed any since she was small, but ended up gasping in a sob instead. She couldn't get them to stop.

"Shut up. It's your fault." she insisted, leaning into Tundron's and Chrysalis' clawed paws.

"We know and we're sorry. The last thing we ever wanted to do was make you shed tears again." Chrysalis admitted, Tundron nodding in agreement.

"We might leave, Rette, but you know that nothing can stay the same. Everything changes. We need you to stay strong, hold your chin high." Tundron said, tilting Rette's chin up. "Be proud of your bruises and scars, child, and never feel like you need to hide anything. It's all a part of who you are and who you are is a brilliant young woman."

"No matter what, we will never really leave you. We will always be right here." Chrysalis said, tapping one claw tip to Rette's chest. "This is not the end of us, for we will always be a part of you. Even if we are worlds apart, we will always love you for you are our greatest achievement. Besides...it seems you have done a splendid job of finding where you belong. You have a magnificent family."

Chrysalis and Tundron's eyes rose to take in all of the mages standing off to the side. Rette sniffled, reaching up to wipe her eyes clear. When she looked back up at her dragon parents, she gave them a smile.

"Yes, I do. The best family. They are my piece of heaven." Rette admitted.

"Good, that's very good. Don't ever let got of that." Chrysalis told her. "We love you."

"And I you." Rette replied.

Chrysalis and Tundron gave her smiles before Tundron looked at Grandeeney, nodding. Pulling their claws away from Rette, the dragons spread their wings, taking to the air.

"O humans, the days we fought one another...the days we hated one another, those are all in the past. Today...we were able to join hands together in peace. The age of us dragons has, in one sense, come to an end." Weisslogia called out.

"The future from here on out shall be forged by the power of humanity." Skiadrum added.

"In accordance with the covenant made four hundred years ago between dragon and man, the Magna Carta, we dragons shall continued to watch over and protect mankind. For all eternity." Grandeeney called.

With that, the dragons' forms began to glow, their bodies slowly fading from existence. Each dragon called their farewell to their human child. Rette stared up at her dragons, tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry, little one. We will always love you and we will always be proud of you." Chrysalis called down to her.

"Hold your head high and remember...pain is just an anchor. You can't let it have control." Tundron added. "Protect what's your's and never let another take it."

"I promise. No one will take what's mine, ever again!" Rette called back, putting smiles on her dragons' faces.

"That's our girl."

With the final parting, the dragons vanished. Rette sucked in a deep breath, refusing to cry anymore. As they said, it wasn't goodbye, they would always be with her. It still was sad, though. She had been all wrong about them and, while she could have held on to her good memories, she had held on to her feeling of betrayal. So much time wasted.

"Rette."

And now it was time to face her friends.

Turning, Rette met Makarov's eyes as he came towards her, Erza and Mira just behind him. Judging from the look on his face, he had been filled in on everything about her and all that had gone down with Lachlan. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her. When he didn't say anything, Mira spoke up.

"Why, Rette? Why didn't you tell us? All this time, we didn't know what you were going through. We didn't know what was killing you inside." Mira said.

Rette's eyes feel to her hands. She felt so tired, so weak, that her hands, just like her knees, were shaking. Why had she hide everything? Why has she never said a word? The honest truth...

"I didn't want to make any of you hate me. I didn't want to disappoint any of you because I'm not quite human. But now the truth is out. This..this _**thing**_ has been tearing me apart for years." Rette admitted, curling her hands. "I didn't want to drag anyone else down with me and, yet, I did anyway. I brought Lachlan to Fairy's Tail's front door and it's because of me that you now have a target on your back. It's partly my fault, and I'm so sorry for it. I understand if you want me to leave and not come bac-"

Rette cut off as she was suddenly yanked around, arms wrapping around her tightly and hugging her to a soft, warm chest. Rette was surprised as she listened to the frantic beating of the heart just under her ear. Mira's scent reached her nose a second later.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare go anywhere! You've already left us once today. Don't do it again." Mira pleaded. "I can't lose another sister again."

Rette didn't know if it was the cleansing her body had under gone when her mother had brought her back, or if it was just her being open and honest for once, but Mira's words hit her hard in the heart, bringing more tears to her face.

"We don't care about your past, Rette, or what you are, or what that man made you into. All we care about is you, who you are now. You are our friend, our family. We would never send you away." Erza added.

"You are now, and forever, a fairy of Fairy Tail, Rette. One of my children. We will always love you." Makarov assured her.

Rette fought hard to hold back her tears. She couldn't believe just how wonderful they were to her. They had taken everything about her, and had accepted it as if it was nothing. She would never be able to put into words just how much she loved them.

"Enough holding back, Rette. If you want to laugh, then laugh. If you want to scream or cry, then do it. We'll be right here for you." Mira told her.

And they would. Rette knew that. With that knowledge, she could no longer hold back her tears. Burying her face in Mira's chest, she left the sobs and wails leave her, the tears streaming down her face. When was the last time she had let herself cry? She couldn't even say.

All she could say was that she really loved her family.

-0-0-0-0-

That night, with the guild hall and half of Magnolia destroyed, most of the members of the guild, camped out in tents on the site where the guild hall had once stood. Even Rette's house, on the cliff over looking the guild hall, had been nearly completely demolished. With the events of the day catching up with Rette, Mira had taken over taking care of her, setting up a couple of connected tents for her, Rette, and a few others of the girls.

It was there that Sting found Mira, setting up a dinner on a folding table for Lucy, Wendy, Lisanna and herself. When the tent flap opened, the four girls looked up at a bandage Sting who was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, as if he didn't know what to say. Mira had a good idea on what he wanted.

"She's sleeping, through there." Mira told him, pointing to a flap across the tent.

Sting gave her a grateful nod and headed across the tent. Opening the flap, he found the space beyond, dark except for a small light lit on a crate beside the roll-away bed. It was on that bed that he found Rette. He let the flap close and approached the bed. After everything that had happened that day, he had to see her again, had to reassure himself that she was alive and well. Dropping, he crouched next to the bed, peering at Rette's face.

In the light of the lamp, she still looked like she hadn't regained her full coloring yet. But at least she alive and breathing, and safe with her guild mates.

Just then, Rette's eyes opened.

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

Sting jolted, embarrassed to be caught staring at her like some kind of creeper. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from her.

"Not really. I was worried that..." Sting trailed off, unable to finish.

"Worried I'd be gone?" Rette asked.

"Yeah. Sorry for creeping in here like that."

"Don't worry about it. I can't sleep anyway. Every time I close my eyes, all I can think about it Lachlan. I know that if I fall asleep, I'll have a nightmare." Rette admitted.

Sting looked at her face as she rubbed at it with her hands. It was obvious that she was tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but knowing that she would have a nightmare, made sleep hard for her. For a moment, he tried to think of some way to help her. In the end, only one idea came to mind. Standing, he nudged her arm.

"Scoot over." he told her.

Though she gave him a questioning look, Rette scooted over to the far side of the bed. Sting climbed into the bed, settling beside her.

"Here. Maybe you won't have nightmares if you know there's someone else here." he told her.

While it was embarrassing to offer to sleep with her, he honestly just wanted to help her. Rette was so tired, and so grateful, that she didn't care. Moving, she curled into his side, laying her head on his chest and heaving a sigh of relief as his scent filled her nose.

"Thanks, Sting."

"No problem."

When Mira checked in on them twenty minutes later, she found the two sound asleep, Sting holding Rette firmly to his side. Smiling, she eased the flap closed once again. Trouble had passed, for now and Rette deserved the rest.

Tomorrow would bring new challenges.

END

Kyandi: I think Sting was absolutely adorable.

Rette: It was embarrassing...but sweet.

Kyandi: Look who is finally able to admit her feelings.

Rette: Leave me alone.

Kyandi: Oh fine. Anyway, I have a lot to do, so everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	55. Going Separate Ways

Kyandi: Greetings, Kyandiacs!

Rette: We're back.

Kyandi: Alright, so I'm closing in on the final arc of Fairy Tail, which is sad.

Rette: At the same time, she's looking forward to the next arc.

Kyandi: Yep. I have two more chapters before I start the next arc; this one and the next.

Rette: The next one is just kind of set up for the next arc, isn't it.

Kyandi: Somewhat. But let's get this on the road.

Rette: Sounds good to me.

Kyandi: Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 55 Going Separate Ways

The next morning Rette awoke snuggled protectively in Sting's arms. He held her so tight, she had no real wiggle room left to her. Raising her head, she peered up at his face. He was still sound asleep, a grin on his face. She really didn't want to wake him up, so she tried to slip out of his grip, without any success. Sting instantly tightened his grip, pulling her flat against him as he buried his nose in her hair. He dragged in a sight breath and when he let it go, he muttered her name in his sleep, making Rette freeze.

"Don't...go..."

Rette's heart gave a painful flip in her chest when the words left the still asleep Sting. Several things had become clear to her in the last twenty-four hours. First and foremost was just how much she had scared Sting. If he had been this worried then she couldn't imagine how much pain and fear she had caused her guild mates. Just thinking about it had Rette wrapping her arms around Sting, hugging him tightly as she buried her face in his chest.

It was that tight hug that awoke Sting.

"Rette?" he called, thinking she might be asleep.

"...I'm sorry..." came Rette's muttered voice.

"For what?"

He was confused. What was she apologizing for so early in the morning?

"For making all of you sad."

Oh.

Rette truly felt bad for how she had made her guild, her friends, feel. He would be the first one to admit that it had ripped at his heart so fiercely. It had hurt just as much as it had when he had thought he had lost Lector.

No.

It hurt worse.

For Sting, after all that had happened, after holding Rette's lifeless body in his arms, there was no denying that in the time he had known Rette...he had fallen completely in love with her. Maybe it was the fact that, despite all of pessimistic words, she had the most hope of them all. Maybe it had been the way she had instantly fallen in love with a child that had smiled at her with eyes just like hers. Maybe it had been the way she had comforted him even during a time when they had been enemies. Or maybe it had been the unwavering, true strength she had displayed while fighting for her friends, the unyielding loyalty and devotion she had for her friends that drove her to give all she had for them.

He wasn't sure what it was about Rette that had finally pushed him over the edge of that cliff, but fall he had. The relief at have her alive and well, in his arms...he couldn't even begin to put words to it. So, yes, he had been sad when she had gone for her absolute last resort, as all of her friends had been, but she was alive now. That was what really mattered and he was sure her guild mates would agree.

"Don't worry about it. You're here now." he told her.

"But, I...am I really? It would be awfully cruel it this is all just an afterlife illusion or something." Rette replied.

Sting couldn't help the chuckle that left him at that. She really had to room to say that after being the one to stab herself through the heart? Tightening his grip further, he squashed Rette into him, making her wiggle as it made it difficult for her to breath.

"Sting...can't breathe..." she managed.

"See? If you were really dead, you wouldn't need to breathe." he told her.

"I get it, I get it." Rette replied, tapping his back as if she was tapping out of a wrestling match.

Sting loosened his grip, though he wasn't quite ready to completely let go of her. He would have to head back to his guild soon, so he was going to take all the time he could to assure himself that she was alive. And while he wanted to tell Rette how he felt, now that he, himself, knew, he was sure that now might not be the best time. After all, she had just died and come back to life.

Still...

"Rette."

Rette raised her face, looking up into his. Barely a few inches separated their face. When their eyes met, Sting couldn't help but stare. So similar to her father's, yet so completely different. Reaching up, he laid a hand flat against her cheek, his thumb running along her cheek bone. Rette blinked in confusion, but didn't look away from him. Even when Sting started leaning his face towards hers, she couldn't look away from him. Just a breath shy of their lips meet, the flap to the tent was suddenly thrown open.

"Rette! Time to wake up!"

Sting and Rette instantly pulled away from each other, Sting sitting up in the bed. Both of them turned towards the flap, finding Natsu standing there with Happy, Thyme, Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Gray, and Erza behind him. There were blushes on the girls' faces while Gray had a hand pressed to his face. Natsu and Happy, though, had a grin on his face. Sting couldn't help thinking that Natsu seriously had some poor timing.

"Ooo! What are you two up to?" Natsu asked, his grin growing.

"Get the hell out of here, Natsu." Natsu ducked, avoiding one of Rette's boots as she threw it at him. Reaching down to the floor, Rette snatched up the other, getting ready to throw it at him. Grinning and laughing, Natsu turned and left the tent. "All of you."

The others turned and left, too, before Rette could get the chance to throw the boot at them. She didn't know when someone had slipped a pair of boots and a change of clothes in for her, but at least the boots had come in handy. Heaving a sigh because she felt tired all over again, Rette hung her head.

"He makes me feel so tired some times." she remarked.

"Yeah. He's got really bad timing." Sting said, heaving a sigh.

The moment was lost and just when he had been about to kiss her. He was going to have to get Natsu back for this. Rette shifting to climb off the bed, had Sting turning to look at her. She was now standing beside the bed, shifting through the clothes that had been left for her.

"Natsu's always busting in when he's least wanted. It's one of his foremost traits. After all this time, I've grown use to it. Though," Rette heaved a sigh. "this time, I don't think my bone tired state is purely because of him."

"After what happened yesterday...just don't push yourself." Sting told her.

Turning to look at him, Rette gave him a smile. It was sweet, how much he worried about her. But it was uncalled for. She was sure that her guild mates wouldn't let her over do anything any time soon.

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure my guild mates are one step ahead of you. Now," Before Sting's eyes, Rette's cheeks started turning red as she pressed the stack of clothes to her chest. "Do you mind stepping out so I can change?"

Sting felt his own face begin to heat. Quickly, so quickly that he almost tripped over his feet, he left her portion of the tent, letting the flap close behind him. He waited there until she appeared. Turning to look at her, he was surprised. It wasn't the type of close he was sure to seeing her in. The boots were similar to those she always wore, but in place of the barely there shorts and tops, she was wearing keyhole, sleeveless, turtle neck dress that hit about mid thigh length.

When she stepped out, she was staring at her bare hands, turning them over to look at them. She even rubbed at the backs of her hands.

"It feels so strange to look at my hands and not see those brands, to look at my body in general and not find a single one of the scars that Lachlan left on me." she said idly.

"But it's a good strange, right?" Sting asked.

"I don't know. Ask me again after I've completely processed the fact that I died and came back to life."

"And we're glad you did."

Rette and Sting looked up as Mira pushed back the entry flap of the tent. She gave Rette a soft smile. One that Rette had to return.

"I really am sorry." Rette told her.

"Yes, well, no more apologies. Master wants to talk to you." Mira told her.

Rette had a feeling that she was about to get the scolding of her life. Makarov was bound to be extremely displeased with her and her actions. Turning to look up at Sting, she promised him that she would see him later before heading towards the tent flap. Mira directed her towards Makarov and Rette headed out, making her way over the rubble of those building destroyed when Tartaros attacked Magnolia. She found Makarov standing before what was left of the guild hall, which, admittedly, wasn't a lot.

"Master?"

Makarov turned when Rette called out to him. Already, she was bowing to him, her head hanging. She knew what she had done had worried them all and had been a wrong and hasty choice. She was sorry, as evident by her bowed posture.

"I'm so sorry, Master. I made all of you sad and made you cry, and for that I am so unbearably sorry." she told him. "I only...I only wanted to keep all of you from feeling the pain he made me feel."

She was braced, waiting for the verbal lashing she was sure was coming. Instead, she was surprised when she felt a hand land lightly on her head. Raising her head slightly, she found Makarov standing in front of her, a hand resting on her head.

"Master?"

"You're right. You worried us, made your comrades cry. Even when told to be careful, you rushed into a decision that could have been permanent. You're very luck it wasn't." Makarov told her sternly. "That being said...you were trying to protect your family. While I don't approve of the method, I am proud that you stood up to your fears for your friends."

Rette was so shocked that she didn't realize that her knees had buckled until she was sitting in front of Makarov. He smiled at her fondly, patting her head. Rette couldn't even began to describe how much she ate up the fatherly attention. He looked Rette straight in the eye, knowing full well that while Rette was sorry for upsetting them and knew that her choice had been hasty, she still believed herself disposable compared to her friends.

"Rette, listen to me. I know I've told you this before. In a guild, one person's happiness, is everyone's happiness. One person's anger, is everyone's anger. One person's sadness, is everyone's sadness. That is what a guild is. There isn't any reason for you to try to do anything alone. If something is too difficult, if something scares you, you're comrades are always right there for you. Everyone in Fairy Tail has their story, has their secrets they would rather no one know, but in our guild, we accept and love each other despite those stories and secrets. You are one of my children, Rette, and that's not going to change. Do you understand?"

Rette bit the inside of her cheek, fighting back the tears that wanted to come forth. She had already cried more in the last day than she had since she was very small. Despite trying to fight them back, a few spilled down her cheeks anyway.

"I understand. I really am sorry, Master. I never wanted to hurt anyone. Fairy Tail and everyone in it, means too much to me."

"Good girl." Makarov said, patting her head. "You're family to everyone in Fairy Tail and even those outside of our guild, and you will always mean a lot to your family. Just promise me that you will not do something like that again."

"I promise, Master. But, Master, you have to know that Lachlan isn't going to let this go. Nor is Zeref going to." Rette said, her eyes falling to the ground.

She was too aware of the fact that Lachlan was not going to let her get away from him. She was his and Zeref's creation and Lachlan never had been one to take being defied lightly. They would both come after her again, if only to kill her and regain the demon sealed within her. Makarov could see the weight of that knowledge shining in her eyes.

"I know. That is part of the reason why I called you here. Rette...I'm disbanding Fairy Tail."

Rette's head flew up, her eyes going wide as they landed on Makarov. Her mouth fell open and closed a few times as she fought to think of something to say to him. Finally she cleared her throat and tried again.

"But why?" she asked.

"There is a war brewing that I don't want my children being drawn into. I will disband the guild now and do what I can to make sure that war doesn't find it's way to our family. As Fairy Tail's master, that is my duty."

"Then let me go with you." Rette insisted.

Makarov couldn't help the smile that curled his lips. Rette had changed so much since she had joined the guild. He had watched it with his own eyes. She had tired so hard to hide the worst parts of herself and who she really was, to keep a distance between herself and the others, all in hopes to spare them of the demons she both figuratively and literally carried with her. She cared more than she had wanted to let on, had protected her guild mates even when they didn't know that there was danger lurking just out of view. Even now, she sought to protect him despite the fact that she, herself, was still so pale and weak after her death and rebirth.

"Rette, I'm happy that you feel so fierce a need to protect your family, but I won't take you with me." Rette opened her mouth to argue, but Makarov held up a hand to silence her. "Rette, when you came to Fairy Tail, I knew you had some demons, as all my children do. Whether that is figurative or literal, doesn't matter. I knew you were always holding back, always keeping a certain amount of distance between you and others, and it concerned me that you felt you couldn't trust us."

This was usually the point where people argued that they did trust others, but Rette never really made pointless arguments. She knew he was right and wouldn't argue it. If anything, she hung her head in shame of how she had acted.

"I'm sorry, Master." she said lowly.

"I understand your reasons. I have done my best to show you that this guild is your family and that everyone loves you just as you are. No matter if we're together or apart, that won't change." he told her.

"I know."

"The guild will disband now, but you are still one of my children and I want only the best for you. So, as a last order as your guild master...I want you to promise me that you won't do anything stuipd and that you will stay away from Lachlan Banesbloud." Makarov insisted sternly.

Rette raised her head to meet his eyes. He couldn't read her expression and for a moment, she was silent as she considered his words. But then she nodded.

"I promise, Master..." she said.

Makarov nodded, heaving a relieved sigh. He could do what he needed to do and not have to worry about Rette. It would be a great load off his mind as he went forth.

"What will you and Thyme do?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I will give Thyme a choice. She's grown so close to Lily that I couldn't bare to be what separates them. I will encourage her to go with him because I know that's what her heart really wants." Rette remarked, looking back towards where the tents were pitched. "I will take Wendy and Carla to Lamia Scale. I know Jura will see to it that they are well cared for and welcomed, and Wendy is friends with Chelia. She will settle in nicely there, I think and it will ease my mind to know they are with friends."

"And you?" Makarov asked.

"I'm not sure. I know several guilds that would accept me, but I'm not sure what to do. I might go to Sabertooth. Sting would take me in without thinking twice." Rette replied.

"Then I have a final job for you to do for me."

Rette turned her eyes back to him, listening as he told her what he wanted for her to do. Nodding, Rette agreed to his final job. She parted from Makarov and went in search of Thyme. She found the exceed with Lily, Carla, and Wendy. Thyme raised a paw in greeting when Rette approached.

"Rette! Are you feeling better?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah. Hey, I need to talk to the three of you." Rette said, gesturing to Thyme, Wendy, and Carla.

Catching on that Rette wanted a little privacy, Lily went in search of Gajeel. Only when he was out of hearing range did Rette turn to the other three.

"What is it?" Wendy asked.

"Master is disbanding Fairy Tail." Rette said.

"We heard." Wendy said sadly.

"Everyone is going to go their separate ways. I've been tasked with taking the two of you to Lamia Scale." Rette said, looking at Wendy and Carla.

"Us? But why?" Wendy asked.

"Jura will see to it that you two are cared for and I know you have maintained a friendship with Chelia. It's a good option for you. At least until we can bring Fairy Tail back together." Rette turned and looked at Thyme. "You have a choice now, my old friend. You either come with me or you can stay with Lily. I know how much you care for him. I wouldn't grudge you the slightest if you choose him."

Thyme glanced towards Lily, her little, black paws gripping the front of her dress. Rette could see the conflict in her eyes. Crouching down, Rette rested a hand on Thyme's head, making the exceed look up at her. Rette gave her a smile.

"We have spent many years together and you are my oldest and dearest friend." Rette told Thyme, making the exceed smile back at her. "It's why I won't stand between you and what you really want. Go with him, Thyme. You don't want to end up regretting not persuing the one you love."

Thyme stared up at Rette, meeting her eyes. She knew that Rette really meant what she said. She only wanted Thyme to be happy. Finally, Thyme nodded.

"Good." Rette said softly, stroking Thyme's head.

"What about you, Rette?" Wendy asked.

"I have a last job to do for Master. After that...I'm not sure. I'll figure it out, though." Rette told her.

"You could just stay with us." Carla said reasonably.

"I don't want to join a guild. Fairy Tail is my guild and Magnolia is my home. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Rette assured her.

Rette, they knew, had said she would be fine during their fight with Tartaros and had, briefly, ended up dead. Wendy wasn't so sure she could trust those words from Rette. As if she could read Wendy's mind, Rette reached out and placed a hand on her head.

"I'm not going to pull a stunt like that again, Wendy. I promise. It's just...I'm a one guild kind of girl." Rette assured her.

Rette despite everything else she was and did, kept her promise. Wendy smiled back at her. As it was, Rette had already been asked to be careful by Makarov and she knew she would be asked the same several more times before she actually left Magnolia. But the truth was...what she had promised Makarov...wasn't what he had asked of her. She hadn't promised him that she would stay away from Lachlan and not do anything stupid.

What she had promised...was that she would never go against his wishes after this.

It was time she found her father and put an end to this whole thing.

-0-0-0-0-

The next day, Rette, Wendy, and Carla bid farewell to their friends after seeing off Sting, Rogue, and Minerva. It was easy for Rette to tell, just by looking at the way Sting stared at her, that he was concerned and really didn't want to leave her, but he had his own guild to look after. Once their farewells were said, Rette, Wendy, and Carla headed out.

The trip to Lamia Scale's guild hall was pretty easy, as far as Rette was concerned. Which she was grateful for. She wasn't sure she could handle a lot of hassle while she still hadn't bounced back completely. The guild hall was busy when they arrived at it's doors.

"This is Lamia Scale?"

Wendy and Carla looked up at the building before them. Rette, standing beside Wendy with her hands on her hips, nodded to Wendy's question.

"Yes. Come on."

Wendy and Carla followed Rette as she led the way inside. The moment they entered the building, all eyes turned to them. Wendy took a step closer to Rette simply because she was shy with so many people staring at her. Rette was unfazed by the stares, as she always was.

"Rette?"

Jura, with Lyon and Chelia behind him, approached them, a curious look on his face as he looked at the two Fairy Tail mages. Rette raised a hand in greeting to him.

"Hey. Just the guy I wanted to see." Rette said.

"What's going on? Shouldn't you be resting? We all heard about what happened...about your father." Jura said, lowering his voice.

Rette's eyes darted away from him. So the word had begun to spread about her and who and what she really was? She should have expected it. It wasn't like her guild mates were the only friends she had been keeping secrets from. Bowing at the waist, Rette apologized. If nothing else, Jura, Lyon, and Chelia had proved themselves to be her friends. She owed them an apology as well. It surprised Rette when Jura reached out, dropping a hand onto her shoulder. When Rette straightened up to look at him, he smiled at her.

"You have no reason to apologize. We can't help the parents we're born to, Rette, and none of us hold it against you." he told her.

"Yeah, but killing yourself was taking things a step too far." Lyon added.

"I know. I just...I didn't want to see my father hurt others like he did me. He's a demon in more ways than one." Rette said, her shoulders sagging. Reaching up, she laid a hand over Jura's and gave him a smile. "Thank you for your acceptance."

"Of course. You know...you've changed." Jura told her.

"I know. I'm not exactly sure what really happened to me and my body during those moments before I came back to life, but all of my scars, both those on my body and those on my mental and emotional state, are gone. I don't know but it feels more...freeing. Perhaps change isn't all that bad." Rette replied with a smile.

"Not bad at all." Jura agreed. "So what are the three of you doing here?"

Rette and Wendy shared a look before Rette heaved a sigh.

"Fairy Tail has disbanded."

Gasps sounded all over the room as everyone fell silent. Jura, Lyon, and Chelia stared at Rette and her two companions in shock. It was Jura that recovered first.

"Why?"

"Master decided it. He didn't explain why, only said that there was something he had to do. Everyone have already begun going their separate ways. Natsu and Happy vanished without a word, Lucy's going to find a journalist job, Gray and Juvia left together, Thyme is with Gajeel, Lily, and Levy, and I don't know where Erza is." Rette told him.

"And you're here, why?" Lyon asked.

"I wanted to see if you would consider taking in Wendy and Carla." Rette answered.

"What about you?" Jura asked.

"I still have to do something Master asked me to do. I'll decide what to do afterward. Will you take them?" Rette asked.

"Of course." Jura told her. "And if you decide to join another guild after your work is done, then we'll be glad to take you too."

Rette nodded, thankful to him. She turned to Wendy then, who already had eyes full of tears. Gracefully, she dropped to one knee in front of Wendy, laying her hands on the girl's shoulders. She shared Wendy's heartache at having to part, but it was necessary. Rette, as she had done the day she had suggested Wendy join Fairy Tail, held open her arms.

Wendy and Carla both dived into her open arms and Rette wrapped them up in a hug. Wendy let her tears loose, crying while Rette pat her back.

"Don't cry, Wendy. Its not goodbye forever. Just a, "Until next time". We'll see each other again, I swear." Rette told her lowly.

Wendy released her, stepping back and wiping her eyes. She gave Rette a smile as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I know. Just...be careful, Rette." Wendy told her.

"Everyone is saying that. You would think I was careless." Rette remarked.

"You can be." Lyon butted in.

Rette could see the truth in that statement. She did have her careless moments. Rette laid a hand on Wendy's head and gave her a small smile.

"Take care of yourselves. I'll see you again." Rette told them.

Wendy nodded, Carla promising to keep an eye on Wendy. Rette said her farewells to them before leaving. Now alone, Rette hit the road. For the first time in years, she was completely on her own. No one walked beside her, no one was there to start conversation. It was what Rette needed to carry out what she had to do, but...it was far too quiet.

It use to be that Rette lived in silence, loved it, would have begged for silence when screams filled her ears. But now? It was so strange not to hear loud laughter or excited chatter, or the sound of wooden furniture smashing in a fight. Rette realized that she loved the sounds of her guild just as much as she loved the people in it. It was the sound of home.

"That's why I must do this." Rette muttered to herself. "For them...for their safety and happiness. I refuse to let the same darkness in me, fall over them."

Rette stopped in her tracks, turning back to look towards the town where she had left Wendy and Carla. She had come to a lot of realizations recently. Fore front of those was that her guild was her life, no...her heart and soul. She would lose her will to live without them, that was how much she loved them.

She had a lot she needed to tell them, especially Sting, but before she could do that, something had to change.

So while she still intended to bring a stop to Lachlan on her own, she wasn't going to let her life be forfeited to do so. She would handle her father and then she would come back home to her family. If, along the way, she was able to fully let the light of her family shine in, than all the better. For now, she had something that needed to be changed.

With that thought, she moved on to the next stop.

-0-0-0-0-

"My, my! Maki said that?"

Rette, standing at the bar of the Blue Pegasus guild hall, batted off the advances of some men and nodded to Bob. She had been greeted quite energetically upon entering the building, every single one of them accepting the truth of who and what Rette was. Along with that, she had been greeted with a lot of flirting, something she had waved off to approach Bob at the bar. She slid onto a bar stool and Bob sat a drink in front of her. Rette thanked him.

"Yes. Master asked that I explain to his friends among the other guild masters what is happening. He hopes, should any of our members come here looking to join, that you will accept them." Rette told him.

"But of course, my dear! I'd be more than happy to accept you too, dear." Bob told her.

"Thank you, Master Bob, but I still have quite the task before me. I will keep your offer in mind." Rette told him politely.

"Of course. Just take it easy, dear. You still look so pale. Of course, we all heard about the scare you gave poor Maki. Don't push yourself." Bob told her.

He reached out, cupping one of her cheeks. He gave it a gentle tap and smiled at her. She had friends in so many guilds, so many that she hadn't even thought about when she had gave her life for those brief minutes.

"We all care about your well being, dear. Don't forget that." Bob told her.

"I won't. Thank you for your concern, Master Bob." Rette told him.

"Oh, so polite! I would love to have your adorable face around here!" Bob said cheerfully when he saw the smile that appeared on her face.

"I'm sure. I do know that I heard Freed mentioning something about him, Evergreen, Bixlow, and Laxus coming here when Laxus wakes up." Rette told him.

"If they come, we'll happily accept them." Bob told her.

"Thank you, Master Bob. And thank you for the drink." Rette told him.

"Honey, why don't you stay the night? Get some rest and get a fresh start in the morning?" Bob offered.

"Thank you, but no. No offense, Master Bob, but I don't think I could survive a night at your guild. I have no tolerance for the constant advances and flirtation from your members."

Bob chuckled to himself. He had heard that Rette, recently, had attracted the attention and affection of Sabertooth's new master, Sting. It was adorable to think that Rette was so innocent. Bob was sure that Rette frustrated Sting sometimes.

"Well that's fine, but please promise you will find somewhere to spend the night. You need rest." Bob insisted.

"I already have a room at an inn nearby." Rette assured him.

Relieved, Bob nodded. He reassured Rette that he would keep an eye out for any fairies seeking to become Pegasuses and Rette bid him goodbye.

She spent the night in the inn and headed out early the next day. Over the next few days, she made her way to several different guilds, passing on Makarov's message. A week passed and Rette found herself standing in front of the Sabertooth guild hall. She had purposely left this one for last.

A strange sense of nervousness settled in Rette's gut, making her feel uneasy. She couldn't bring herself to go into the building and face Sting only to say goodbye. She had a feeling he just might see through her. She knew, sitting up in her inn room the night before, that she would feel this way. She had already felt nervous about approaching Sting and telling him that she was leaving.

Hence the letter currently in her hands.

"Ret!"

Only one person, or in this case, exceed, called her by the nickname Ret. Next thing she knew, Lector came flying towards her. Rette caught him by the face, just short of him crashing into her chest.

"Oh, hello Lector." Rette greeted.

Lector flailed for a moment until she released his face, letting him drop to the ground. He landed on his tail just as Forsch came up behind him, holding up his arms to Rette.

"Hello Rette. Hug?" he asked.

Rette couldn't help it. Forsch was just too cute. In his little pink frog costume, she just couldn't resist him. Bending over, she picked him up, holding him close as he leaned against her chest.

"Hello to you, too, Forsch." Rette greeted.

"How come he gets a hug?" Lector asked.

"Because he didn't come flying at me and he doesn't insist on calling me a nickname I'm not all too fond of." Rette replied.

"Come on, it's an endearment!" Lector argued.

"You are aware that my name is already shortened, right?" Rette asked. "But if you insist on a hug...come here."

Rette held out her free arm and Lector jumped up hugging her along with Forsch. It was then that Forsch caught sight of the envelope in Rette's hand.

"What's that?" Forsch asked, pointing to it.

"Oh, yeah. Can I get the two of you to deliver this to Sting. I can't stay long, so if you could pass it on to him, then that would be wonderful." Rette told them, setting the two of them down before handing the envelope to Lector.

"You could just give it to him yourself. He's right inside." Lector said.

"Yeah, but I'm already running behind. Please just pass it on to him." Rette requested.

"Sure." Lector agreed.

"Lady Rette!"

Rette turned finding Yukino running her way with Minerva slowly following. Yukino had a concerned look on her face and instantly grabbed Rette's hands when she was in range. Her eyes scanned Rette as Minerva silently approached, unable to look Rette in the eye.

"What are you doing here? You should be resting back home." Yukino said in concern.

"I'm fine, Yukino, really. And I don't really have a home to rest at anymore. My house was destroyed during the attack of the Tartaros guild." Rette replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Yukino said.

"It's fine. I can always rebuild. What's the point in having a home if you don't have the chances to improve and build upon what was once there? For now, I'm on a mission from my master."

"Really? What kind of mission?" Lector asked.

Rette heaved a sigh, her shoulders kind of sagging.

"Fairy Tail has been disbanded."

"What!?"

Rette's ears could have done without the sudden yell from Yukino and Lector, but that was to be expected.

"Then where's Thyme?" Lector asked.

"She went with Gajeel, Lily, and Levy." Rette replied.

"Natsu, then?" Lector asked.

"He and Happy vanished off somewhere to train before ever hearing about the disbandment." Rette replied.

"And the rest of your team?" Yukino asked.

"Lucy went to Crocus to find a job in journalism, Wendy and Carla are with Lamia Scale now, I don't know where Erza went, and Gray went off up north with Juvia hot on his tail. It's just me, now." Rette said, listing off all of her teammates.

"Lady Rette..." Yukino whispered lowly.

"I'm fine." Rette insisted. "It's fine this way."

Yukino knew that Sting wouldn't be happy to hear that Rette was out on her own. Even she had a bad feeling about Rette being left alone.

"You can join Sabertooth. I know Master Sting would love to have you in the guild." Yukino told her.

"I'm sure he would, but it's fine. I still have a job to finish for Master Makarov." Rette told her.

"And afterward?" Lector asked.

Rette's eyes drifted off to the side. It was then that they landed on Minerva standing there quietly, looking anywhere but at Rette.

"You're looking well, Minerva." Rette said, completely changing the subject. Minerva glanced at Rette, pausing when she found Rette smiling softly at her. "I'm glad."

Minerva was surprised by the truly genuine smile and comment from Rette. She had expected Rette to still hold a grudge against her for how she had treated her during the Grand Magic Games. Instead, Rette had given her smile.

"Rette, I-"

"Don't, Minerva, please. You have nothing to apologize for." Rette assured her. She reached out, laying a hand on Minerva's shoulder. "Let's forgive and forget, alright? Bygones be bygones. Too much has happened for us to hold on to grudges like this. Besides...what kind of friend would I be if I couldn't forgive a little dispute?"

"We're...friends?" Minerva asked.

"What? You don't want to be?" Rette asked, blinking back at her. "Well, too bad. You're stuck with me. Best to just accept it."

Minerva couldn't tell Rette how grateful she was to know that she was forgiven. Rette gave her a wink before turning to look at Yukino who was smiling brightly. Rette reached out to give Yukino's shoulder a squeeze.

"Lady Rette...are you sure you'll be alright? I can get Master Sting if you want to talk to him." Yukino said.

"No, that's fine. I swear, I'll be alright. I took care of myself before Fairy Tail and I can do so again. And it'll only be for a while. I have no doubt that Fairy Tail will be back together some day. As for Sting..." Rette glanced towards the Sabertooth guild hall, her gaze becoming distant for a moment before she turned back to Yukino and Minerva with a smile. "Watch out for him. He can be a bit...child-like."

Yukino nodded. It was obvious that Rette cared greatly for Sting. Rette looked down at Lector and Forsch, crouching to pet both of their heads.

"Get that to Sting for me, please." Rette told Lector.

"Count on me!" Lector cheered.

"I will."

Rette bid her farewells and left. Yukino, Minerva, and the two exceeds saw her off before returning to their guild hall, there, they found Sting with Rogue, Orga, and Rufus. Lector hurried over to Sting.

"Guess who just stopped by." Lector said.

"Huh? Who?" Sting asked.

"Ret."

Sting's head flew up, his eyes going to his partner. Rette had shown up and hadn't come in to say hi? On top of that, she shouldn't be traveling so soon. Immediately, he shot to his feet, his chair rocketing backwards.

"Rette's here!?" he demanded, turning to go find Rette.

"She already left." Yukino told him.

"She did? She shouldn't be traveling right now! Was Natsu with her?" Sting asked.

"No. Rette was alone." Minerva said.

"She came to tell us that...Fairy Tail's been disbanded." Yukino added.

Shocked gazed fell on Yukino and Minerva. It took a moment for it to sink in and then several questions came their way. Yukino repeated all that Rette had told them. The more she spoke, the more Sting got a bad feeling in his gut. Rette...Rette was alone. Just thinking those three words made him want to go running after her.

"She left this for you." Lector said, holding out the envelope that Rette had given to him.

"For me?" Sting asked, taking it.

He put a little distance between him and his friends, opening the envelope. Inside, he found a letter comprised of a few sheets of paper with Rette's neat script scrawled across them. He found himself a seat in a quiet corner of the guild hall and sat down to read the words that Rette had left for him.

 _Sting,_

 _I'm not even sure how to start this, so I'm just going to apologize. Natsu was all to quick to tell me how you cried when I died._

Sting groaned here. Leave it to Natsu to jump on the chance to embarrass him by telling Rette all about that. He was going to hit Natsu upside the head the next time he saw the other Dragon Slayer.

 _I really am sorry. At the moment, I felt like that was the only thing I could do for all of you. I just didn't want him coming after the rest of you. I know, first hand, what he's capable of and I would not wish that on my worst enemy, let alone all of you who I care for. Which is why, eventually, I will have to face him. Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to risk my life again. I refuse to make you or our friends, cry again._

 _That being said, I know you'll worry. That's just who you are. Now that you know everything about me and my past, I guess now would be the time when one would say, "I was going to tell you", but truthfully...I wasn't inclined to ever tell a soul a single thing. I feared what you and everyone else would think. I was afraid all of you would hate me, pity me, or be disgusted by me. As I was with myself. I know now that I should have trusted all of you, but fear makes people stupid and I'm no different._

 _I know exactly what I'm going to do, now that Fairy Tail is disbanded, but whatever I do...you can't come after me. You have Sabertooth to worry about. Besides, Fairy Tail isn't over. You know my guild. They won't lie around, licking their wounds forever. Especially not Natsu. Giving up isn't in our vocabulary. Just you watch. As soon as Natsu comes back, Fairy Tail will be back in force._

 _In the mean time, take care of Sabertooth and yourself. Don't let Lector be too upset that Thyme went with Lily. And try not to fight with Rogue too much. We'll see each other again, you and I, I promise. When we do...I have something important to tell you. Just, please, forgive me. Forgive me for not telling you about Lachlan and myself. Forgive me for dying, I honestly hadn't planned it. And, please, forgive me for not being able to face you before leaving._

 _If you can forgive me, I'll definitely come back home again. After all...you're part of my home._

 _Take care, look out for the others, and try not to get too impatient, with me or anything else. I'll see you again soon and, no, that is not an invitation to come after me. Take care, Sting._

 _Rette_

She had all but flat out said that she was going to go after her father. He would go after her no matter what she said. Another piece written at the bottom of the page, caught his attention then.

 _P.S._

 _Come after me and I have pictures of you and little Weiss taking a bubble bath that will find their way into the hands of not only your guild mates, but Natsu and Gajeel._

He was _**not**_ going after her.

No way, no how. Not doing it! After all, she had requested he not, right? He would respect her wishes.

Yeah, that was it.

That was totally his reason.

Growling to himself, Sting slammed down the letter and started to rip the envelope to pieces, only for something to fall out. Snatching it out of the air before it hit the ground, Sting looked at it. In his hand was a picture of Rette, with her indifferent expression, sticking her tongue out at the camera. Flipping it over, he found a short message.

 _Don't be mad, please._

 _I'll be back before you know it._

 _And if you want to continue being mad...well, then I'll have to lick you._

Despite still being a little angry with her, Sting couldn't help the grin that curled his lips. He was still conflicted on what to do, for he wanted to respect her choice, to trust her, but he also wanted her safe with him. He didn't even know where to start looking for her if he did go after her. For now, he would just have to trust her to take care of herself.

With Rette, it was all about a matter of trust.

END

Kyandi: I love the relationship between you and Sting! It's just so cute!

Rette: Are you saying the relationship between me and Laxus in the other story line, isn't cute?

Kyandi: That relationship is a bit more...

Rette: Grown-up?

Kyandi: Kinda. I mean, don't get me wrong, you two are great together, but I don't think cute is the right word.

Rette: I get it.

Kyandi: Speaking of the other story line, I have to get to that one. So everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	56. Dear Diary

Kyandi: Hello all Kyandiacs.

Rette: We're back.

Kyandi: And we have **two** chapters for all of you!

Rette: Admittedly, this one is a little on the short side.

Kyandi: Well, it was suppose to be more of a small, wrap-up kind of chapter that also kind of sets some other things up.

Rette: Oh, right. The surprise.

Kyandi: Shush! Not another word out of you.

Rette: Got it.

Kyandi: With that said, everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Kyandi: If I did, the ending would have been so much more detailed.

Chapter 56 Dear Diary

 _How do I start this...? I refuse to use "Dear Diary" so I will simple go with, Whoever happens to be reading,_

 _First thing first, my name is Rette Irini Starrilia. I'm nineteen, a mage, and was originally born as Amoreta Banesbloud. But that last part doesn't really matter. Where was I? Oh. Right. I'm nineteen and a mage of the magical guild, Fairy Tail; home of the world's foremost trouble making mages._

 _Not trouble making in a I'm-evil-and-am-going-to-destroy-the-world kind of way. Its more of an idiotic kind of way. A lot of things get blown up when my guild mates are in town. But while my guild is known for it's trouble makers, forefront of those being our resident hot head(no pun intended, I swear), Natsu Dragneel, and was constantly filled with yelling and/or fighting, how do I put this...it's home._

 _You see, I didn't have a good childhood by any standards, and while I would rather not talk about it, this might be my last chance to tell the story from my point of view. Every last detail. After all, this letter will probably never be found by anyone, anyway._

 _I was born on an uncommonly cold, late spring night to my twisted, cruel, dark mage of a father and my poor, kind hearted mother who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and whose only mistake was loving a mentally ill man. Sadly, she died just a few days after my birth, courtesy of my father. This left me in the hateful clutches of my father in a place that never had an ounce of warmth to it in any way, shape, or form._

 _Then again, when you're born and raised underground, everything's cold...even the people._

 _Everyone, but my nursemaid. She had been my mother's best friend and, ironically...her baby sister, my aunt, Seraphina. It's not a detail that's known even to those who know my secrets, but Aunt Seraphina was the only light in my dark world. After seeing what my father did to my mother, she didn't try to defy him. After all, she had only been fourteen at the time and what fourteen year old would openly defy the man who killed her sister? But she had taught me my Light of Creation magic, the magic my mother used and she was the one that helped me to finally escape._

 _Even now, I wonder whatever happened to my dear, sweet aunt, but I doubt I would ever get the truth from my father._

 _But I digress._

 _Upon my birth, my father, who was a right hand man to the dark mage, Zeref, allowed said man to name me. Zeref bestowed the name Amoreta on me. My nickname, from what my aunt told me later on, was picked out by my mother before she died._

 _My father was highly abusive and almost everything I did caused him anger. It wasn't like I tried. I remember working hard not to anger him, but it never worked. My very existence seemed to anger him. As punishment he would hurt me, starve me, though he would never allow me to die._ _ **That**_ _was perhaps the cruelest thing he did. I spent most of my long, endless days, alone in the dark and cold, dressed in nothing but, literally, a rag, afraid and angry at everything and everyone._

 _Looking back on it now, perhaps the lack of clothes back then is why I hate underwear now._

 _It's certainly food for thought._

 _By the time I was three, my tears had dried up. By the time I was four, I had received my first life long scar from my father in the form of a shackle scar on my ankle. By the time I was five, I cracked under the constant fear and anger._

 _It was the first time that, in a fit of rage and fear for my life, the voice started speaking in my head, urging me to hurt and kill._

 _And I did._

 _My father had caught one of the few other children in the Compound, trying to slip food to me while I was being punished. When confronted, the boy stood up for me. As a way to punish us both...he ordered me to kill the boy. After beating him nearly to death, first. I refused. In anger, my father killed the boy and turned on me. He was so angry that he ripped into my stomach without a second thought. In that blind urging of anger, I nearly clawed out one of his eyes._

 _After that, fear had quickly replaced anger and the urge to flee was what finally got me out of that forsaken place. It was a year later, still in my blind run through wilderness I had never before encountered, that I met my dragons; Tundron and Chrysalis. If you want a weird childhood, try being six and running into two large dragons that could squash you under one clawed foot like a bug. And then try having those same dragons decide to adopt you as their daughter._

 _Yeah, the whole "Mommy, where do babies come from" conversation yielded some strange results._

 _I never did find out. Not until recently._

 _But, just between me and you...they aren't the only dragons I met when I was little._

 _Though I never told them about the other one...she wasn't so nice._

 _Needless to say, by the time I met them, my heart was about as open as a concrete dam. I butted heads with my dragon parents a lot and we argued a lot. Most of those arguments ended with me hanging from one of my dragon father's icy back spikes by the back of my dress. Chrysalis found it hilarious._

 _Yeah...dragons have a weird sense of humor._

 _I didn't want to admit it out loud until recently, especially after they vanished, but I really did care for the both of them. They had given me all they could; time, love...two beings to call family despite the difference in species. I was just too closed off to see it at the moment. Too angry to believe them vanishing was anything other than them abandoning me._

 _Not that I've been much better later on in life._

 _Even with how much I've changed, I have still closed up the most vulnerable part of me from everyone around me. I thought it better to live locked in my personal hell than to risk anymore of my heart._

 _But I digress. Like I said, though, Tundron and Chrysalis vanished. One day, when I was eleven, they just up and vanished without a word to me. Or...at least that was how it seemed. I know differently now, but back then, I had no idea where they went and I had no where to go. Without them there, I had no reason to stay, so I started travelling. Always alone, always keeping the world at a distance. It was around this time that I started to pick up books from here and there and started learning other types of magic._

 _I didn't want to use the magic my dragon parents had taught me, so I sought out new magic and started applying the mixing technique I had picked up on when I was learning Dragon Slayer magic, thus giving birth to a new type of magic: Nexus Magic._

 _A year later, I found a large egg in a field of wild thyme. From that hatched my constant companion, Thyme. She was so tiny then. I use to carry her in a makeshift sling across my chest, as if she was a baby. At least until she could fly steadily. Now a days, she constantly sits on my shoulder. She's the first creature I've ever let my guard down around._

 _Kind of hard not to when she can sometimes read my thoughts and emotions._

 _We traveled around, on our own, for a good six years. It was a simple life usually consumed with raking up money for food and running from dark guilds. Simple, but better than what I had originally come from._

 _And then I met them._

 _Fairy Tail._

 _I can't help but look at my guild mates as I write this. Upon first being introduced to the chaos of the guild, I had been...overwhelmed. And understandably so, mind you. Any normal, sane person(and I'm not entirely sure that applies to me) would have balked in the face of the members of this guild._

 _The master, Makarov, managed to talk me into joining the guild, Thyme following me in the choice, but I had tried to keep my distance. Despite their rowdiness and quirks, the people of Fairy Tail are good people. I didn't, and still don't, want to do anything to cause them harm of any kind._

 _This guild is mine after all and I protect what's mine._

 _Over time, the people of the guild just kind of...weaseled their way in._

 _When they want something, they make it impossible to tell them no._

 _I didn't realize it when it was happening. At first it was just a feeling of, "This isn't so bad" and then it was stronger feelings of growing affection. Then, before I even knew what hit me, the guild captured my heart. Or, at least, what's left of it._

 _They became my God given solace in this world. The one thing that calmed my heart amidst the storm it almost always seemed to be caught in. Even when the world around me was going up in smoke, they kept the very core of my heart calm and tranquil._

 _I won't admit any of this out loud, of course, though I have a feeling I don't really need to. Some of them, at least, have figured it out by now. I've felt myself relaxing my guard around them, more and more during the time I've been with them. How could I not?_

 _There was Makarov who, like a true father, wanted only what was best for me. He only wanted me to be happy. He treats me like I'm actually his child. It's a bit surprising, to be honest. Even with so many others in the guild and so many problem children(we all know I'm talking about Natsu and Gray, though Gajeel and Laxus rank pretty high up there too), he still finds the time and concentration to focus solely on me. It makes me feel...well, loved._

 _Something I never got with my birth father._

 _And then there's the Strauss siblings. Though the three are actual siblings and had no real reason to do so, they basically adopted me as one of their own. For all tends and purposes, it's as if I was born one of them. I never knew how nice it was to have siblings until I could walk into the guild hall on a bad day and walk right into the open arms of Mira and Lisanna, with Elfman there to lift all three of us off the ground in a near bone crushing embrace._

 _Who knew I would actually enjoy nearly being snapped in two, as long as it was done with love?_

 _My teammates are right there on the list, just below them. The first of which is Erza._

 _You have no idea what it's like to have an overly protective and over whelming, big sister figure until you end up as the pseudo sister of Erza Scarlet. I don't know whether to describe Erza as surprisingly girly or creditably insane. Perhaps both? Whichever way you want to put it, I know she's always there for me. Even when I don't want her to be._

 _And believe me...there are times like that._

 _After her, is Natsu. How to describe Natsu...incredibly irritating? Eternally grating? Idiotically cheerful? Yes, that's about right. If girls mature faster than boys, than little five year old Asuka is far more mature than him. Despite that...I don't think I could have a more loyal friend. Does he get on my nerves and make me what to smash his face into a wall? Without a doubt. But I know he'll always have my back. A brother I never wanted, but wouldn't trade for the world._

 _Gray is the same. He's tormented by his past, at times, and he constantly ends up in his underwear, but he's devoted to his friends. If only he could see how much Juvia truly cares for him. The boy can be so blind at times that even I want to smack him upside the head and say, "Open your eyes, you idiot!"._

 _Of course I can't forget Lucy. At first glance, she doesn't seem strong, or smart, and not all that reliable, but first impressions aren't always right. Lucy's as sharp as the crack of a whip, she's always there for her friends, and she's stronger than even she believes herself to be. She's the glue of our little group, holding us together when we all want to run in several different directions._

 _Then there's little Wendy. She's shy sometimes and easy to fluster, but, as far as children go, she's awfully mature and so sweet. She makes me feel like I need to take responsibility for her sometimes, as if I'm her older sister. Not that I'm complaining. As far as little sisters go...Wendy's got to be one of the best._

 _With her, comes Carla. Carla's got a sharp tongue and there are times when she acts as if she so above everything, but I know better. She's really just always looking out for Wendy. And for her friends. That's something I relate with her on. No pun intended, but despite all her hissing and flashing claws, she's really not a bad sort._

 _Now Happy on the other hand...I worry that he doesn't have a fully functioning brain in his head. Maybe that's a product of having been raised by someone like Natsu. Despite not being the sharpest tool in the shed, he's got a good heart. Him and Natsu are definitely cut from the same cloth, that's for sure._

 _And then there's Thyme. My sweet, constant friend. There was so much I've kept from her over the years, but even when she found out, she never batted an eye. She continued to love me as she's always done. I want so much for her in this life and she deserves all of it and more. If only she could tell Lily how she feels. She deserves love._

 _They all do._

 _I wish I could say that I've given them all I got to give, but the truth is...I've held my full feelings back for so long, that it's going to take me a while to learn how to open up again. And I want to. I want to so badly._

 _Because of_ _ **him**_ _._

 _Sting Eucliffe._

 _Just writing his name has my stomach feeling like there's something fluttering around in there. It's strange. I'm not sure when I went from seeing him an overly cheerful friend to something more. Maybe it was during that time with Weiss. More than likely. Chrysalis once told me that children have a way of making males, no matter the species, look at females differently. I'm not entirely sure that's true, but I'm so grateful for Sting that I don't even have words to describe it. He's been so good to me that it's ridiculous._

 _Most of the time, he acts like an over sized child, but his cheerfulness is actually very refreshing. I feel like everything will be alright when he smiles at me and an encounter with him usually leaves me feeling relaxed. He calms my usually chaotic thoughts and makes me want to smile._

 _I think I...I think I might be in love._

 _I'm not really sure. I've never been in love before and I've only recently come to understand the love of my friends and family. And how would I even know if he has feelings for me as well? This whole thing confuses me and frustrates me. How do I even began to tell one way or the other?_

 _I just don't know._

 _Not that I have time to really over think it. As of late, my father's shadow has begun to loom over me once more. I knew he was getting close because the fits suddenly got worse and I could feel it in my very bones. My whole body begins to fight against me when the man is near..._ _ **she**_ _begins to fight me._

 _The real Amoreta Banesbloud, the Demon of Tribulation._

 _Oh, yeah, I guess I should explain that a bit._

 _I'm half demon. My father, the cruel creature he is, is a demon, while my mother was human. Apparently, my father thought that mixing human and demon would produce something with the resilience and the access to curses of that of a demon, as well as the access to magic that humans possess. Something that could pass in either world. The thing was...there's no middle ground. You either end up more one or the other._

 _In my case, I ended up more human than my father wanted. I was weak at birth with no real connection to curses. Back then, even my connection to magic was weak. I got sick easily, bruised easily, was quick to cry and quick to back down. I didn't have even an ounce of the stubbornness I have now. The me back then, is so completely different from the me now, but, at the same time, it isn't. We are one and the same, after all. The only difference now is that I'm better at bottling up all of that and hiding it deep down._

 _Beneath the calm indifference, hides the crying child._

 _A lot has changed since my days locked away in the Compound under my father's tyrannical rule, but, at the center of it all, I haven't really changed. Deep down, I know I'm still the same scared, little girl I had been back then. And it is because of that little girl deep down, that I am now afraid._

 _But not for myself._

 _I'm scared for my friends, for my guild and everything I've built during my time in Fairy Tail. Part of me wants to shout that I should have known better from the beginning, but the majority of me can't come to regret joining Fairy Tail. I know I've put them all in an extraordinarily large amount of needless danger, but...I love my guild. The time I've spent with them, has easily been the best in my whole life._

 _So, yes, this particular guild comes with a lot of trails and stupid fights, and yes, the members are, for the most part, less than sane, but they fight for what they believe in, for each other. This guild of rag-tag members, is more like a family than some real, blood related families are. They fight, they laugh, they cry, and they do it all together. When one person suffers, the whole guild suffers. It's because of this guild that I finally understand what it means to let others in to see a side of me that I've never shown to anyone else._

 _It's because of them that I can finally trust others._

 _Life, I know, isn't fair. It has a way of really rubbing salt into open wounds. I've been painfully aware of this truth for as long as I can remember, but that's not always the truth. Life is also full of beauty and love. Sure, there's darkness, but it only makes the light shine brighter. While life might have dealt me a pretty poor hand at birth, maybe it did that so that I could appreciate what good came my way. A lot of people don't appreciate the small things in their lives. A smile from another, a simple kind gesture, or even a quiet day with those around you. Hell, I've even come to appreciate the fights my friends constantly start._

 _I might have had a hard beginning, but life really has made up for it in spades. After all, its given me the greatest gift I've ever received. So, while I feel my father's presence casting a shadow over my life once more, the light of my friends has lit a path I know I need to take. Sitting here, writing this, I can look up at my guild, at the people who have fought with me, who have accepted me despite the truth they've come to learn. I never thought I would find a place in this world for me to belong, but I have._

 _I've lost so much, in the last twenty-four hours. My birth mother, the dragons who raised me...I've only just come to realize how much the three of them loved me, only to lose them, but I won't be sad. They've given me a lot. The magic to get me through life, to protect my loved ones, the ability to continue hoping for the best, and a second chance at life._

 _And I won't waste it._

 _I have a lot ahead of me, that's for sure, but my guild, my family, needs me. I don't relish the punishment I'm going to get from Master Makarov for deceiving him, but in the end, if I accomplish what I'm setting out to do, then I will gladly accept it._

 _It's with that mind set that I'm setting out on a solo adventure of sorts. I'll take Wendy and Carla to Lamia Scale, will pass on the message that Master has given me, and then I will face the future with my shoulders squared and my chin held high._

 _I'm coming for you, Lachlan._

 _And, this time, I won't back down until the job is done._

 _I will come home, though. I won't be throwing my life away again. I have to much waiting for me here in Magnolia. I'll go, and I'll come back._

 _After all, I have a house to rebuild._

 _Forever a fairy,_

 _Rette Starrilia_

Rette had spent the better half of the night writing the letter. She didn't really intend for anyone to find and read the letter, but it helped her to put her feels and thoughts to words. Once written, she had sealed the letter in an envelope and now stood before the broken remains of her house, the envelope in her hands. At the moment, her eyes were locked on the envelope. She hoped, if anyone did find the letter, that it wouldn't be until long after she had left.

She didn't know what she would do if someone found it and came after her.

"Rette!"

Rette turned when she heard her name being called. Standing at the top of the stairs leading down to where the guild hall had use to stand, was Wendy and Carla. The two smiled as they looked at her, waiting for her so that they could depart for Lamia Scale. Rette smiled as she looked at the two. She had a job to do.

Turning, Rette leaned over to tuck the letter under a loose stone in what use to be her front porch. With it safely secured and shielded from the elements, she gave the remains of her home one last look before turning to join her friends.

It was a new day...time to get moving.

END

Kyandi: Yeah, I don't like writing, "Dear Diary" either.

Rette: What does your's say?

Kyandi: "To My Dearest Crazies".

Rette: God, you're so weird.

Kyandi: Tell me something I don't know.

Rette: You really want me to?

Kyandi: No, I don't. I have another chapter to get to, so everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be right back.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	57. Year X792

Kyandi: I told you we'd be right back!

Rette: This chapter is definitely longer than the last.

Kyandi: Most definitely. I've been working on this a lot lately.

Rette: She's been waiting for this arc.

Kyandi: Yep. While it's the final arc of the series and I'm sad, I've been looking forward to this.

Rette: She has a lot of plans up there in her head.

Kyandi: That I do.

Rette: Then shall we get on with it. You do have another chapter for another story to get up.

Kyandi: Yeah. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 57 Year X792

 _Year X792_

A year.

It had been a year since Fairy Tail disbanded. So much had changed for the former members of the guild. Lucy, herself, found herself working as a reporter for Sorcerer Weekly. Today, she covering the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games along side her supervisor, Jason. After feeling down for a while due to the sudden departure of Natsu, Happy, and even Rette, as well as the disbandment of the guild, Lucy had come to realize that everyone had their own paths to take.

It was then that Jason had come to her with a job...as an underwear model.

While she had been good at it, and had plenty of job offers as a model, Lucy really wanted a job that allowed her to write, so Jason hired her. Now she lived Crocus, covering one story or another. So the last year had past in some what peace.

"Okay, so I'll get the article and the layout down, so leave it to me!"

Lucy said this to Jason as the two stood in the crowded area outside the Grand Magic Games arena. They had just finished watching a match that their next article would cover.

"Thanks!" Jason told her. "Hmm...but y'know, this year's Grand Magic Games just doesn't have that...boom to it. Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, none of them came. Blue Pegasus, Quarto Cerberus...and Fairy Tail too."

"Well, that's cause it doesn't exist anymore." Lucy replied.

"But that mark on your hand."

Jason's comment drew her attention down to her hand where she still sported the mark of Fairy Tail.

"It's all over huh...such a shame though." Jason remarked, waving to her as he left.

Lucy thought to herself as she made her way back home. Over the last year, she hadn't kept in touch with everyone. She had been too busy, was her excuse. In truth, though, it was probably because she didn't want to meet them now that everyone had split up and gone their own way. Or more like, she didn't have the courage to see them again. She really did want to see them all again.

It was why she became a reporter, in order to gather information on everyone.

She wanted, more than anything, for everyone to come back together. While she had heard of sightings and rumors about most of the members of Fairy Tail, there were three that she still hadn't been able to track down, hadn't heard a single thing about; Natsu, Happy, and Rette.

But she wouldn't give up.

The next day found her at the Grand Magic Games arena once more for the final event of the tournament. Though Jason was all excited about the final event, Lucy was zoning out, her thoughts miles away from the Games.

"Lucy?"

Lucy blinked in surprise when Jason suddenly leaned into her line of sight, a concerned look on his face. She gave herself a mental shake when she realized she had been spacing out.

"Ah! Sorry, what were you saying?" she asked.

"Look...the battle's about to start!" Jason told her, pointing to the arena below.

"Yeah, but it's all an act." Lucy replied.

"Not really, I mean, Skull Millione's had a rocky start! Who knows, they might just-"

"That's what I'm saying." Lucy said, cutting off Jason. "Sure, Chrisaac's strong, but from what I see, Skull Millione's members are way stronger. They're probably a lot stronger but they're just hiding it. It's probably because they're doing it for the money."

"Huuuuh!?" Jason asked.

Sure enough, it was the members of Skull Millione that won the match. Jason and the crowd went crazy over the win, but Lucy was unimpressed.

"Amazing, Lucy! It's like you said!" Jason cheered.

"Sure, they're strong, but to have them as Fiore's number one..." Lucy trailed off.

Just then, a hush fell over the crowd as a cloaked figure entered the arena. Lucy leaned forward, concerned about this intruder. Then it hit her. Lucy knew the feeling she was getting from this cloaked intruder. Turning to Jason, she demanded he start evacuating the people in the stands, but it was too late. Flames erupted, filling the arena and sending the audience running from the stands. Down below, in the arena, the cloaked intruder challenged Skull Millione's team and attacked. The flames he used were so intense, they were melting everything from the arena itself, to the clothes of those who weren't fast enough to get out of the arena. Even the hood of the intruder's cloak, melted away to reveal a very familiar face.

"Natsu!?" Lucy cried while covering her chest after her top melted away.

"Heya, Lucy! How've ya been!"

The cheerful voice had Lucy turning to find Happy behind her.

"Happy!?" Lucy exclaimed. "What's..."

"Oh man, Natsu said he just had to come here and see the fight. But everyone's out of commission now." Happy said.

Below, Natsu challenged anyone and everyone to come at him. Several others tried their hand and attacked Natsu, but no one stood a chance. In the end, he ended up going over board and destroying the arena. It was only then that Natsu noticed Lucy, his hair, now long, blowing in his face.

"Yo, it's been such a long time, Lucy!" Natsu greeted with a huge grin.

Lucy was over joyed to see Natsu once again. It had been a long time, indeed. Of course, Natsu was arrested and taken to the castle for his interference in the Games, but he was quickly acquitted of all wrong doing. He was released only to find Lucy waiting for him.

"Lucy! You came to see us all by yourself?" Natsu asked.

"Why isn't the rest of Fairy Tail with you?" Happy asked.

"That's right. You don't know, do you...?" Lucy asked.

The confused looks on Natsu's and Happy's faces answered that for her. After a quick relocation, Lucy filled the two of them in on Fairy Tail's disbandment, which put the two of them into a depressed mood.

"Fairy Tail...broke up!?" Natsu asked.

"Wh-wh-wh-why!?" Happy cried.

"It happened the day after you guys left." Lucy told them.

"But why...did they...break up?" Natsu asked.

"I still don't understand it either...can't wrap my head around it at all." Lucy replied.

"Where can I find Gramps?" Natsu demanded. "I'm gonna bash his brains in! Better yet...pluck out what's left of his hair!"

"You could at least leave his mustache." Happy piped in.

"The Master is missing." Lucy informed him.

"What about everyone else!? Erza!? Gray!? Rette!? And the others..." Natsu asked.

"Everyone just went their own, separate ways."

"I...I can't...believe this. Everyone...was okay with the guild...just breaking up like that?"

Natsu couldn't believe this. He couldn't believe that everyone was just alright with the guild breaking up.

"I wonder..." Lucy muttered.

"Well how else could it have happened!? Even if Gramps told them to break up, they could have just refused. Laxus could have easily taken over as the next master." Natsu snapped.

"Do you really have the right to say that, Natsu? After all, you didn't ever think of the guild, did you? You didn't discuss it with anyone when you just went off on your own journey." Lucy replied. When Natsu broke out in a cold sweat, she gave him a smile. "I'm sorry. You and Happy probably had a lot on your mind. I'm sure things were the same for Master and everyone else."

With that said, Lucy invited Natsu and Happy back to her new apartment since they didn't really have anywhere to stay. Natsu and Happy were pleasantly surprised when they saw Lucy's apartment.

"Whoa! This is your crib, Lucy?! So you've been living in Crocus!" Natsu exclaimed.

"It's close to my workplace, so...You probably don't have anywhere to stay do you...I'll let you crash here." she offered.

"Ooo, praise you, my angel!" Natsu said, bowing to Lucy.

"Don't you dare damage anything! And another thing..do **not** set foot into my bedroom, 'kay?" Lucy told them.

Happy, though, was already busy clawing at the wall with his claws. Lucy screamed at him for it while Cancer gave Natsu a much needed hair cut. Natsu then took a bath with Happy, Happy offering for Lucy to join them. Which, of course, she refused. By the end of the night, it almost felt like old times for Lucy. It was that night, after sneaking into Lucy's room because he wanted to draw on her face, that Natsu saw the wall taken up by the articles and notes that Lucy had pinned up there marking sightings of the other members of Fairy Tail.

Seeing how hard she had been working on trying to keep track of the others, Natsu decided what his next action was going to be.

When Lucy awoke the next morning, she found the royal army outside of her house.

"What the hell is the army doing in front of my house at the crack of dawn!?" she snapped.

"Man, did they sniff us out already?" Natsu asked, from behind her.

"This is your doing!?" Lucy demanded.

"Time to haul ass, Lucy!" Natsu said, grabbing Lucy's wrist to drag her after him.

Scooping her up in his arms, Natsu jumped out the window, shattering the glass. He hit the ground running, carrying Lucy as if she was no extra weight at all.

"How did I get sucked into your shenanigans!? You can put me down now!" Lucy yelled. Natsu did as she asked, though the two were still running from the army. "What did you do, Natsu!?"

"I raised the beacon for Fairy Tail's revival." Natsu replied with a wide grin.

The beacon in question was the words, "Fairy Tail" written across the royal castle in flames. If he was going to do it, he might as well do it big.

"That's the least of my worries!" Lucy snapped at him. "Even if you say you want to revive Fairy Tail..."

"We can do it if we just believe. We are gonna go gather everyone up and bring back the guild!" Natsu declared.

Seeing his energized, confident grin, Lucy couldn't help but agree with him. And just like that, their next adventure begun.

-0-0-0-0-

"You don't know where all of them are!?"

Natsu and Happy stared across the table at Lucy. The day found them sitting in the room they had gotten at an inn, checking all the notes Lucy had collected on the whereabouts of their friends.

"Well yeah, I did keep an eye out but it was impossible to get everyone. First things first, we have to reach Magarett Town which is south-east of here. That's Lamia Scale's town apparently." Lucy told him.

"Lyon and Jura's place huh! Just the people I need for a fight!" Natsu said excitedly.

"Yeah. Guess who made it into that Lamia Scale we're talking about?" Lucy said.

Natsu and Happy were surprised when Lucy told them who it was, but, when they arrived at the town in time for Lamia Scale's Thanksgiving celebration, they were forced to believe her upon seeing Wendy up on stage with Chelia.

"Wendy was always really good friends with Chelia so Rette brought them to Lamia Scale when Fairy Tail disbanded." Lucy told Natsu.

On the stage, Chelia and Wendy were preforming to a song as part of the celebration show the guild was putting on for the people of the town.

"What the hell is she doing?" Natsu asked.

"Huh, it kinda sticks in your head, forever." Happy added.

"Wendy isn't the only one that's in another guild you know. Everyone needs jobs." Lucy told Natsu and Happy.

"That's not what I meant." Natsu replied. "Why the hell is she on stage forever-ing!"

"Ah! That's Lamia Scale's Thanksgiving. It's something like a Thanksgiving parade for the people of Magarett. To let the people get a feel of the guild and stuff." Lucy told him.

For a moment, Natsu paused before declaring, "We're taking Wendy back from the dark side!".

"Well, it's not like she's doing anything bad." Lucy replied.

"Huh? Where's Carla by the way?" Happy asked.

"I knew you guys would come soon."

Lucy, Natsu, and Happy turned when someone spoke. Standing behind them was a young girl with white cat ears poking up out of her head and a long white tail bearing a very familiar ribbon tied near the tip.

"Natsu, Lucy, and male cat. Oh...sorry...Happy."

It took the three of them a moment to place the voice and when they did, they stared at her in shock.

"Carla!?"

The girl smiled at them, before turning, inviting them to follow her. She lead them to the guild hall where they were lead to Wendy. Upon seeing her three old friends, Wendy greeted them with tears in her eyes. Natsu patted her head.

"Grown taller, haven't you?" Natsu asked.

"Not really...I haven't changed at all, actually." Wendy replied.

"I see...alright, so we'll be taking you back then!"

With that, Natsu scooped Wendy up and threw her over his shoulder. Wendy, confused, freaked out. In order to calm everyone, and to explain, they all sat down, Wendy holding Happy in her lap.

"You're bringing back Fairy Tail? And getting everyone back together?" Wendy repeated when they were done explaining.

"Yeah...the master's been missing over the past year. I'm sure it's got something to do with the disbandment." Lucy replied.

"Yeah, apparently he got in a lot of trouble with the council over some things." Lyon remarked.

"The council!?" Natsu asked.

"Right, you guys were up in the mountains the whole time so it isn't strange that you don't know." Lucy said, looking at Natsu.

"You can't be the master of a guild if you're part of the council, no?" Yuka asked. "That's why they chose the Ten Wizard Saints as the councilmen."

"Jura become one too!" Tobi yelled.

"Ten Wizard Saints ehh...they must be really strong." Natsu cheered.

"So, the master too..." Happy said.

"He should have but he went missing." Lucy replied.

"Maybe he ran away? I mean..it is a hassle." Natsu remarked. "Well...the old man aside, come with us, Wendy."

"Um...I'm now a part of Lamia Scale. I can't go with you guys." Wendy replied, surprising everyone.

"Why!?" Lucy asked.

"I'm so sorry." was all Wendy could tell them.

"You don't have to feel indebted, you know. We knew this day would come. Even Rette parted from you with saying you would all be back together soon." Lyon told Wendy.

Wendy didn't have anything to say back to that and even when Natsu pressured her for a reason, she couldn't give him one. She just sat there, staring down at the table top.

"This is her decision." Everyone turned to find Carla, still in human form. "Can you stop being so forceful with her?"

"Why are you human now!?" Natsu demanded.

"Oh this? Transformation magic. Learnt it. It helps me strengthen my magic and also my psychic powers." Carla said, before leaning forward to look Happy in the face. "What do you think, Happy?"

"Hey, I went training too...training...Learnt how to...not eat...as much...fish." Happy replied.

"What exactly did you do there?" Lucy asked.

Carla, ignoring this, turned back to her cat form and turned towards Wendy.

"Are you sure that's what you want, Wendy?" she asked.

Wendy merely nodded. It left all of her friends in shock and, feeling dejected, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy returned to their room at the inn.

That night, the Lamia Scale guild hall fell under attack. The attack brought Natsu, Lucy, and Happy running.

"What's all the commotion?" Natsu asked when he found Lyon.

Before Lyon could reply, a large beast appeared behind him. Quickly, Lyon froze the thing, easily stopping the creature.

"It's as you see...a group of monsters got too close to the city and began attacking!" Lyon replied.

"Why?" Happy asked.

"We've always been rivals since way back, our guild and theirs." Chelia said, as she, Wendy, and Carla approached the group.

"Rivals!?" Lucy asked.

"Orochi sure has fallen quite far to be using such cheap attacks." Chelia remarked.

"They must've seen it as an opportunity now that Jura isn't here." Wendy agreed.

"Especially since we've let down our guards because of the Thanksgiving festival." Carla added.

Tobi and Yuka arrived then, slipping past civilians as they ran the other way.

"Lyon! This is only one small faction! We've got a large group coming from the west side! About a hundred thousand!" Tobi yelled.

"A hundred thousand!?" Lucy repeated, wide eyed.

"The city won't stand an attack like that!" Lyon snapped.

"So, Orochi has a monster tamer with them." This came from Lamia Scale's master.

"So if we take him out..." Lyon mused.

"We can't go anywhere near him with that many around." Yuka protested.

"Well there's the sky." Natsu suggested, grinning as he pointed upwards.

"Yes!" Wendy agreed.

"Will you lend us a hand?" Lyon asked.

"Sure! I'm burning up! Let's go Happy!" Natsu cheered.

Happy sprouted his wings in order to take Natsu to the sky, but Chelia hijacked the ride from him just as Carla picked up Wendy.

"Sorry, Natsu!" Chelia called. "Please, Happy, let's keep going!"

Happy wasn't sure what to make of it, but agreed none the less. Chelia was determined to save Lamia Scale, to save her guild, side by side with Wendy. While they went on ahead to the main army, Natsu, now angry after Chelia hijacked Happy, charged into the fight with the monsters, ready to beat something up. Without breaking a sweat, Natsu plowed right through the monsters and continued on to the main army. Despite his massive show of power, there were still hundreds of monsters left to continue on charging the city.

It gave Lucy the chance to show off her new Stardress spell, which gave her some of the powers of the spirit she called forth. In this case, it was Loki. Through this new spell, she could fight along side her spirits. With that, she joined the fight along with the others. Back at the main army, Cheila, Wendy, and Carla ran into trouble when Orochi's master, Blue Note Stinger, a face Wendy had met before on Tenrou Island, stepped into the fight.

Increasing the gravity, he made it where the three couldn't move to fight. He was sure that no one could move under his powers. But, he was wrong. Natsu showed up then, moving just fine and even being able to pick Chelia up by the back of her clothes.

"I found you!" Natsu cheered. "How dare you steal Happy."

"I'm sorry." Chelia said instantly.

"Natsu! This isn't the time for that!" Carla called to him.

"That man is here! The one that caused us so much pain on Tenrou Island." Wendy added.

"Blue Note." Happy piped in.

Natsu turned his attention from Chelia to Blue Note, staring at him for a long moment before he spoke.

"I don't remember him." Natsu replied.

"No way!?" Happy snapped.

Blue Note, finally placing Natsu's face, attacked with all he had, his power increasing and even forcing his guild members to the ground. Natsu confronted Blue Note head on, his flames taking out Blue Note in one blow. With the man out of the way, Natsu turned back to Chelia, finding that he had accidentally burned off most of her clothes.

After seeing Natsu demolish their guild master, the rest of the Orochi guild surrendered. There was no way they were going to go up against someone like Natsu. With their retreat, the monsters retreated as well, leaving the city completely. Natsu and the others returned back to the guild hall.

"Thanks for the help." Lyon told Natsu and Lucy.

"I haven't even gone full on berserk yet." Natsu grumbled.

"No, that was enough, Natsu." Happy told him.

"Where's Wendy and Chelia?" Lucy asked.

"Apparently they've got something to discuss." Yuka told them.

And discuss, they did.

When Natsu, Lucy, and Happy left the next day, Wendy and Carla went with them.

-0-0-0-0-

"Hey, where will we be going next?"

After leaving Magarett, the group of five found themselves traveling over a rocky trail. It was there that Happy asked the question. Lucy pulled out a paper, reading over it.

"Let's see...There's this village east of here called Rainfall Town." Lucy remarked.

"Rain?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, apparently, it rains all the time in that village." Lucy replied.

They all knew who that meant.

Juvia.

And where Juvia was, there was bound to be Gray.

When they arrived in Rainfall Town, they found a massive storm cloud that hovered only over one place, pouring rain down on the ground below. It was obvious that it wasn't natural.

"Woah...look at that rain. And it's only in one place." Lucy remarked.

"It's so weird." Wendy remarked.

When they entered the village, they found not a single person in sight. It was as if everyone had abandoned the town.

"There's not even a shadow here." Lucy remarked.

"Hmm...maybe nobody lives here anymore." Wendy suggested.

"Nope, I can smell Juvia that way." Natsu said, pointing ahead of them.

Sure enough, they found Juvia, out in the rain, sitting on a bench. She looked up at them, her eyes widening in surprise when they called out to her. Though, in her hazy brain, she only saw Gray coming for her. She jumped up, excited, and jumped at what she thought was Gray, but was really Natsu. Natsu held up a hand, stopping her.

"Calm down." he told her. "Yo! How've ya been?"

"I'm glad you're still the same." Lucy added.

"It's been so long, Juvia!" Wendy greeted.

"Natsu...Lucy and Wendy too." Juvia said softly.

"Are you living here all by yourself?" Carla asked.

When Carla asked this, Juvia's eyes filled with tears before her cheeks flushed and she collapsed. Natsu caught her and they carried her back to the house where she lived, putting her into bed after drying her off.

"She's got a really bad fever." Wendy said.

"Well, she's been in the rain this whole time...it's really not surprising." Carla remarked.

"Wonder if this is Juvia's home." Lucy remarked, looking around.

"Hmm...it kinda smells like Gray too." Natsu remarked.

"Gray's been here too?" Happy asked.

"Juvia once...lived together...with Gray." Juvia said, coughing between words. "Alone."

"Wow, she's really proud of herself." Lucy said when Juvia added the last word with a big smirk.

"We ate together...trained together...worked together...slept together..."

"Unnecessary information!" Lucy snapped.

"Well...tried to, but he kicked me out." Juvia amended. "We were happy, but then one day..." Juvia told them of a day when black marks started to spread from Gray's right arm to the rest of his body. "And from that day onwards, he'd frequently go out alone. And he stopped coming back altogether...this was half a year ago."

"What a bastard, leaving you all alone." Natsu said sourly.

"That's funny coming from you." Lucy told him.

"We left a will, didn't we?" Natsu retorted.

"Natsu, it's a note, not a will." Happy corrected him.

"Either way, you technically did leave us all behind as well, you know." Lucy told Natsu, making him sweat under the realization. "And those left behind..."

"Get a room, you two." Juvia called from the bed.

"Hey!" Lucy snapped.

"So you don't know where Gray is now?" Happy asked Juvia.

"She wouldn't be here if she knew, would she?" Carla replied.

"Juvia tried looking for him for days. But Gray was nowhere to be found. So Juvia decided to wait. This is where Juvia and Gray had such happy times. Juvia's sure Gray will come home eventually." Even as she said this, tears flowed down her face, betraying how much she missed Gray. "Juvia's sorry you had to see her like this."

"I'll find him for you." Natsu promised. "No wait, I'll definitely find him. I'm bringing everyone back together. So we can be a guild again."

With that promise, Juvia was finally able to sleep.

"Juvia's finally asleep." Wendy remarked as they stepped outside under the over hanging of the house.

"You said you'd find him but do you even know where to start?" Carla asked.

"I don't have anything on his whereabouts in my memos." Lucy added.

"What's wrong, Natsu? Your face is scary." Happy remarked as he looked up at his partner's serious face.

"It's somewhere around here, wasn't it...We're going to Sabertooth." Natsu replied.

"HUH!?"

With his mind made up, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy left Wendy and Carla to look after Juvia, and headed out for the Sabertooth guild. It didn't take them too long to get there.

"There it is! It's huge!" Lucy called, peering out over the city towards the towering building that was the Sabertooth guild hall. "Hey, Natsu...are you sure Sabertooth has information on Gray?"

"Can't say for sure." Natsu replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked.

With that, Natsu spun in his seat atop the beast they were riding, so that he was facing Lucy, leaving the reins free. Something that made Lucy very uncomfortable. They could run into something if he didn't turn back around.

"Listen up, Lucy..."

"Hey! Turn back! The front! The front!" Lucy yelled.

"I believe in Gray. But this time, I won't get any information unless I stop trusting in him." Natsu continued as if she hadn't said anything.

"I don't understand what you're saying but...turn to the front!" Lucy told him.

"It means I'll stop trusting him until I find him...that's it." Natsu told her.

"I still don't get it!"

"Lucy...I will definitely bring Gray back. This I promise you. So until then, don't ask."

Lucy was surprised, but she did trust Natsu. Instead of replying to his remark, though, she grabbed his face and forcefully turned his head back around.

"Look forwards, stupid!" she snapped.

When they made it to the guild hall, Yukino was the one that greeted them, all smiles.

"Yukino! It's been such a long time! How've you been?" Lucy asked.

"I'm good! Thanks." Yukino replied.

"Heh, all the jobs from Fairy Tail got sent over." Orga called from where he sat.

"Thanks to you guys, business has been well." Rufus added.

Despite the fact that Orga and Rufus were just teasing, Yukino instantly became frazzled, waving her hand in front of her. She hadn't meant it the way her guild mates had made it out to be. She had merely meant that she, personally, had been well.

"Uh...That's not what I meant." Yukino said hurriedly.

"I know. Plus, Fairy Tail's coming back anyway!" Lucy said.

"Really!? I'm really looking forward to it!" Yukino said, tears falling down her face.

"You don't have to cry over it." Lucy told her.

"Huh, I thought this voice sounded familiar!"

Hearing a new voice join the conversation, Natsu turned only to be confronted with an overly large Sting. The guy had to be, at least, twice his original size. It had Lucy staring at him, wide eyed, but Natsu didn't seem to register the change in appearance.

"It's Natsu and Lucy!" Sting greeted cheerfully.

"And Happy too!" Lector cheered.

"Yo, Sting!" Natsu greeted.

"You haven't changed a bit, Natsu." Sting said.

"Heh, you too!" Natsu replied.

"No way, he changed alright!" Lucy popped in.

"Huh, where's Carla? Wasn't she supposed to be with you?" Lector asked.

"Well, what about Forsch? Isn't he with you?" Happy replied.

"Frosch is on a mission with Rogue and the Missus."

Hearing this out of Lector's mouth, Natsu pounced on the exceed, grabbing him by the face and demanding to know where Forsch had gone. Something that didn't please Sting.

"What're you doing to Lector, Natsu?" Sting demanded.

Natsu ignored him, focusing in on Lector.

"I...dunno." Lector told Natsu. "But...it hasn't been that long since they left, they might be at the town's entrance."

"I see. Thanks, Lector!"

With that, Natsu was gone in the flash, leaving Lucy and Happy behind without a word as to what he was doing.

"What did he want?" Sting asked.

Lucy turned to Sting and freaked when she saw that he was back to his normal size.

"He's back to normal!" she yelped.

"Well, it was getting to be too much so I had to use Libra's powers on him." Yukino told her.

Well that explained that. Lucy gave her head a shake.

"We have to go too." she said, calling for Happy.

"Wait!" Lucy came to a stop, turning to look at Sting who suddenly had a serious look on his face. "You said you're getting Fairy Tail back together, right?"

"Yeah." Lucy confirmed.

"Well, then..." Sting worked his jaw for a second before he continued to speak. "What about Rette? Have you found her, yet?"

Lucy could see the nearly desperate look in his eyes. He wanted to know where Rette was, if she was alright. Lucy hated to be the bearer of bad news.

"I'm sorry, but...Rette was one of the few members I wasn't able to keep track of. After she finished spreading word to Master's allies, she...she just vanished." Lucy told him.

Sting seemed to deflate before her eyes. It was easy to tell that, even after a year had passed, Sting held strong feelings for Rette. He wanted her home just as much as any of the rest of them.

"I see. Let me know if you find her." Sting pleaded.

"I will."

With that, Lucy turned and headed after Natsu with Happy on her heels. They caught up with Natsu just as he grabbed Rogue and insisted they have a chat, pulling the other male away from Forsch and Minerva.

"Wait up!" Lucy called to Natsu.

"Fro will join too!" Frosch cheered.

"All of you, stay there! We need to talk in private!" Natsu yelled as he dragged Rogue away.

This left the two women and two exceeds to just wait for them to finish their conversation. Minerva and Lucy looked at each other with curious expressions, but they decided to leave it as it was for the moment.

"Long time no see." Minerva greeted.

"Yeah...it's nice that you're back in the guild now." Lucy replied.

"Did you say hi to everyone back at the guild?" Minerva asked.

"Yeah, just a while back. What was up with Sting?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm...we had our annual Saber Eating Competition, the Tora-Tora-Tora!" Minerva answered.

"Ah, so that's why he was so puffed up."

"Well, it was me that won though."

Lucy couldn't imagine eating enough to beat a Dragon Slayer like Sting. It made her queasy just to think about it.

"Was that why you guys didn't join the Games?" Lucy asked.

"No, our master said it wasn't worth joining if Fairy Tail isn't in it." Minerva replied.

"Fro thinks so too."

For a moment, silence fell between them before Minerva spoke once more.

"It's sad that Fairy Tail is no more. It really was a good guild." Minerva remarked.

With a grin on her face, Lucy showed her the Fairy Tail emblem she still proudly wore on the back of her hand.

"It isn't over yet. The guild still exist in our hearts." Lucy said.

"That's good. I know our master sure does miss Rette. There isn't a day gone by that he doesn't pull out the picture he has of her. We know how much he misses her." Minerva said.

"We all miss Rette. But we'll find her and bring her home. After all...she's a part of Fairy Tail that we can't live without." Lucy replied, Happy agreeing with her.

A good distance away from them, Natsu had finally released Rogue deeming them to be a good distance away. Rogue rounded on Natsu, crossing his arms over his chest.

"After such a long time, the first thing you do is this!?" Rogue demanded.

"Lemme see your work request!" Natsu demanded instantly.

"Huh?"

"Just lemme see it!" Natsu snapped.

Rogue didn't get what was going on, but he dug the request out of his bag and handed it to Natsu. Natsu stared down at the request asking for help in destroying a group called Avatar.

"This...I'll do this." Natsu declared.

"Huh!? This is Sabertooth...Hey, you aren't even in a guild anymore!" Rogue snapped.

"I'm in Fairy Tail." Natsu replied back casually. "Listen, Rogue...I'll do the job for you and you can have the rewards. So promise me...you and Frosch...don't leave town. Until I come back...just don't!"

"You're crazy..." Rogue retorted.

Before he could argue anymore, Natsu took off. When he reached where Lucy, Minerva, Frosch, and Happy waited, he grabbed Lucy's wrist and scooped up Happy.

"Let's go, Lucy, Happy!" he yelled, running off while dragging Lucy behind him. "Minerva, keep an eye on Rogue and Frosch! Don't let them out of the town."

With that, he left them behind. He had a very good reason for this. A year ago, after they had defeated Future Rogue, he had told Natsu not only of Rette's death thanks to her father's reappearance in her life, but of one other event. He had told Natsu that in a year...Gray would kill Frosch. Natsu didn't want to believe that Gray would do such a thing, but after the prediction about Rette had come true, he wasn't taking any chances. Besides, Natsu knew one thing for sure.

"Fairy Tail needs Gray!"

END

Kyandi: Personally, I would have been on the floor laughing when I saw Sting.

Rette: Yes, well, you like to laugh at people.

Kyandi: That's...true. Come on, you can't say you wouldn't be laughing.

Rette: ...Maybe a little.

Kyandi: See? But you have to admit, even fat, he's still kind of cute.

Rette: A little.

Kyandi: Hehe...Anyway, I have another chapter for another story to get up.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	58. Undercover

Kyandi: Greetings, Kyandiacs!

Rette: Kyandi-sama is getting to update early this week.

Kyandi: Courtesy of my all too lovely best friend.

Rette: Best friends are nice to have.

Kyandi: Yes they are. And to top it off, I should be able to update again in a few days.

Rette: She's working hard on finishing this story.

Kyandi: I'll be sad when it's over but, I enjoyed writing this story.

Rette: I'm sure you did.

Kyandi: So, everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 58 Undercover

When they had finally cleared Sabertooth's town, Natsu finally came to a stop in the woods. It was there that he informed his two friends that they would be completing a job for Rogue. He even handed over the flyer to Happy to look at.

"What's this Avatar thing that Rogue was suppose to go after?" Happy asked.

"Dunno." Natsu replied.

"Apparently, it's a cult filled with Zeref's followers that has been on the rise ever since the fall of the dark guilds." Lucy told them.

"Zeref!?" Natsu asked.

"Well, I don't know if he himself has anything to do with it, but...they all worship him like he's some kind of god there." Lucy explained.

"Zeref's underlings, huh? Alright, I'm all fired up!"

"That aside, how'd Rogue's job have anything to do with Gray's whereabouts?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah...what's that about?" Happy asked.

Natsu made a thinking face then, actually attempting to use his brain for once. Something that surprised both Lucy and Happy.

"Huh, he's using his brains for a change." Happy remarked.

"So he really can't tell us." Lucy said.

"Hmm...I think I'll tell you anyway. Future Rogue told me so." Natsu declared.

"Future Rogue?" Lucy asked.

"A year after the Grand Magic Games...which means somewhere around now...we'll be meeting Gray, but as an enemy." Natsu told them.

"An enemy!?"

"That's why it's got me thinking, "Hey, maybe we'll meet him there". You know...where's Rogue's suppose to be." Natsu explained.

"But the future from where Future Rogue came should've change by now...how can the same thing happen here now?" Lucy asked.

"His warning about Rette came true."

Lucy froze at the reminder. She still remembered that awful day when she felt her friend's magic energy just suddenly die and vanish from the earth. Rette had given her life for her guild, had willing parted with her life, just as Future Rogue had foretold.

But she hadn't stayed dead, as she had in his time line, something that Lucy pointed out.

"Well, if you point that out, then I really can't be that sure but this is all we've got for now." Natsu said.

"But an enemy?" Lucy asked.

"Remember what Juvia said? About him getting dark marks on himself...he had those on him when he was battling Mard Geer. It could've been because he had to learn how to use his Demon Slayer magic as quickly as possible...maybe he let some of that evil stuff get inside him as well." Natsu theorized.

"No way..."

Lucy couldn't believe this, but it all made sense. It explained why Natsu had taken the job from Rogue, had wanted him and Frosch to stay at home. While Lucy was thinking this, Natsu dropped a hand on her head, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked up at him.

"Don't worry. Gray's still our friend, no matter what happens." Natsu assured her.

With an agreement from Lucy, the three of them moved on. It took a while, but they finally located the building deep in the woods that served as the headquarters for Avatar.

"I see it, there!" Natsu announced.

"It looks like an old, abandoned church." Lucy remarked.

"What do we do, Natsu?" Happy asked.

With Natsu, there was ever only one real answer to a question like that.

"Attack, of course!"

With a yell to charge, Natsu and Happy started forward, only to be yanked to a halt by Lucy. She dragged the two back, pulling them to the ground to stop them. Annoyed, Natsu turned to look at Lucy.

"What the hell, Lucy." he snapped.

"We don't even know who we're up against this time. We can't just barge in like that." Lucy told him.

"But...Gray might be in there, y'know." Natsu reminded her.

"That's precisely why we need a plan. We've got to prepare ourselves." Lucy argued logically.

"Oh. Right."

"We'll sneak in from under them with Virgo's help!" Lucy suggested, pulling Virgo's key out.

Natsu seemed totally sold on the idea and Lucy called forth Virgo. When she showed up, though, she was tied up. After a brief moment of staring, Lucy and Natsu rushed to her side to untie her.

"H...hey! What happened? Are you okay?" Lucy asked.

"Who did this to you?" Natsu demanded.

"Don't mind me. I had some free time so I decided to punish myself." Virgo replied.

"What's...wrong with you..." Lucy demanded.

Sometimes, Lucy had to wonder about the sanity of her spirits, for it seemed they possessed none. Virgo chief among those with no sanity to speak of. At least in Lucy's mind.

"Wow, you celestial spirits sure are profound." Natsu remarked, Happy agreeing.

"It's been a long time." Virgo greeted.

With the greetings and weirdness out of the way, Lucy used her Stardress spell to transform, ending her up in a maid outfit. Natsu and Happy's jaws dropped when they saw this, having not seen it when she had used it during the fight back in Maragrett.

"She transformed!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Huh, she kinda reminds me of a certain scary armored figure..." Happy added.

"This dress enables her to use parts of my powers and raise her own magic as well." Virgo explained.

Explanation out of the way, Virgo dug them a tunnel into the basement of the base.

"We've successfully made it in." Lucy said as she started climbing out of the hole first.

"Hey, move your ass aside!" Natsu snapped at her.

"Look, Natsu, you can see Lucy's underwear from here." Happy added.

Lucy ignored the comment, continuing on as if she hadn't heard it. She climbed out of the hole, making room for Natsu and Happy to do the same.

"We need to find out more about Gray while keeping out of sight." Lucy remarked.

Natsu, though, had different plans.

" **GRAYYY! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! COME OUT WHERE EVER YOU ARE!** "

So much for the element of surprise.

Lucy jumped at Natsu, grabbing him by the face.

"Why did you do that! Don't you understand, we're supposed to be sneaking in, s-n-e-a-k-i-n-g!" she snapped at him.

"It's time for punishment, isn't it, Princess?" Virgo asked, before pulling out a very questionable device. "Please try this out on me then."

"He's here." Natsu speaking kept the current line of conversation from continuing. "I can smell him. He's here..."

"Gray's here?" Lucy asked.

"Hey, what are you doing in our base?"

All three looked upwards, their eyes finding the small person sitting on a ledge above their heads. The guy looked like he had to be child and he held a voodoo doll in his hands that rang some familiar bells with Lucy.

"This fun for you? Is that even fun?" he asked.

"That doll...!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's Noro-san!" Happy yelled.

"Oh! You know Noro-san, now that's interesting!" the guy, Abel, said, jumping from his spot. "This doll here, was a gift from some bigwig at Grimoire Heart. The world's full of really interesting black magic."

"Urgh...this bring's back bad memories." Lucy remarked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Be careful! His powers are not to be trifled with despite looking like that." Virgo warned.

Not that Natsu ever listened to warnings. He walked right up to the guy and slammed a fiery fist into his head, driving him into the ground. This shocked, not only the guy he hit, but his friends as well, who couldn't believe he had just walked up to an enemy and laid him out.

"Sorry, but the only one I have a beef with right now is Gray." Natsu told the guy.

"Abel!"

A sudden yell made Natsu turned as another guy ran into the room. Seeing his comrade laid out on the floor, he slapped a hand to his face. When he removed his hand, he glared at Natsu before he called forth the assistance of the torturing devices that filled the room.

"How dare you do this to Abel, intruders! However, for you to appear in my training room, it must be my lucky day! Prepare for a never ending torture session!"

Natsu easily avoided the attacking objects with several flips. From the sidelines, Virgo watched with wide, sparkling eyes, her cheeks coloring.

"Why are you getting so excited over it!" Lucy snapped.

Lucy's attention snapped back to the fight when it looked like Natsu was about to be wrapped up inside an iron maiden. The thing snapped shut around him, but, instead of hurting Natsu, the thing begun to melt. With his enemy too shocked to respond, Natsu laid him out with a single punch to the face. With his back turned, another enemy dropped from the ceiling, Natsu taking care of him with a single kick. In the matter of just a few minutes, Natsu had taken care of three enemies all on his own.

"He's...strong." Virgo remarked.

"That's our Natsu!" Happy replied proudly.

"Im-impossible...we're all powerful black mages. How could a brat like that..."

This grumble came from the second enemy as he sagged in his spot.

"He isn't someone that can be defeated by the likes of you."

A familiar voice had Natsu and his friends turning towards the top of the stairs leading up out of the basement room they were currently in. Standing there, his hair slicked back form his face and black marks slashing up his neck and across the right side of his face, was Gray.

"I'll deal with this one myself." Gray said.

"Yo. You been doing well?" Natsu asked, a grin spreading across his face.

Without another words spared, the two, as they always did when they met, came to blows, the two punching each other across the face. The two of them fighting, wasn't new. The amount of power they now had behind their punches, was. They slid apart, Natsu grinning at finally having a worthy fight to fight.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Gray demanded, attacking again.

Natsu blocked his next punch easily.

"Right back at ya!" Natsu retorted.

"I do what I want." Gray snapped as Natsu attacked with a kick that sent him sliding back away from Natsu.

"Juvia's waiting for you, bastard!" Natsu snapped. "I'm waiting for you." Natsu followed up his kick with a fiery punch that barely skimmed past Gray who side stepped it. "And we need you to bring back Fairy Tail!"

At that, Gray hit Natsu hard across the face, his teeth gritting.

"This is stupid. Fairy Tail is no more!" Gray yelled.

In his show of anger, ice exploded from Gray, covering the floor in icy spikes. Natsu fought them off with his flames.

"That's what they all say, but all the memories and bonds we shared are still there. Fairy Tail's right here." Natsu said, pounding a fist over his heart. "Has been and will always be."

"Your solution's right there, isn't it? If it's as you say, then you'd have no need for me, so leave me alone won't you? I will go my way, you go yours." Gray replied. "Fairy Tail is no longer a part of me. So could you please drop the whole BFF act with me?"

Gray's eyes shifted from Natsu to Lucy as she stepped forward. She walked over to Gray, her mouth sat in a firm line and when she stood in front of him...she slapped him across the face. As if it didn't hurt him in the least, he looked back down at her.

"BFF act!? It wasn't an act! We're comrades till the end!" Lucy snapped at him. "Please don't say things like that! I don't want to hear it. I...we...u...urgh..."

A sudden wave of pain through her stomach, drove Lucy to her knees, her arms wrapped around her stomach. What the hell was going on?

"My...my stomach...it hurts..." she gasped.

"Lucy!" Natsu called her name in concern.

Without turning to face the new person who had entered the fight, Gray knew who it was.

"Mary." he greeted.

A woman appeared behind him, smiling brightly.

"Who are you people? Gray's friends from before? The ones from that guild that no longer exists?" she asked.

"What did you do to her!?" Natsu demanded.

Both Natsu and Virgo found themselves suddenly bound as one of the enemies Natsu had already dealt with, bounced back, binding them with magic seals. When Happy tried to help them, Abel stopped him with his voodoo doll. Natsu wasn't please at all, especially given the pain Mary was currently making Lucy go through. He jumped towards Gray, intending to continue the fight, despite not being able to use his magic. He was stopped when another enemy showed up, holding a sword tip to Lucy.

"This is what you get for sticking your nose into other people's business, Natsu." Gray told him.

"Snap out of it, Gray! You're being possessed by a demon!" Natsu yelled.

"I'm perfectly sane." Gray said, sliding his jacket off his shoulders, showing where the Avatar emblem now replaced his Fairy Tail emblem. "I destroyed that 'family link' of ours of my own accord. Now does that answer your question?"

Natsu growled as he glared at Gray. With that dealt with, all three were shackled in magic seals and locked up in a cell.

"Are you feeling okay now, Lucy?" Happy asked.

"Yeah...I'm good." Lucy replied.

"Where's Virgo?" Happy inquired.

"She's been sent back because of the sealing stone." Lucy replied.

"That damn Gray...what the hell happened to him." Natsu grumbled.

"There must be a reason for this. He could've been possessed by something...or...or...maybe he's under someone's control." Lucy said, trying to think of some reason Gray would betray them.

"Yeah...Gray wouldn't do something like this." Happy added, sure of that.

Lucy looked up then, glancing towards the bars of the cell.

"Someone's coming." she said.

The man who had used the torturing devices in his magic, Goumon, appeared in front of the cell. Facing away from the bars, he suddenly bowed.

"He's bowing even though there's nobody in front of him!" Lucy remarked.

"Creepy!" Happy agreed.

Natsu flew past Lucy, ramming the bars, though it didn't have any effect.

"Where's Gray!? Bring him here!" Natsu demanded.

"Gray, along with everyone else, isn't here anymore. They've all gone to prepare for the purification ritual and I've come here to get some information from you, even if it means by force." Goumon replied.

"Purification ritual?" Happy asked.

"The purification of the soul. And death is the only way of attaining it. And the smell of death will only bring Zeref closer to us." Goumon said.

"Don't involve Gray in strange things!" Lucy snapped.

"Hmm? So you've noticed...that...that I've been cosplaying as Lord Zeref." Goumon said, out of the blue.

"Who cares!" Lucy yelled.

"My admiration for him is so strong that I got this done back in the east." Goumon said, pointing to the tattoo on his forehead. "I don't really know much about kanji but apparently it's read as Zeref."

"Uh...no? That's read as matchi." Lucy corrected him.

Embarrassed, Goumon rounded on her, shouting, "Sh-shut up, little girl!". With a wave of his hand, Lucy's cuffs yanked her off the ground, hanging her from the ceiling.

"Lucy! That freak...he's controlling the things in here!" Happy exclaimed.

"Let go of her!" Natsu demanded.

For their outburst, Goumon commanded their cuffs to pin them to the wall, leaving them unable to touch him as he entered the cell.

"Just stay there and watch. My torture show." Goumon told them, approaching Lucy.

Natsu and Happy fought to break free of their cuffs as Goumon rolled in a covered tray. When he removed the sheet covering it, it revealed all kinds of tools used for torturing people.

"These are all anti-magic restraints, you see." Goumon said, gesturing to the cuffs.

Lucy gulped and flinched when Goumon picked up one nasty looking tool after another.

"Whipping. Candle wax dripping. Watering...roping...Or even the licking of your feet. Where oh where should I start first?" Goumon mused.

"You're...you're sick!" Lucy snapped, Goumon bowing to nothing once again. "And stop bowing in places where there's no one else in front of you! It's creepy!"

"Alright, I've got it. We'll start with the licking! It hurts the least!" Goumon said suddenly.

"No way! Just the sound of it..."

Lucy was too creeped out to finish that sentence. This guy just got weirder and weirder.

"I see, you don't seem to understand why it's classified as torture. We start with dipping the soles of the feet in salt water in a fixed position. And then a goat will start licking the soles for the salt content. But as time goes by, the barbs on the tongue of the goat will tear through the skin and to the meat. Even then, the goat won't stop and will keep going." Goumon explained.

"That seems to hurt more than imagined." Happy remarked as he and Natsu stared at Goumon in horror.

"So let's try it out?" Goumon remarked, picking up one of Lucy's legs.

He pulled off her shoe and yanked off the stocking, baring her leg. Lucy cried for him not to, reasonably not liking the sound of the torture. Goumon removed her other shoe and stocking and bound her feet together.

"So tell me, who sent you here. Before the feet of this girl are no more." Goumon demanded, setting Lucy up.

"I told you! We're here to take Gray back!" Natsu yelled.

"Don't make me repeat myself, boy! Gray is now our comrade." Goumon replied.

He dunked Lucy's feet in salt water, bringing in the goat. Lucy tried to fight her way free of her restraints as the goat got closer.

"No. He's our friend. And if he doesn't believe in himself, then we will." Natsu retorted.

"Shut up!" Goumon snapped.

Deciding the feet licking wasn't bad enough, Goumon comanded Lucy's restraints to spread her limbs, pulling her legs apart while yanking her arms over her head.

"What are you going to do?" Happy demanded.

"We're not going to do the licking anymore! I'm just going to split her in half!" Goumon yelled, grabbing an ax. "Let's see if you still 'believe' in Gray!"

Right before the ax could cut Lucy in two, Goumon was flash frozen, freezing him on the spot. Gray appeared behind Goumon as all three of his friends were released from Goumon's magic restraints.

"Ah, dammit! All that hard work, gone because of you people." Gray muttered, pulling a small, hand held device from his pocket. He entered something on the screen and then held it to his ear. "This is a code blue. We've got trouble. No...That's not it...yeah..."

As Gray spoke into the device, the markings on his body started to recede, revealing that his Fairy Tail mark still remain and had simply been hidden under the marks.

"I don't know...you talk to him...yeah." Gray tossed the device to Natsu. "Put that to your ear."

"What the hell's this?" Natsu asked, doing as told.

" _Is that you, Natsu._ "

The voice that sounded over the communication device, was too familiar for Natsu not to place. He glanced at Gray in surprise. It was Erza.

" _My, my. Now what have you done to Gray's undercover mission?_ " Erza asked.

"Undercover mission?" Natsu repeated.

"That's right. There's no way I'd join some creepy guild like this anyway. You do realize that Rette would kill me if she thought I had honestly joined a guild devoted to Zeref, right?" Gray replied.

" _We don't have time now, so we'll talk while we move. I found out about Avatar and how it was connected to Zeref half a year back, while I was looking for Rette. With some help from Jellal, of course. I figured anything related to Zeref would eventually lead us to Rette. But we hit a dead end and it was then I met Gray._ " Erza explained as they gathered up a couple of beasts and set out.

"Hey, that lacrima's amazing." Natsu remarked.

"It's a miniature communications lacrima." Gray told him. "I began getting these weird marks on me so I've been going over to old lady Porlyusica's place. And well, it's as you see. I've learnt to control it."

" _And then we talked about how we were, then we came up with this plan._ " Erza added.

"I guess you could call it a request from Erza. After all, I was interested in the Book of END personally, with my old man's last request being "destroy it" and, of course, I want Rette back, too. I can't believe we all just let her walk away alone like that." Gray remarked.

In that, they had all been less than mindful. They had all been caught up in their own things and had completely forgotten about the flight risk that Rette had posed at the moment.

"But man, you didn't even tell Juvia about this? You're a jerk." Natsu told Gray bluntly.

" _I told him not to._ " Erza said, covering for the silence Natsu had gotten from Gray. " _It's always better to have less people know about the mission, as it raises the rate of success and one could never tell...what if she had gotten into trouble over it?_ "

"So it was for Juvia's sake too." Happy said.

"But still..."

Natsu still didn't like the sound of it. Not when it had caused Juvia months of grief and had left her so ill. Nothing was worth a friend's health.

" _I do feel sorry for Juvia. We didn't think that the mission would drag out this long. The situation has changed. It was only supposed to be a scouting mission at first, but then came the whole...purification ritual mess. Avatar is planning on wiping out an entire town to lure Zeref here. Because they, for some reason, seem to think that Zeref appears in places where death is abundant._ " Erza explained.

"We've gotta stop that from happening!" Gray declared.

"Well, all you've got to do is crush them! Easy! If it were you and Erza, there wouldn't be a problem!" Natsu remarked.

"No, we can't." Natsu turned his head to look at Gray's serious expression. He didn't quite get it and Gray could see that in his questioning expression. "Avatar isn't an organization small enough for us to just 'crush' it. It's size alone is more than we've ever imagined. I've only infiltrated one small part of it. I still haven't gotten anything on the main branch's location, or even the other branches."

" _And if we make any careless moves, we could lose the chance to stop the whole ritual. That's why we've been waiting up till now._ " Erza added.

"Yeah, for the day when all the branches get together. And destroy them all once and for all." Gray said firmly, before turning to look over his shoulder at Lucy. "Lucy. Hey, I'm sorry about what I said just now...I had to in front of them."

"Oh no, I'm sorry too for hitting you." Lucy apologized.

"Well, having a maid hit me though...hahaha..." This remark from Gray, had Lucy going red in the face as she tried to remark, but couldn't put a sentence together. "I still think of you guys as my friends, you know."

"That's great to hear." Lucy told him, smiling happy.

"Now that makes our job easier. Let's go wreck that ritual together then!" Natsu declared with a wide grin on his face.

Lucy and Happy agreed, while Erza commented that she and Gray hadn't wanted to get them involved. Not, at least, until they had any concrete information on where Rette might be.

"It doesn't matter if we did or we didn't! We're gonna fight together again! It's been a year since! And there's nothing more we can say now other than...I'm all fired up!" Natsu declared, Gray, Lucy, and Erza joining him in saying the last four words.

-0-0-0-0-

Malba Town, a peaceful, sinless town of thirty thousand people, was the target of Avatar. Natsu and his friends, with Gray's intel, were able to get to the town before Avatar's massive army. It was Natsu, Happy, Lucy, and Gray that the followers were met with as they charged the unsuspecting town. The moment the first wave hit them, people went flying as Natsu and his friends let loose.

"You ain't getting past me! So come at us!" Natsu declared, clearing a circle around himself before turning to Gray. "I hope you've been training."

"Wanna try it out later?" Gray taunted.

Grinning at each other, they charged into the fight, laying out one enemy after the other. While they demolished all those from the front, Erza gained ground on the back. Between the five of them, they begun to reduce the number of their enemies. Throughout the fight, they even took on the generals of Avatar with Erza taking down Jerome while Gray took on Braiya and Lucy engaged in a fight with Mary. Lucy's fight, though, was starting to go south when Wendy and Carla showed up, countering Mary's magic to help Lucy. With that help, Lucy was able to overcome Mary's magic.

Not long after Wendy and Carla joined in on Lucy's fight, Juvia made an appearance in Gray's fight. With her appearance, Braiya was quickly defeated and Gray, feeling bad, offered Juvia an apology for all he had put her through during the months he had been missing. He promised her an explanation later before, with a habit he had now passed to Juvia, the two of them stripped off their tops to fight together.

At this point, they had severely diminished the amount of enemies and Natsu confronted their leader, Arlock. Arlock proved to be stronger than the others under his command, but Natsu wasn't going to let anything stop him. He crashed through one of Arlock's magic barriers after another until he laid the old man out. It looked like Natsu had beaten the man, but Arlock turned the tables by sacrificing the lives of his followers to summon one of the eighteen gods of Yakma.

Natsu, ticked off because of Arlock's lack of consideration for his comrades, attacked the god with all he had, but when he went to land the finishing blow, he wasn't the only one that hit the god. Something, in a beam of light, fell from the sky, hitting the top of the god's horned head right along side Natsu. Between the combined force, they demolished the god.

As Arlock's remaining followers scattered to the wind, Natsu, in surprise, turned to the person that had assisted him. Whoever it was, stood up as well, the smoke clearing to reveal long, pale silver hair. Natsu instantly thought of the one other person he knew that had hair that color. Excited, Natsu didn't even notice when Gajeel and Lily showed up, leading a squad of Magic Council soldiers.

"Rette!"

Natsu called her name as he ran towards the person who had helped him. His yelled called his friends attentions, making them turn towards him, hoping it really was Rette. Just then, the wind shifted, blowing the smoke away to completely reveal the person.

And it wasn't Rette.

Natsu came up short when it was confronted with, not Rette, but a young guy who had to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was only perhaps a few inches taller than what Rette was, was slim but muscled and was clothed in black pants tucked into knee-high boots, a black shirt with three quarter sleeves and a stretched out collar, and a cut off, pale purple tank top worn over the shirt and black gloves. His hair, which was the same color as Rette's, fell just a few inches short of his hips. It was currently tied at the nape of his neck, leaving his shoulder length bangs hanging to either side of his face.

He turned towards Natsu when Natsu yelled out Rette's name. Natsu and his friends were further surprised when they were confronted with a face that was similar to Rette's, though more masculine. To further their shock...his eyes were exactly likes Rette's, right down to the lavender edges to the magenta of his irises.

He eyed Natsu, turning to completely face him. His head tilted to the side, just as Rette's would sometimes do.

"Who the hell are you and why do you look like Rette!?" Natsu demanded.

The guy's eyes narrowed and his head tilted backwards. Then his eyes snapped to the side as Gajeel approached the group. With him, he had Lily, Levy, and a young woman with hair that was half silver, half black, and big blue-purple eyes. Silver, cat ears were poking up out of her head and a long tail the same color, flicked behind her. When her eyes landed on the guy, they widened.

"Rette...?" she asked in Thyme's voice.

The guy opened his mouth to say something when there was a beeping noise from his pocket. Clicking his tongue, he pulled out a miniature communication lacrima like that of Gray's and held it to his ear.

"I'm here...yeah...mission complete. I'm on my way back." he said simply in a deep voice before he shoved the lacrima back into his pocket.

He cast Natsu and his friends one last look before he spun on his heel. Before Natsu could reach out to stop him, he cast the same Sun Wings spell Rette had been fond of using and shot into the air like a rocket, quickly vanishing into the distance.

"Damn! Just who was that guy and why did he look like Rette!?" Natsu snapped, annoyed with the whole thing.

It was a question that they were all asking. Especially when the guy had used a spell that had been among Rette's arsenal. And then there was something that Natsu had noticed when he got close to the guy. Rubbing his nose, Natsu frowned.

"He smelled a little like Rette." Natsu muttered.

Heaving an annoyed sigh, Natsu turned and returned to his friends. Whoever the guy had been, he hadn't been Rette and while his scent had very little in common with Rette's, it wasn't enough for him to think the guy had been around Rette or was connected to her. There were several people whose scents were, in some way, similar.

Turning his attention from the unknown guy, he focused his attention on his friends. It was then that he noticed who had showed up.

"Levy and Lily!" Natsu greeted.

"Long time no see." Lily greeted.

The young woman beside him, waved at Natsu with a smile on her face.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked, sniffing the air. "You smell like Thyme."

"She is Thyme, Natsu. She learned to use transformation magic." Levy said.

Thyme smiled in greeting to Natsu as she shyly looped her arm through Lily's. Lily smiled down at her, making her cheeks color slightly as she returned the smile.

"Hey, are you two..." Lucy trailed off as she looked between the two.

"They're totally a thing, now." Levy confirmed, embarrassing both Lily and Thyme.

Natsu didn't really get it, and turned to the last person in the group.

"And...a guy that looks like Gajeel?" Natsu asked.

"You picking a fight now, ya bastard?" Gajeel snapped.

"Nah, I mean...the Gajeel I knew could never be a councilman." Natsu replied.

"Yeah well, Tree Gramps found me back when I was looking for something to do and asked me, y'know." Gajeel told him, meaning Warrod. "And now, I'm way above the guild! By the way, you're under arrest too, Salamander...for having a face like that. And you...for indecent attire." Gajeel turned to Lucy. "Juvia...for being a puddle of water. You...you eat too much fish." This he directed at Happy. "Oh and you...hmm, I dunno. I just feel like I should arrest you with the others." Gajeel said this while looking at Wendy. "Last of all...I don't even have to tell you now, do I, Gray? I'm not as forgiving as the rest of them."

Before Gajeel could go on with his rant, Erza hit him firmly over the back of the head. Gajeel rounded on her, not the least bit happy.

"Huh, you sure are acting high and mighty for someone that looks like Gajeel." Erza remarked.

"I am the real deal!" Gajeel snapped.

"Nope. There's no way Gajeel would make it into the council." Erza insisted.

"That's actually Gajeel." Lily confirmed.

"What!?"

"So...you guys really do think it was an impostor?" Levy asked.

Natsu she could understand. The guy always seemed to have more than just a few screws loose in his head. But Erza? Sometimes Erza really made Levy wonder about her.

"Then let's cut to the chase." Erza said, changing the subject. "It was us that stopped Avatar's purification ritual. In fact...we-"

"I know." Gajeel said, cutting her off.

"The only reason we knew how to get here was because of Gray and we appreciate that." Lily added.

"But it doesn't change the fact that I've caused trouble as well. I'm sorry." Gray said.

"As long as Gray's alright, Juvia's happy." Juvia piped in.

"You had me fooled too!" Levy said.

"You've got to work on your undercover skills though, finding you wasn't exactly hard." Gray told her.

"Ehh, so you knew!?"

The whole conversation was lost on Wendy and Carla, who didn't know what was going on. Lucy promised to fill them in later on, but for now, they were just all happy to be together again. On a cliff over looking the town, Sting and Rogue watched the group.

"Guess I didn't have to worry at all, huh." Sting remarked.

"An army of that size versus a team of less than ten people..." Rogue shook his head.

"Man, these guys..."

"But it's quite a view, to see them all together again." Lector said in agreement with Sting. "Don't you agree, Fro?"

Lector turned to look at Fro, finding the other exceed to be missing. Freaking out, they looked around, only catching sight of Frosch where he now stood with the Fairy Tail exceeds below. It was then that Gray caught sight of Frosch then.

"Hey, aren't you Frosch from Sabertooth?" Gray asked, crouching down to the exceed's level. "What are you doing here?"

Natsu yelled when he saw Frosch, anger having him grit his teeth when he realized that Rogue had broken his promise. To Natsu's surprise, and relief, Gray picked up Frosch, commenting that Frosch was actually a little cute. Natsu was glad to see that Future Rogue's warning had turned out to be wrong, just as glad as he was to see his friends together and smiling. Though the guy from earlier still concerned Natsu. Just who was he and why did he have so much in common with Rette?

Things just kept getting crazier.

-0-0-0-0-

From a far distance, a new presence watched the group of friends, hands on hips. Eyes narrowed as the head tilted to the side. A small smile even begun to curl the lips. The wind picked up, blowing long, pale silver hair around the male's form.

"I can see why you're so intrigued by them. They truly are something else." he remarked with a sigh.

" _Is that a smile I hear in your voice, Torin?_ "

The male, Torin as he had just been called, looked down at the communication lacrima in his hand. Shaking his head, he let out a chuckle, his eyes going back to the Fairy Tail mages below.

"Call me reasonably amused. They're a hilarious lot, that's for sure." he remarked.

" _Depending on your position when you face them, they can be. They're less amusing and more grating when you take the position of enemy._ "

"I can see that. I think I'll continue to play the part of observer for right now. I don't relish the idea of the massive pain in the back side they would be if I changed that position." Torin remarked.

" _Smart choice. Very smart choice. Avoid the headache where you can. For now, return. I have a feeling we'll be making our move really soon. That loud mouthed, fire brain makes it impossible for those on the darker side of things to stay still._ "

"Roger that. See you when I get back."

With that, Torin cut off the call, shoving the lacrima back into his pocket. He turned his eyes back towards Natsu and his friends. Things were about to go to hell in a hand basket and he was interested to see how the mages of the formerly great Fairy Tail would handle it.

He, himself, was going to enjoy watching from up close and personal.

END

Kyandi: And I throw in another twist for all of you.

Rette: A mystery guy who looks like me...

Kyandi: I have something planned, so hush.

Rette: I figured.

Kyandi: So everyone continue to enjoy if you want to find out who the guy is.

Rette: We'll be back in a few days.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	59. Reuniting

Kyandi: Howdy, Kyandiacs!

Rette: We've returned.

Kyandi: Yeah, this chapter is a day late, but I got it done. And laughed my butt off at all of your theories as to who Torin is.

Rette: Some were a little funny.

Kyandi: Yep. Now, I won't say whose guess it was or what guess it was, but one person actually hit pretty close to who Torin really is.

Rette: You'll all find out soon enough.

Kyandi: Yeah, but I'm going to warn you all that updates might slow down in the next week or two.

Rette: Kyandi-sama is moving. After that, though, her updates might increase.

Kyandi: Yep, so bare with me, please. With that said, everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 59 Reuniting

East of the Fiore kingdom, aside the water front, sits a town called Magnolia. A town that once played home to the famous mage guild, Fairy Tail. To many, it was just another town, but to Natsu and his friends, it was home, and after a year away, they had finally come home.

"Woah! This really brings back memories!" Natsu declared, looking over the town.

"Look! They fixed the Cardia Cathedral!" Happy pointed out.

"This place was in ruins a year back." Wendy said, happy to see that the town had been restored.

"This town's really tough, isn't it." Carla agreed.

After the fight with Avatar, Gajeel and his group had returned to the Council, basically to resign. Gray and Juvia returned to their house to settle their affairs and Erza left to do the same, but everyone promised to meet up in Magnolia. It was misfortunant that they didn't get the information they sought from Avatar, but it wasn't like Gray and Erza had ever really had high hopes that Avatar could tell them more about Zeref, or possibly lead them to Rette. Though the male look-alike could be a good lead if they ever saw him again.

Looking around Magnolia, they were just glad to be back home. It was then that Wendy looked at Lucy who seemed to be down about something.

"What's wrong, Lucy? You look kinda down." Wendy remarked.

"Nah, I'm fine. I'm feeling all nostalgic since it's been so long." Lucy said.

Walking through the center of town, Lucy was forced to recall several memories. Happy ones, sad ones, even painful memories. All of them from her time in Fairy Tail. She even recalled the last time any of them had seen Makarov, as he disbanded the guild and vanished. She thought of the last time she had seen each of her friends, and finally, she recalled the last time she had seen Rette. She had still been so pale and a little sluggish from her death and rebirth, but she had smiled at Lucy with the most genuine, most open smile she had ever seen on Rette's face.

All of the memories had Lucy freezing on the spot. Natsu, Happy, and Wendy turned to look at her when she suddenly came to a stop, calling her name in confusion.

"I...I'm afraid of what I'll see..." Lucy said.

"Because the guild might not even be there anymore?" Natsu asked, Lucy remaining silent, unable to reply. "Who cares about the building. What matters is what we do from now."

"That aside, what about everyone else? With you appearing out of nowhere and saying that you'll bring back Fairy Tail...I must've gotten carried away too. I haven't even kept in touch with some people over the past year...the letters I've sent were only to those that I could find. That "We're going to bring back Fairy Tail, so let's meet at Magnolia!"...But if you think about it, everyone would've gotten on with their lives by now. I don't know if everyone else feels the same as we do. What if...what if they've already forgotten about the guild. I..."

Lucy was cut off when someone suddenly looped an arm around her shoulders, a bottle of alcohol clasped in the hand.

"Yeah, like I'd forget in only a year."

"Cana!"

Standing there beside Lucy, cheeks high with color and a wide grin on her face, was Cana. Cana greeted Natsu and the others, while groping Lucy like old times. After so long, Lucy didn't even register the fact that Cana was being unruly.

"This past year has been fruitful for me too, you know. Thought I'd go on a trip to look for Gildarts. So it was pure luck that this got to me in time!" Cana said, holding up the letter that Lucy had sent out. "The same thing'll probably happen to the rest too. I've been in the guild ever since I was a kid, so when we were told to disband so suddenly, I couldn't make sense of it. I mean, I didn't even know how to work outside of the guild. But I guess it was a good lesson learnt. Everyone else found it strange too. That might be why no one's kept in touch. And you've become our icebreaker, Lucy."

Lucy was surprised, her cheeks coloring, but Natsu grinned. He had figured that it would be something like that. Taking hold of Lucy's wrist, Cana begun to drag her after her.

"Come on! Everyone's waiting!" Cana announced.

"Everyone?" Lucy asked.

Cana didn't answer as she dragged Lucy the rest of the way to where the guild hall had use to stand. What they found, took Lucy's breath away. Tears came to Lucy's eyes as she was confronted with the sight of all her old guild mates gathered in one place. Each of them greeted her brightly, Mira offering her a "Welcome Home" that was the final straw to breaking the dam on Lucy's tears. Once Lucy had gotten her tears under control, Mira looked around in search of something.

"What is it, sis?" Lisanna asked.

"Is Rette not with you, Lucy?" Mira asked, turning to look at Lucy.

Lucy's eyes dropped to the ground, giving Mira the answer to her question. Everyone turned to look at Lucy as she shook her head, Wendy and Natsu looking away from everyone too.

"None of us have heard a single word from Rette. She's vanished, just like Master. I haven't heard even the smallest of rumors about her." Lucy replied.

Silence fell over everyone. Lucy was sure that each of them were thinking about what had happened with Rette during the battle with Tartaros. It was Wendy that broke the silence.

"But I'm sure she's fine. She promised after all! She promised we'd all come back, that she'd see us all again and have any of you ever known her to break a promise?" Wendy asked.

Since the answer was no, it brightened everyone's mood. Whatever else she might have been, Rette wasn't one to break her promises to her friends. Natsu even grinned at this.

"Yeah, ya know Rette. She'll show up when we need her the most. That's how she's always been." Natsu said confidentally.

Just as she had shown up to bring Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Gray back from Galuna Island, just as she had shown up to offer a hand during Phantom Lord's attack on the guild, how she had come charging into the fight to help Erza in the fight against Jellal, and with every fight afterward. Whenever something had threatened the safety of her guild, she had come flying in from somewhere in the back, possessiveness fueling her attacks. None of them had a doubt in their minds that, when they really needed her, Rette would make her appearance once more.

Until then, they had work to do.

All that was left in place of the Fairy Tail guild hall, was a large crater. Their first order of business was to rebuild the guild hall. While everyone else got to rebuilding the guild hall, Levy focused on sorting out documents. Over the past year, Levy had been doing research on how to bring back a guild after it had been disbanded, so she was prepared for when Fairy Tail finally got back together. The only thing really left to fill in, was who their new master would be. With Makarov missing, they would have to pick a different person, but the question than became...who, other than Makarov, could control the people who made up Fairy Tail?

In the end, after breaking up a fight had that broken out between everyone, Erza was named the seventh master of Fairy Tail.

It was after this was decided that Mest made an appearance, revealing himself to be a member of Fairy Tail, though the memories were extremely vague for the others. He requested that, as the new master, Erza followed him, taking her down to see Fairy Tail's largest secret.

"I didn't think there'd be something like this under the guild." Erza remarked, looking around at the stairs they were descending.

"Well, the entrance's normally not this easy to find." Mest replied.

"So, uh...Doran...no, Mest wasn't it?"

"Mest is my real name...you've got it mixed up, huh? Sorry about that."

"Why is it only me that can come here?" Erza asked.

"That's because you're the seventh guild master. We're about to enter restricted grounds now. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be allowed here either." Mest said, as they finally reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a room that was crumbling with age. He crossed the room to the double doors across, and pushed them open. "Fairy Tail's biggest secret...Lumen Histoire."

Erza stared in shock when she was confronted with Mavis sealed inside a lacrima. She had no sooner gotten Mavis' title out before Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Wendy came crashing out of their hiding spot after following Erza and Mest.

"Man, and even after I told you guys that this place is for guild masters only." Mest remarked.

"That's not fair! Let us in on it too!" Natsu snapped.

They were all surprised to find Mavis in her current state. Mest simply shook his head as he approached the crystal.

"I suppose it doesn't matter at this point. After all...it seems like Rette's been here before." Mest remarked.

"Rette? What makes you say that?" Erza asked.

Mest turned, tracing a finger over a part of the crystal that looked like something had taken bites out of it.

"See this? Something tried eating the crystal. Rette's the only crystal eating being I know of." Mest said.

"But why would she eat the crystal and how would she find this place?" Lucy asked.

"You're forgetting that Rette has heightened senses for sensing magic. From what Master told me before he left...Rette knew about this place from the very first time she stepped inside the guild hall." Mest told them. "Master also believed that Rette ate the crystal as a way for the First to help her with controlling the seal around her neck and the fits that came from her father's experimentation on her."

"Rette knew the whole time and never said a word?" Wendy asked.

"Rette, despite how she acted, was always very aware of what should and shouldn't be said. We all found out how good she was at keeping secrets, didn't we?" Mest remarked.

Boy, did they.

"Explain then, Mest." Erza demanded.

"I don't even know myself. But, one thing's for sure, she's here for a really important reason." Mest replied.

"That aside, where's Gramps!? You know, don't you!" Natsu asked.

Suddenly, images flooded their brains, as if someone had just projected a movie or something into their heads. It was a strange sensation to say the least.

"Images?" Erza asked.

"My memories." Mest corrected. "Nine years back...oh but maybe two years back for you Tenrou people, I was given a mission by Makarov."

Mest explained to them how Makarov had wanted him to go undercover in the Magic Council so that he could try to uncover as much information about the western continent as possible and then feed it back to him. He explained how he used his powers to erase his own memories and ended up becoming a double agent without even realizing it. How he had gained his memories back, briefly, after the Tenrou team had returned, only to go back under cover to continue digging for information, and after the battle with Tartaros, Makarov decided to disband the guild due to the threat of a kingdom in the western continent.

A kingdom that had invaded Ishgar ten years prior, in order to steal Lumen Historie. With the help of the Magic Council, the kingdom, called Alvarez, had been stopped. Fearing, at the time, that with no Magic Council and no Face or Etherion, Alvarez would attack again, Makarov had disbanded the guild. His reasoning had been that he didn't want Fairy Tail to fight back because where Ishgar had about five hundred magic guilds in total...Alvarez had about seven hundred and thirty, all of which were combined together to form the military of the kingdom.

Fearing for his guild, Makarov had gone to Alvarez to stall for as long as he could so that the council could get back on it's feet. In short...he had gone on a suicide mission.

"So...Gramps has gone to that whatchacallit...country...and he isn't back yet!?" Natsu demanded.

"He disbanded the guild to protect us..." Erza muttered.

"You haven't heard from him in a year?" Gray asked.

"Yeah."

"Didn't you try stopping him, Mest?" Happy asked.

"You really think the Master would listen?" Carla asked.

"I wonder if he's okay." Lucy said softly.

"We can't tell if we're still dealing with them, or if the country has isolated itself. Or even..."

"Stop, please." Erza begged, cutting off Mest.

"I've been following Makarov's orders and working on bringing back the council and with the help of Master Warrod, we've got a temporary council formed by the Ten Wizard Saints." Mest remarked.

"Oh yeah, I remember hearing that the council also wanted info on the Master's whereabouts." Lucy said.

"Master Warrod knows what's happening but I'm certain the rest don't. However, the threat they feel from the Alvarez kingdom is the same. They've been sending reinforcements to the western continent and strengthening their defenses there." Mest explained.

"But if the old man's trick worked, he would've been back by now, wouldn't he!?" Gray demanded.

"Well, yeah. Like I said, we can't tell if it's because he hasn't heard of this or if he can't make it back." Mest replied.

"Then we'll go help him. No?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah...I've done what the master told me to do, so from now onwards, I'll be doing what I want to do as a member of Fairy Tail." Mest agreed.

"If everyone's together, we're unbeatable!" Happy cheered.

"Let's all go!" Carla suggested.

"Wait." Erza demanded. "We're up against an enemy that the master himself felt he couldn't beat. We can't go there without a plan."

"We've all powered up in this past year! I ain't gonna lose, no matter how strong they are!" Natsu declared.

"So are you telling me that you're planning to trample on the Master's feelings despite knowing that he's there to buy us time?" Erza asked. "Rebuilding the guild and getting Fairy Tail back on it's feet. I want everyone in the guild to smile again, after all, it's been a year since we've seen each other. These are my feelings as the seventh master."

"Hey, that's...!"

"Rette was the first person he told about disbanding the guild and leaving." This comment from Mest, had Erza half turning to him. "She wanted to go with him, but he sent her on a mission to visit all of his allies, I believe it was to deliver a warning to them, but then she went missing, too."

"You don't think she went after him, do you!?" Wendy asked.

"It's possible." Mest said. "We all know that Rette isn't exactly someone to sit back when someone she claims as her own, is in danger."

"Erza! You still want to sit back knowing that both the old man and Rette could be there!?" Gray demanded.

"I already told you my feelings as the seventh master." Erza said.

"But-"

"But," Erza said, cutting off her friends. "my feelings as another member of the guild are entirely different. We must rescue the master, and Rette if she's there, at all costs! And that's why, only those here now will go. We're better off in small numbers. Infiltrate the Alvarez kingdom and rescue the master, and Rette if she's there, and then we'll talk. This isn't a fight, we're going there on a rescue mission, so don't pick any unnecessary fights and don't make a fuss over things. You hear me, Natsu?"

"Y...yeah..." Natsu agreed, looking away from Erza when she stared at him. "We'll save Gramps for sure! And find Rette!"

While they were planning their mission, above ground, someone was eavesdropping on the conversation. Gajeel grinned, deciding that if they wanted to go in as a small team, then he would just have to form his own team and go by his own way. With that, he rounded up Juvia, Cana, and Mira and declared that they were going to find Laxus. With the two teams decided, they all set out.

They were going to bring Makarov back.

One way or the other.

-0-0-0-0-

Natsu really was starting to hate this whole thing.

"W...We're going there...by...boat!?"

After deciding to follow Makarov to Alvarez to bring him home, Natsu and his group had set out. To Natsu's great misfortune, the only way they could reach the Alvarez kingdom, was to cross the sea, which meant that they had to take a boat.

"How else could we?" Gray asked.

"I dunno...get Mest to teleport us there in an instant or something..." Natsu replied.

"I can't do something that far." Mest retorted.

Groaning, Natsu turned to Wendy, hoping she could cast her spell on him to take away his motion sickness, but Wendy was also hanging over the side of the boat, fighting back being sick. With both of them feeling sick, Gray carried them into the boat cabin, but when he came back, he was missing all but his underwear. While Lucy scolded Gray, Mest approached Erza, who had been quietly staring out over the water.

"What's wrong, Erza? Oh wait, should I be calling you master now?" Mest asked.

"No, Erza's fine." Erza told him, glancing back at him before carrying on. "The guild's disbandment...Master Makarov went to such lengths just to protect us. And to keep Lumen Histoire out of the hands of the enemy as well. This much, I get, but...as long as Lumen Histoire remains a mystery to us, I can't help feeling as if what we're doing is meaningless."

"It could be...something equivalent...to a weapons, probably." Mest suggested.

"Well, from what I remember, the old man once said that he was gonna use it to stop Face." Gray piped in.

"Yeah...but he also said something about not having the courage to do so." Lucy added.

"So...if he had used it, it could've stopped the Faces at that time?" Carla asked.

The idea was big one. There had been so many Faces that it had taken seven dragons to destroy them all. To think that Fairy Tail had had a weapon that could do that on it own? It was no wonder that the Alvarez kingdom feared Lumen Histoire.

"And the First's body...is the biggest mystery of all." Erza commented.

"We can't even tell if she's still alive or not." Gray said. "Though, I bet Rette could of told us. After all, she always had a knack with magic and crystals."

"So the First that we've been seeing all this time is an astral projection?" Carla asked.

"There are too many questions left unanswered." Gray replied.

"But I'm sure we'll find out once we save the Master. And find Rette, of course." Lucy said.

The others agreed with that. It was just a matter of finding both Makarov and Rette. Erza turned and looked at Mest.

"How long till we reach Alvarez?" Erza asked.

"It takes ten days to reach Aracitacia by ship, so I'd say a few more if we're to reach the capital." Mest replied. "I understand your impatience but we can't afford to mess up now. We'll need to make a short stop at Caracall Island before proceeding to refill our fuel and food."

"That just goes to say that we're no longer in Fiore territory." Lucy remarked.

"Do we even have time to make a pit-stop?" Gray asked.

"It's like I said, we can't mess up now. Preparation is important if we're serious about the infiltration. We'll be meeting our intelligence guy in Caracall. That's when we'll plan our route." Mest replied.

It was all they could do for the moment.

-0-0-0-0-

Ten days at sea...by the time they finally got close to Caracall Island, Natsu and Wendy were grateful to see dry land, but that gratefulness was ruined when they were confronted with the sight of Alvarez's navy ship at port.

"What's it doing there?" Happy asked.

"Caracall isn't under Alvarez's rule, is it?" Carla asked.

"It seems they're checking for something at the ports." Mest said, peering through a spyglass.

"Doesn't that mean we can't get any closer?" Gray asked.

"They're...they're probably looking...for spies..." Natsu ground out.

"And it...doesn't...look like they've caught them yet..." Wendy added.

"You guys can hear what's going on from here?" Lucy asked, surprised.

"Well, sure...a little." Natsu replied.

This wasn't good. If Alvarez was looking for spies, it might mean that they were on to them already. That was something that could spell disaster for them before they ever even reached Alvarez to save Makarov. Mest turned to Erza.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"We need to get to the spies before the navy catches them." Erza decided.

When they finally docked, the navy soldiers were making all of those coming and going from the island, line up, leaving their luggage off to one side. Dressed as nothing more than mere tourist and hiding their guild symbols with that of the one Wendy use to have before coming to Fairy Tail, Natsu and his group joined the line.

"Next!"

With this call, it was their turn to step forward.

"We're here on a holiday!" Lucy cheered happily.

"I heard the star mangoes here are to die for." Erza added.

"That mark, are you a part of a guild?" the soldier asked, peering at Lucy's hand.

Lucy lift her hand, showing off the Cait Shelter guild mark that was hiding the real one. They had thought it best if they didn't openly claim to be apart of Fiore's most notorious guild. It was sure to give them away.

"Yeah, we're part of a mage guild called Cait Shelter." Lucy told them.

"I haven't heard of a guild like that." one soldier remarked.

"Yeah well, we only know a handful of those from Ishgar anyway." a second added.

"What do we do? We've been told to be thorough with those from guilds." the first said.

"But would a spy come through our front door bearing guild crests?" the second asked.

"True..."

It was obvious that the two soldiers were at a loss for what to do. This was where Lucy and Erza, with the charm of their swimsuits, stepped in.

"Hey. Are we done yet?" Lucy asked.

"There'll be no more star mangoes by the time this is over." Erza added.

For added measure, the two bent forward, giving the two soldiers a peek down their bikini tops while giving them wide eyed looks. The two men were completely taken and cleared them to move on. With that, they chalked it up to one for girl power. But despite making it past the guards at the port, there were so many roaming the town that they were severely hampered. Lucy instantly turned on Natsu.

"Natsu, behave!" she said sharply.

"Why me?" Natsu asked.

"Because you're the one that doesn't seem to understand the word 'infiltration' the most." Gray told him.

"I do! It's that, isn't it...like those 'ninjas' I like!" Natsu said, wrapping his face in his scarf until all they could see were his eyes.

Just then, further down the road, they heard a child yelling at one of the guards to give back their father. They turned to look down the street, watching as the child cried, begging to know where they had taken his father.

"Natsu, calm down." Erza told Natsu when he got upset.

"You mustn't do anything." Mest insisted.

It was easier said than done. When one of the guards raised a hand to strike the child, it wasn't just Natsu that came to the boy's defense, but him, Lucy, Gray, and Erza, the four taking down the guards. While Wendy comforted the little boy, Mest stood back, in a nervous sweat, unable to believe just how big of idiots his guild mates could be.

"We can't get out of this island!" Mest groaned.

"Right. Not unless we take all of them out." Carla agreed.

Natsu and the others seemed to agree. While Wendy and Carla took the child away to help him find his father, Mest went on ahead to their informant, leaving the others to distract the guards.

"Don't go too crazy, okay." Erza warned the others.

Natsu and Gray kept their magic to a minimum, while Lucy fought with her whip and Erza fought bare handed. It didn't take them long to work their way through the guards.

"This is disappointing. You sure these are the guys that the old man's so afraid of?" Gray asked.

"I have a feeling reinforcements will be coming from the ship." Erza said, glancing towards the navy ship.

"Hey, why don't we just ask these guys' for Gramps' whereabouts?" Natsu asked from where he was crouched next to some of the unconscious guards.

"I don't think we should. It's highly unlikely that they would have a clue...and they'd find out what we're here for. That's not a good thing." Lucy told him.

"Either way we've got to be ready." Erza said.

Though she said this, she was already relaxing at a street vendor, eating and enjoying herself.

"It would be great if you guys could tone it down a little." the vendor said.

"Sorry about that." Erza told him.

"Heh, and even in this mess, you're still opening shop. That's some commercial spirit you've got there." Gray told the man.

"Fights always happen around here anyway. Nothing's more important to me than business! I'm gonna save my money to get to Ishgar." the man told them.

"Oh?" Lucy asked.

"You lot are from Ishgar, no?" the vendor asked.

"Yeah." Gray confirmed.

"I'm gonna popularize star mangoes in Ishgar! And make the best dessert shop there!" the man said proudly.

"Yes, that sounds deliciou...It's a great dream!" Erza told him.

"I'm stuck with this shabby hut now but, I'm a man with big dreams too! There's no way an ordeal like this will-"

The man was cut off in mid-sentence when something suddenly caused the hut to explode. Needless to say, this needless squashing of the poor man's dreams, angered Erza. She rounded on the person responsible as they started clapping.

"Who is it!? How could you..." Erza growled.

"Ah, that's a wonderful face you've got there! Very well done~! My name's Marin Hallow. And I'm from the Brandish Force, a part of the Alvarez Empire's army." the enemy announced.

Wanting to get the vendor away from what was sure to be a fight, Gray gave the man a bag of money, claiming that while it might not be enough, he could have it as compensation for them bringing the fight to his hut. With the man out of the way, Erza tried to equip into one of her armors, to fight, but found that her magic wasn't working.

"What's wrong, Erza?" Natsu asked.

"I can't use my magic." Erza replied.

"Of course you can't...'space' is something I own." Marin said.

"Space?" Gray asked.

"'The Knight'...it's a kind of magic that enables me to instantly equip anything I want. And that's why you can't use any of your 'spacial' magic against me." Marin explained.

This meant that Lucy couldn't use her magic either, leaving her unable to summon any of her spirits. That meant that half of their forces were left unable to use their magic.

"I forgot to say this, but...those that have managed to break free of my laws of space...get an invitation to my own personal relaxation space." Marin said, as he sent Lucy and Erza away to another 'space'.

"Hey! Where'd you take Lucy and Erza, you bastard!?" Natsu demanded.

"Didn't you hear me? I said I invited them to my relaxation space. Those two have done so well so I've decided to make them mine. But you guys...you have failed." Marin said, his cheerful face changing to an ugly one. "Failed, you hear? Jackasses!"

"Woah, he turned one-eighty!" Gray said.

With a snap of Marin's fingers, suddenly, Mest dropped into existence, beat up and unconscious.

"He is one of yours, isn't he? This one too, tried to use spacial magic in front of the great me! Failures! Unclean! How dare you shitheads use spacial magic! It's not something for men to use, dammit!" Marin snapped.

Natsu attacked then, but Marin simply vanished and reappeared behind Natsu. Since he, himself, used spacial magic, he was able to avoid Natsu's attack. He was able to vanish from one place to the next, attacking Natsu and Gray and vanishing all over again. One minute, it was behind them, and the next, he was standing on a roof. It was becoming too much trouble for the two of them.

"How long are you gonna play around like that, Marin?"

A new voice had them turning to where a woman was walking towards them, the Alvarez emblem stamped on her right was ecstatic to see her, his speech returning to the overly cheerful one he had used with Lucy and Erza. Gray couldn't believe the amount of magic he could sense from her. It was completely off the charts.

"Oh, Lady Brandish! You're well done, as usual!" he greeted.

"Stop that, won't you...it's disgusting." she remarked.

Natsu, could sense the massive magical energy too. Without realizing what he was doing, he reached for his bandaged right arm. Both him and Gray were ready for her to attack them, but what came out of her mouth next, shocked them all into silence.

"I want some star mango gelato."

Turning, she found the star mango gelato shop in a pile of ruins. When she turned back around, there were tears in her eyes.

"The shop's in ruins! What happened here!?" she asked.

"Oh, they went all boom! on it." Marin said, pointing to Natsu and Gray.

"You did that!" Natsu snapped back.

"That's really cheap of you!" Gray agreed.

Brandish heaved a sigh, looking dejected as her shoulders sagged. Just as Erza had been eager to try the star mango gelato, she had been looking forward to it.

"I was so looking forward to it. I'm going home." Brandish declared, turning to head back to the ship.

"Wh...wait, Lady Brandish! These guys picked a fight with our soldiers out of nowhere. And there might be more of them out there meeting with the spies!" Marin told her.

"I'm not interested. Marin, give them back the girls you've 'passed'." Brandish ordered.

"Ehh!? But...they were going to be part of my collection...and you said I could do whatever I wanted, Lady Brandish." Marin whined.

Annoyed, a wave of magic exploded out from Brandish, shaking the ground and the buildings around them. Before their very eyes, the island's shape changed, rising from the sea to jut out over the water.

"Don't make me repeat myself again." Brandish told Marin.

"Yes!" Marin said quickly.

With that, he returned Erza and Lucy. Natsu and Gray quickly rushed to their sides to check on them.

"My relaxation space isn't anything dangerous so no worries, no worries heart emoticon." Marin told them, turning to Brandish. "Lady Brandish, our job is to capture the spy and their acquaintances that have come to look for him, and we can't go back empty handed or Master Wahrl will..."

"Ishgar wouldn't dare come at Alvarez even if we did let them go anyway." Brandish said.

"That's true but...wouldn't it be terrible to tell them we couldn't find any? We'd be failures." Marin insisted.

"Such things don't concern me." Brandish said simply, turning to leave once more.

"Wait up." Natsu called. "Look at what you've done to one of ours. There's no way I'm letting that slide."

Brandish half turned, peering back at Natsu as he glared at her. He was not going to let the injury to one of his friends, go unpunished. Brandish, in a show of her power, turned to Marin and with a simple lift of her hand...Marin vanished. This shocked Natsu and his friends, but Brandish turned on her heel as if it was nothing.

"And now, we're one person down too. Does that make us even then? I'm sorry, but...troublesome matter aren't my favorite." Brandish told him.

"You took out your own..." Natsu growled.

"It's like I said, it was getting troublesome. I'll let them know that I've taken care of the spy, etcetera, so don't come any closer to Alvarez." Brandish said, making Erza think she was belittling them, but her next words, cut off those thoughts. "Makarov is alive. But if you guys keep doing unnecessary things, who knows what'll happen. This is a warning. Don't come any closer."

The magic that fell over them, was enough shook the ground before the ground under their feet vanished, shrinking until it was just enough for Brandish to stand on. This sent the rest of them, including all inhabitants of the island, crashing into the water. Brandish looked down at them.

"There are twelve more mages of this power in Alvarez. So don't fight a battle you cannot win, Fairy Tail. "

With that from Brandish, she vanished, returning to her ship. This left Natsu and his team to ponder of what she had told them. Twelve more of the same, if not higher, level as her, and they already seemed to know their plan.

Thankfully, there was a group of fishing boats nearby. Everyone from the island was rounded up and boarded onto the boats.

"Everyone who was on this island seems like they'll be able to board." Lucy remarked.

"Lucky there was a group of fishing boats nearby." Gray agreed.

It was still mass panic as people rushed back and forth, trying to help everyone and see to everything they would need to. Then there was Mest. He was badly hurt, but with Wendy too motion sick to use her magic, he was basically left to heal the old fashion way.

"Oh yeah, did you find the kid's parents?" Gray asked of Carla, Wendy, and Happy.

"Aye! Don't worry!" Happy assured him.

"So, what do we do now?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm, we could start with that spy we're..."

Erza was cut off as she was suddenly teleported off the ship. Lucy, Natsu, and the rest of their team were teleported right after her. They suddenly found themselves somewhere else completely.

"It's...it's my magic." Mest said before anyone could freak out.

"Don't just teleport us here like that!" Carla snapped at him.

"Ohh! We're no long on transportation!" Natsu cheered, Wendy cheering with him.

"So...where is this?" Gray asked.

"Well, we're still technically in Caracall Island's waters but...underwater to be exact." Mest told them.

"Underwater!?" Lucy asked.

"I did get to the spy, but the only message I got was to come here." Mest explained.

"This is an odd place." Erza remarked.

Natsu was playing around with sticking his head out the windows when suddenly, the temple begun to move. Of course, this made Natsu and Wendy sick all over again.

"Welcome aboard!"

With this greeting, they all turned on the new speaker. There, they found Angel sitting on a throne of sorts. She waved in greeting to them.

"To the moving temple, Olympia! This is your captain, Sorano!" Angel called out cheerfully.

"So the spy..."

"That's right!" Angel said, confirming Happy's silent guess.

"Why wasn't it Cobra!?" Erza demanded of Mest.

"He would've asked all sorts of questions." Mest replied.

"So...your cover had been blown." Lucy remarked, looking at Angel.

"Then you came to the island to hide." Gray continued.

"And now the island's gone." Carla finished.

"Hey! It took all I got to escape alive, okay!" Angel snapped. "Anyway, this time's special because I owe Mest a favor anyway. We're not comrades, make no mistake."

"Thanks, Angel...So...Sorano?" Lucy said, trying to be polite.

Angel's reply for this was to hook one finger into the front of Lucy's bikini top and pull while reminding her that it had been her who had killed Karen from Blue Pegasus. It was Erza that got her to stop. Angel backed off, her hands going up in the air in a show of innocence. It was then that Natsu demanded to know where they were going.

"We're going to where Makarov is." Angel announced.

Shock and silence fell over the group as they turned to look at Angel. They couldn't believe that Angel actually knew exactly where Makarov was.

"You...know where the Master is?" Erza asked.

"How do you like me now?" Angel replied.

"And Rette!? What about Rette!?" Gray asked.

Here, Angel's grin waned until she heaved a sigh and shook her head. Her hands spread out to either side of herself in a what-can-you-do kind of fashion.

"We all looked, even Jellal, and not a single one of us could find even a tiny rumor about her. I certainly didn't hear anything in Alvarez. If she came to Alvarez, for any reason...no one knows about it." Angel answered.

While it was great news that Angel knew where Makarov was, it was a little disheartening to hear that she had no news on Rette. They were beginning to wonder if they would ever find Rette, and so many questions welled up in their minds.

Where was Rette?

Was she alright?

Was she happy?

And worst yet...was she even alive?

While they wanted to know what had become of Rette in the last year, at the moment, they had to focus on the person that was right before them. They knew where Makarov was, so they had to act. They would just have to leave Rette for after that.

That, and hope that, wherever she was, the was safe.

END

Kyandi: Don't get too impatient with me, everyone.

Rette: We'll get to my "return" soon enough.

Kyandi: Right. So be patient with me. I have to set a lot up.

Rette: Let's just say...you'll be surprised.

Kyandi: Oh, boy will they. That aside, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We're hoping to be back in a few days.

Kyandi: Until then, bye-bye!


	60. Fairy Heart

Kyandi: Greetings, all!

Rette: We have returned with one last chapter until after moving day.

Kyandi: Yep. I'm moving tomorrow and won't have my internet set up until three or four days later.

Rette: So, please, be patient with us during that time.

Kyandi: If you all can promise that, then I will leave this chapter with a relieved heart.

Rette: And everyone gets to find out who Torin is in this chapter, right?

Kyandi: Yep. So, let's see whose theory was right.

Rette: Fun.

Kyandi: So, everyone, please, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 60 Fairy Heart

Makarov's location, turned out to be the royal palace of Alvarez. While it was a little difficult to get near the palace, getting to Makarov turned out to be the biggest challenge. What they found, had shocked them. They found Makarov, but he was faced with the kingdom's king...who turned out to be Zeref, himself. They were fortunate enough to arrive just in time for Mest to teleport in and save Makarov from Zeref killing him in a bid to anger Natsu into attacking him.

Mest quickly teleported Makarov out of the city and back to the forest where the rest of his team was waiting for him. Instantly, everyone gathered around, thrilled to see their master alive and well.

"Zeref! Zeref was there..." Mest got out between pants.

"Wait, Zeref's here!? On this continent..." Natsu demanded.

"I had no idea myself, that the man who called himself Emperor Spriggan was in fact, Zeref." Makarov said. "And now that you kids are here...did Mest keep you in the loop?"

"Yes." Erza answered.

"We're all so glad you're okay." Wendy told him.

"It was naive of me to think that it'd go so well. He never had an intention to negotiate in the first place. After all I've done...going as far as to soil the guild's long history by coming here...all of this, for nothing. How frustrating." Makarov said, tears in his eyes, his head hung.

"Not all of it was pointless. We've all grown a lot in the span of a year." Gray assured him.

"And we're all back together again." Lucy added.

"If the drive behind one's actions is the thought for another, then it is never meaningless. This was something you taught us." Erza agreed.

Makarov looked up at them all, his eyes wide while tears still streamed from his eyes. Natsu reached out, offering Makarov his hand to help him up.

"We're going home, Gramps." Natsu told him. "Back to Fairy Tail."

Makarov tearfully agreed, his eyes traveling over those before him, before he caught on to something he had missed at first. Turning one way, then the other, Makarov searched for the one person missing from the group.

"Where's Rette?" he asked.

"She's not here?"

Makarov turned, fixing his eyes on Gray when he asked that. When he shook his head, Gray shared a look with his friends. Makarov had a bad feeling about this.

"Why would she be here?" Makarov asked.

"After delivering the message you gave her, Master...Rette vanished. No one has been able to find her in the last year." Erza informed him.

Makarov slapped a hand to his face. He had a bad feeling that Rette had gone against her promise to him. Honestly, he should have known she would. Rette wasn't one to sit back and allow a threat to her family exist when she felt like she could do something about it. He had hoped that one of his friends would have been able to talk her into staying with their guild, but obviously, that had been hopeful thinking.

"I hate to break up the reunion and the conversation, but we've got to leave." Carla said.

"I've used my teleporting skills too frequently today...at this point, I only have enough power to move everyone once more. And I'd like to use that to move us back to Sorano's ship. This being said, we still have to return to the previous drop-off point." Mest pointed out.

There was that to consider and then there was doing that while trying to avoid the mages of the kingdom. They needed to get Makarov home and then they could focus on what happened to Rette.

"Aww, what a touching reunion. You going home, Makarov?" Everyone turned when someone else spoke. They were confronted by one of the Spriggan 12, Ajeel. "Got all your souvenirs yet? I heard mudpacks are a fad now, care to try one out?"

"Ajeel!" Makarov gasped.

"No way...how did he get here!?" Mest asked.

"Sand. Glorious sand. It tells you so much about the land." Ajeel replied. His grin spread wide as he watched each of them brace themselves for a fight, ready to confront anything he threw at them. "Oh, I like that."

"Stop! Don't fight him! He isn't someone you could beat! We've gotta move!" Makarov yelled.

While Natsu wanted to argue, Erza didn't give him a chance. She grabbed his arm and started dragging him away. Erza launched blades at Ajeel as a distraction, giving them time to make it to the magic car that Carla had ready for them. Erza quickly took the driver seat, taking off the moment everyone was inside.

"He's coming." Makarov warned.

Carla and Happy peered out the window, watching in horror as a monster made of sand rose up over them. Erza jerked the wheel, sending the car swinging one way and then the other in order to avoid the fists of the monster as it attacked.

"It's no good, he's catching up! Lucy! Let's intercept the attacks!" Gray yelled.

"Yeah."

Being careful, the two climbed out the window, climbing on top of the car. Makarov yelled at the two to stop, that Ajeel wasn't someone they could face, but Lucy and Gray weren't going to back down. They wouldn't know until they tried. Black marks spread over Gray's right side as he prepared to use his magic and Lucy Stardressed into her Sagittarius form. Makarov was surprised by the sheer increase in their magic levels compared to what they had been a year before.

Gray froze the monster and the area around it, but Ajeel broke free, his sand following him and turning into smaller, winged monsters. Lucy took over, shooting at the monsters while Gray took on those that managed to make it past her. Ajeel was impressed and seemed to vanish before their eyes. Makarov called out a warning that he was in the sand below them. Using the sand, Ajeel turned the ground under them into a quick sand pit. Quickly, they evacuated the car, fighting the drag of the sand.

"Let me tell you how many I've killed and town I've swallowed with this. This Ant Lion Larva's Pit is my version of hell's door. No one's escaped it before. So listen really closely, since it's the last thing you'll ever hear before you die. I eat mages like you for breakfast! You never stood a chance!" Ajeel declared. "We're just too different in level, you worms! Ishgar's now a land abandoned by the gods! It's only a matter of time until Alvarez takes control over it! You frustrated? I'm sure! Very good! I love the faces you're making right now!"

His words, how they angered Natsu.

With an explosion of his own magic, Natsu freed himself, and his friends, from the quicksand, the Cait Shelter emblem vanishing from his shoulder to be replaced with the rightful Fairy Tail emblem. The emblem replaced the Cait Shelter emblems on each of his friends as well.

"Abandoned by the gods? Just nice then. At least we still have the fairies." Natsu declared before punching Ajeel in the face.

He knocked Ajeel back, the others bracing themselves to fight back. Ajeel quickly rolled back to his feet, grinning despite now having a busted nose courtesy of Natsu.

"It's been too long since I've felt a punch this good!" he cheered. "Very good! Bring me all you've got!"

Ajeel attacked once more, the sand wrapping around them. Angered at Ajeel's attack on his children, Makarov used his magic to increase the size of his fist, slamming it down on Ajeel's head. Ajeel jumped out of the way at the last second. With Ajeel backing off to avoid the giant fist, Makarov scooped up all of his children, shielding them with his body as he expanded it.

"I won't let you lay a hand on my kids!" Makarov yelled.

Natsu protested this, insisting that they could still fight. Makarov wasn't listening. He wasn't going to let them continue a fight that he was sure was going to end up getting them hurt, or worse.

"Oh...did you really think you could protect all of them like that? You don't seem to understand, do you, the power of the Spriggan Twelve." Ajeel said. Something moving in the distance, called Makarov's attention. It was a massive wall of sand moving towards them, heeding the call of Ajeel's magic. "Let the sands of death swallow you whole!"

Erza instantly yelled at Mest to teleport them away, but Mest had no idea as to where he could teleport them to. Makarov was prepared to protect them to his final breath. He braced his feet, ready to take the sand on, determined to keep them safe.

"This is the end! Anyone that comes in contact with this sandstorm dries up from the inside! Ta-da! Mummified fairies!" Ajeel announced, laughing at the thought of their demise.

Natsu and his friends yelled at Makarov to run, to get away from the sand, but it was too late. Running now would be useless and Makarov knew it. Just before the sands hit, though, a bolt of lightning rained from the sky. Looking upward, Makarov was shocked with the sight of Blue Pegasus's flying ship, Christina, flying over head and at her helm...was Laxus.

"Laxus!?" Makarov called out.

"He took out that sandstorm with just one attack!?" Erza asked, surprised.

"Flashy as always, isn't he?" Gray asked with a huge grin.

Gajeel's voice suddenly sounded over the speakers on Christina, Levy's following, telling them to get on the ship.

"Gajeel? Levy and Lily too." Happy said.

"Hey, that's a ship, ain't it! How is it Gajeel and Laxus are completely fine!" Natsu snapped.

Many voices fought over speaking, Juvia, Elfman, and Lisanna among them, before Natsu was finally given his answer that the ship was customized to carry Dragon Slayers as well. Even the Thunder Legion revealed themselves to be there before Cana took over, ordering Mest to teleport everyone onto the ship so they could get the hell out of there. Mest was more than happy to comply with that order, though Ajeel had other plans.

He tried to stop their retreat, but Laxus stood in his way, lighting up Ajeel's world with electricity, and pain.

Leaving Ajeel to deal with the after effects of the attack, they retreated. With Mest's help they landed, though messily, inside the ship, Erza landing on top to squish all those below. Untangling themselves, they were greeted happily by the others.

"Why are you people here!?" Gray demanded.

"We've done stuff on our own to save the master too!" Lisanna said.

"And one is Laxus." Mira added.

"This ship is the best! I'm not even sick! Oh hey, let's fight, Laxus!" Natsu cheered, happy to not be sick for once.

"Shut up." Laxus replied.

Looking around at all of his children and being confronted with all they had done just to save him, Makarov couldn't help the tears that streamed down his face, or the smile that curled his lips.

"The best family one can ask for. Fairy Tail!" Makarov cheered.

With their master back, their family was whole. Well, almost. There was still one more person missing from their family.

Rette.

For the moment, though, everyone just wanted to be happy to have their master back. Once they were back home with everyone else, they could decide what they were going.

Whatever they decided, they would bring Rette home.

-0-0-0-0-

"To celebrate Fairy Tail's official rebirth...Cheers!"

Cheers rang out around the guild hall as people greeted Makarov for the first time in a year. With Makarov back, Erza stepped down as the guild master, giving the position back to Makarov. As always, the alcohol was broken out and fights and drunken laughter started to ring out through the guild hall.

"Everyone is so noisy." Lucy remarked, sigh contently.

"But at least everything is finally back to normal." Levy said.

"Yes, but..."

"But what?" Levy asked, looking at Lucy.

Lucy's eyes had been drawn to one of the pictures that had been hung up on the guild walls. There, in the center of the group of photos, was a single picture featuring the indifferent, yet slightly smiling face of Rette as she stood behind the counter, Natsu and Gray rough housing off to the side. Levy followed Lucy's eyes to the picture, instantly knowing what Lucy was thinking.

"Oh right...Rette's still not here."

When Levy said this, all noise in the guild hall died off. A table over, Thyme, sitting on the table in her exceed form along with Carla, Lily, and Happy, hung her head, her ears flattening against the back of her head. Everyone did the same, hanging their heads as they scolded themselves for celebrating when one of their family was still missing.

"No one knows where she went? At all?" Evergreen asked.

"The last known siting of her was when she dropped Master's message off at the Sabertooth guild. After that...she just vanished." Lucy remarked.

"What about you, Thyme? Can't you find her with your bond?" Macao asked.

Thyme shook her head, her head dropping another inch. Lily pat her shoulder, trying to comfort her. He turned to answer for her.

"After Rette's death, the connection was broken. When she was brought back, the connection never reestablished itself. She can no more feel Rette than she could when she first met her." Lily explained, Thyme nodding sadly.

"And she didn't go after the master?" Lisanna asked.

"We didn't come across her in Alvarez and our informnate hadn't been able to find a single trace of her." Mest answered.

"Then how are we suppose to find her?" Jet asked.

"It's Rette we're talking about. Sooner or later, she'll show back up...right?" Gray asked.

Murmuring broke out around the guild hall, everyone stating what they thought and some trying to come up with some plan to find Rette. Some ideas differed, and many disagreed on where she might be and what she might be doing, but everyone agreed on one thing.

She should be there with them.

Especially if a fight was about to come baring down on their heads.

"Maybe this might tell us something."

Everyone turned to Laki as she stepped forward. In her hand, she held a beat up, worn envelope.

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

"Well, while rebuilding the guild hall, we decided it would be a nice surprise for Rette if we rebuilt her house as well. That way, she could have a house to come home to." Laki explained. "While we were clearing away the crumbled remains of the house, we found this carefully hidden under bricks and stones that were left from her front porch."

Erza took the envelope from Laki and ripped it open. Inside, she found what looked like a letter or diary entry, written in Rette's neat script and signed at the bottom with her name.

"It's from Rette. It looks like a diary entry." Erza said.

"Read it. She wouldn't have left it there if she wasn't okay with someone finding and reading it." Cana encourage.

Erza saw their point. She cleared her throat and begun reading through the words Rette had left. Many smiled as Rette, in the entry, introduced herself as a mage of Fairy Tail, home to the world's foremost trouble making mages. She then went on to explain her life from the time she was born, to her mother's death and her early childhood being raised between her sadistic and abusive father and her beaten and scared into obedience aunt. The latter being a detail she had never shared with any of them.

The poor woman who had been left to raise her sister's daughter in a world that was cruel to her. Many of them felt bad for Rette's aunt, Seraphina. She had to live in the same place, with the same man that had killed her sister, had to raise her niece and watch, helpless, as Lachlan relentlessly tortured and abused the child. But she had been the one to teach Rette her beloved Light of Creation magic, had been the one to finally help Rette escape from her father.

What happened to her after that, not even Rette knew.

Rette went on to explain her naming, how she came about her nickname, her day to day goal of trying not to anger her father, and all the things her father had done to her, right done to dressing her only in a rag. She even theorized that perhaps that was the reason why she hated underwear. And she explained how she had finally snapped, had succumbed to the voice in her head that they now knew had been the demon of tribulation talking to her, and had attacked her father after he had punished her for standing up for a child that had helped her.

She laid out the story of how she had met her dragons, making them all smile and laugh when she added in the bit about asking her dragon mother where babies came from. She even surprised them when she revealed that her dragons weren't the only ones she had met back then. Rette described her feelings for her dragon parents, how she had closed herself off and how she had thought it better to keep the hell of her life to herself.

She wrote about how she went traveling after her dragons vanished, always alone and always keeping others at a distance. From what the entry said, it was then that she started collecting books, reading up on every kind of magic she could, applying the mixing technique she had learned with her Dragon Slayer magic. A year later, she found Thyme's egg. She even reminisced on how, when Thyme had been too tiny to fly steady, she had carried the exceed in a sling across her chest.

Thyme smiled brightly, especially when Rette's entry revealed that Thyme had been the first creature she had felt like she could let down even a small amount of her guards around. And then she described when she first came to Fairy Tail. Laughter rang out as Rette described meeting all of them as being overwhelming and saying that any sane person would have balked in the face of the guild. She described how, despite all the rowdiness and quirks, Fairy Tail was full of good people and how she had slowly fell in love with the guild until they had completely stolen her heart away and had become her God given solace.

Then, she went through each member of the guild, taking a few sentences to describe her feelings about them, what they meant to her. Makarov bit his lip as Erza read through Rette's thoughts on him. He could feel the tears returning to his eyes as he listened to the way Rette had praised him, basically calling him her father. To her, he probably was the closest thing to a father that she had.

When Erza read the part on Mira and her siblings, Mira and Lisanna, tears in their eyes, laughed, Elfman scratching sheepishly at one cheek. All three were over joyed to know that Rette thought of them as her siblings. Next Rette had covered Erza. Erza coughed, trying to cover the reddening of her cheeks even as a smile spread across her face. With the first few sentences on Natsu, Natsu grew annoyed, only to calm down when Rette praised him as a loyal friend and called him a brother she wouldn't trade for the world.

For Gray it was the same, though he quickly looked away from Juvia when Rette brought up her feelings for Gray. Lucy blushed when the entry turned to her, calling her smart, reliable, and strong, claiming her as the glue that kept their team together. Next was Wendy, Rette describing feeling like a proud, big sister, and then Carla, the exceed blushing when it appeared that Rette saw right through her crass words. Happy deflated when Rette described him as not having a fully functioning brain and felt torn when she claimed he was cut from the same cloth as Natsu. She moved on to Thyme, claiming her as her best friend and wishing only the best for Thyme in the future.

Finally, she came to a part about wanting to learn to open up again and that she wanted to because of one person in particular.

Sting.

It surprised a few of them, as Rette's entry described her feelings for Sting, to realize that Rette had actually fallen in love and that she had been starting to realize it. And with Sting no less!

"I knew she had been getting awfully close with him!" Laki cheered.

"That's good. She deserve it." Erza remarked fondly.

Smiling at the thought of Rette finally finding someone who made her truly happy, Erza continued. According to the entry, Rette had felt her father's impending approach for a while before he actually showed up. She talked of her position as half demon and half human, and how she was different now than she had been as a child, though, at the core, she was the same. How she had feared for her friends, that she should have known better than to join Fairy Tail because it brought them to Lachlan's attention, but how she could never regret a single moment spent with them. She wrote about how much she loved her guild, how it had been the best time in her life, and that despite all the trails and stupid fights the guild came with, that it was more of a real family than some blood related families were.

And then she credited them with being able to finally trust others again.

She called them her greatest gift, claiming that while life had dealt her a poor hand at first, it had eventually dealt her the greatest hand she thought she could ever receive. It put smiles on their faces. In the entry, Rette thanked her birth mother and her dragons for all they had given her, saying that she still had a lot ahead of her, but her family needed her. Then Erza trailed off, her eyes growing wide as she read the rest of the letter.

"What is it, Erza?" Gray asked.

Erza grit her teeth, fighting not to rip the papers in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she read the last bit of what Rette had wrote down.

"' _I don't relish the punishment I'm going to get from Master Makarov for deceiving him, but in the end, if I accomplish what I'm setting out to do, then I will gladly accept it. It's with that mind set that I'm setting out on a solo adventure of sorts. I'll take Wendy and Carla to Lamia Scale, will pass on the message that Master has given me, and then I will face the future with my shoulders squared and my chin held high. I'm coming for you, Lachlan. And, this time, I won't back down until the job is done. I will come home, though. I won't be throwing my life away again. I have too much waiting for me here in Magnolia. I'll go, and I'll come back. After all, I have a house to rebuild. Forever a fairy, Rette Starrilia._ '"

Silence fell over the guild as the meaning behind the words sank in. Rette...Rette had gone after Lachlan, even after promising Makarov she wouldn't. Makarov cursed himself for not knowing better. Of course Rette wouldn't so willing sit back and do nothing while her father was still out there, threatening to hurt her family.

"You don't think she's d-"

"No! Don't even say that!" Natsu snapped, cutting off Droy. "Rette's alive. She said she wasn't going to give up her life again, didn't she?"

"Yeah, man. Have some faith in her. Since when has Rette given up on something she claims as hers?" Gray asked.

"True. She's finally laid claim to her life. I can't see her giving it up so easily." Erza agreed.

Agreement spread through the others at Erza's words. Smiles were just starting to appear on everyone's faces at the thought of Rette kicking her father's tail and making it back to them when the loud sound of Makarov slamming the end of his staff down on the ground, sounded throughout the room. Everyone turned to the old man.

"Everyone. I'm sorry. I won't make any excuses. I'm the one who lost everyone's home, and I'm the one that sent Rette away after knowing how far she would go to protect us. I'm really sorry." Makarov declared.

"I heard from Mest." Max replied.

"You did that to protect us, right?" Warren asked.

"We aren't angry and I bet Rette isn't either." Nab added.

"Yeah, and it's back already!" Jet piped in.

"Don't say depressing things. The drinks are gonna taste awful." Droy slurred.

"Besides, it's Rette, right? We've already seen just how difficult it is to kill her. She'll be back, Master. Don't you worry one bit." Mira assured him.

Makarov wasn't exactly reassured by their words. In the end, his plan had failed and now they had Alvarez breathing down their necks. Together they were, but, in the end, Rette was still missing and they were all still in danger. Makarov got down from his seat and headed for a table where a map had been spread out, a chess piece of sorts, marking where the Alvarez kingdom stood.

"In the end, my plan was a failure too. Alvarez is going to attack us. A huge country is marching towards this guild." Makarov said.

"So what!?" This yell came from Natsu who came stomping up to the front, annoyed with the whole doom and gloom feeling Makarov had filled the room with. "We've fought for this guild many, many times. No matter how strong the enemy is, the wish to protect the ones important to us has always made us strong."

Natsu finally reached the table, the attention of the whole guild on him as he slammed his hands down on the table. He glared across it's surface at Makarov as he continued on. It was easy to tell that he was refusing to back down.

"It's not that I'm not scared. It's like a parcel you don't know how to put down. But...everyone will definitely help us." On the table, flames burst to life around Natsu's hand, burning away the map until it caught the piece representing the Alvarez Kingdom, on fire. "The real fear...is the thought that these happy days might not continue. To be able to laugh together once again. We have to fight. Our goal is not victory! We're gonna fight to live! That's our battle!"

Grins spread to every face, everyone agreeing with Natsu completely. They had to fight for what was their's, just like Rette always did. Their enemy was seeking to take away their lives, their tomorrow. They would fight, not to win, but to ensure that they would have a tomorrow to spend together.

"It seems like everyone is ready." Laxus remarked.

"I am too." Makarov agreed. He just needed a little reminder that Fairy Tail was a family that wasn't to be messed with. "They will regret challenging our family! We will strike them back!"

Everyone had their reasons for fighting and while some of them differed, everyone was fighting for their loved ones, for the guild, and for themselves. It wasn't a fight they could afford to lose, so they simply wouldn't. They wouldn't give up until everyone was safe once more.

"There is something I need to tell you before the battle. The official name of Lumen Histoire is "Fairy Heart"." Makarov announced to the guild.

"Let me talk about that, Sixth...no, Eighth." At the sound of the voice, Makarov turned, finding Mavis standing behind him. "Everyone, Fairy Heart has been our guild's most protected information so far. That's because it has a secret that the world must not know. However, you also have to know the reason Zeref wants the power. And my sin..."

"First." Makarov called, silently telling her that it was alright not to tell them.

"It's okay. It's time to reveal the truth. This is the story of a cursed boy and a cursed girl. And of the single magic they were pursuing. This was a story that happened a hundred years ago, slightly before Fairy Tail was formed. Magnolia's West Forest. That was where we met by chance. He was suffering from the Ankhseram Curse, a curse that toyed at the fates of others by robbing them of their lives. But I was intrigued by him. He taught me most of my magic. At that time, Magnolia had been under the control of a dark guild. And we had to learn magic as fast as we could to free magnolia from them.

"That was when it happened, in the midst of battle...I used a black magic spell that was still incomplete but we won anyway. However, the price I had to pay was a body that stopped aging. I didn't think much of it back then. April, Year X686, Fairy Tail was formed. It was a time when the lords were in a feud over their trading rights. The second trade war was just about to begin. Guild wizards were roped into the battle as soldiers for these lords." Mavis said.

The guild listened as Mavis spun a tale for them of how she met had first met Zeref, starting with the beginning of the second Trade War.

"Year X690, the end of the second Trade Wars. The number of those injured and the death count were ten times higher than in the first war. It was said that the reason behind this was the mage guild interventions. That was when the world of magic decided that guilds could no longer wage war or be a part of any war by drafting a treaty. With that, a short era of peace dawned upon the world of magic. Six years later, year X696, I met with him again, pure coincidence."

Eyes stayed riveted on her as she told them of how she became cursed with the same curse as Zeref. Of how she was there when Makarov was born, that she had actually been the one to name him. And of how, after the death of Makarov's mother, Rita, Mavis ran away from the guild.

"A curse of contradiction. The more you love life, the more it will steal from those around you. But if you stop loving, then it will stop taking as well. I've taken the lives of trees, animals, and now, people too. From that point onwards, I stopped showing up at the guild, aimlessly wandered around and unwillingly stole a few lives from those near me. Then a year went by..."

Mavis continued, telling them of how Zeref found her once again, dirty, her clothes torn, starving, and living deep in the wilderness, far away from all people. But Zeref found her, none the less, and told her that, in his infinite amount of time, he had created demons to possibly, one day, kill him and how he had started his own country. She told them that it was then, talking to Zeref, that she realized that after a while, the curse even turned one's thoughts into contradictions. It was also about that time that she learned that she truly loved Zeref and Zeref her.

But even the love between two curse, wasn't to be allowed.

"Everything begins in the deep abyss of magic. A magic that unites it all, love. Love can cause miracles, and sadness as well. And the love between the two that have been living with the curse...have brought upon the highest level of contradiction. The more one loves, the more one will take away from another. This curse...has taken my life from me. Even when I was suppose to be immortal."

After her supposed death at the hands of Zeref's love, Mavis told them that Zeref returned her body to Fairy Tail, handing her over to the man that would later become Hades. Noticing that while her heart had stopped beating, some of her magic remained, Hades had put her in a lacrima deep beneath the guild in hopes to bring her back.

"And that's how my body came to be inside that crystal. He tried as many resurrection spells as he could, but nothing worked. And soon, Precht himself realized that I had the curse of Ankhseram. And ultimately forced him to keep this whole thing a secret. Year X697 Percht chose to announce that I had died and that my grave was on the guild's hold ground, Tenrou Island. Tenrou Island was my birthplace and also where I met Precht for the first time. The same year...Precht officially became the second guild master. And this was done according to my will before I had departed. Precht balanced his job as a guild master while trying all sorts of ways to bring me back.

"Year X700, three years later, Makarov's dad, Yuri passed away. Unaware of the circumstances that caused his wife's death. And then fifty years goes by, Precht never stopped trying. Everything was becoming very unpredictable. Precht was a genius, and even with his unrivaled knowledge and talents, I was stuck with the curse. I had become somewhat suspended in animation. Alive but dead at the same time. But that combination gave birth to a new indescribable magic. Eternity magic, Fairy Heart."

"What is that?" Erza asked.

"Just like it's name suggests, a limitless magic. One that will never run out." Mavis answered.

"An everlasting fountain of magic!?" Happy cried.

"For example, there once was a weapon called the Etherion that the old magic council had. And one attack from that weapon could wipe out an entire country. With the Fairy Heart, you could fire that Etherion repeatedly without worrying about the magic. Or should I say, it has enough magic to enable that...but then again, it's hard to explain just how much is has. It is infinite, after all." Mavis explained.

With this realization, the whole room was shocked into silence. Such a magic...it really could shake the foundation of the magical world. Especially if Zeref was able to get his hands on it.

"My son, Ivan, once wanted this as well. I wonder how this got out but now Alvarez is aware of it as well." Makarov said.

"So you're saying Alvarez is attacking because they want the Fairy Heart!?" Elfman asked.

"But what for?" Lisanna asked.

"They should have enough power already on their own." Mira remarked.

"I would think it's because they're planning on taking down Acnologia. It's been getting on Zeref's nerves this whole time." Mavis replied.

"But if we look at it from another angle, we'd need that much power to defeat it?" Cana asked.

"Hey, I have a really simple question. If it was that powerful, couldn't we just beat both Alvarez and Acnologia?" Happy asked.

"He has a point. I once thought of it as well when we had to deal with the Faces, but even if we won that round, there's no telling what would happen next. What would we do if we could no longer control the Etherion that now has an infinite source of magic?" Makarov said.

The mere thought was scary. If a canon like that was to go out of control? It would spell disaster for all of Fiore, and possibly the world.

"The Fairy Heart is something that should not be introduced to the world under any circumstances." Mavis said, the guild agreeing with her. "That being said...it's possibly already has been."

Makarov turned to look up at Mavis hung her head.

"What do you mean, First?" he asked.

"A magic born from my sins...I never thought it would drag all of you into this mess..." Mavis said.

"It's not a sin to fall in love. You can't even arrest someone over that." Gajeel said.

This, coming from Gajeel, surprised everyone and that surprised ticked Gajeel off. That being that, several were still stuck on what Mavis had just said.

"First, what do you mean it might have already been introduced to the world?" Erza asked.

Mavis looked down at the ground, as if ashamed of her actions. Finally she heaved a sigh and spoke.

"A year ago, not long after the Grand Magic Games, I noticed that Rette was really starting to suffer from fits of chest pain. During those fits, her magic would become unstable and would basically start tearing her apart from the inside. I knew, from watching her, that it would kill her before long. How she had made it that long already, was surprising. It only speaks highly of the amount of will power she has." Mavis started. "I knew something had to be done to stabilize her magic and when I saw the seal around her neck...I knew what it was. I had hoped that by sharing what power was trapped in the Fairy Heart's crystal, I could help keep her magic stable, stop the fits, possibly heal her. So..."

"So you lead her to Lumen Histoire." Erza said, Mavis nodding.

"That's why we found teeth marks in the crystal. Rette really did eat the crystal." Lucy said.

The mere thought had others making faces. They all knew that, as the Crystal Dragon Slayer, Rette ate crystals. She ordered them with her food all the time, but for her to eat a crystal that held the First's body in it? It was a disturbing thought.

"Rette didn't want to do it, but I pleaded with her. I couldn't stand to watch a member of our family died in such a painful way. I knew, the moment the magic settled into her body, that it had fused with her magic and had forged a link between her and me." Mavis said.

"But that's different than linking her directly to Fairy Heart, right?" Gray asked.

"Did any of you notice her running completely out of magic in the fight with Tartaros?" Mavis asked.

Everyone froze as they thought about this. While there had been times that Rette had run low, as if she was getting down to the last bits of her magic, she had almost instantly got her second wind, her magic rocketing back up to give her another fighting chance. The only time her magic had dropped to zero was when she had died. Horrified realization dawned on them all.

Rette...really was linked to Fairy Heart.

"I don't think Rette realized it then, herself, but because of this, I can always feel Rette, can feel her heart beating, as if it's my own. About eleven months ago, her magic suddenly dropped, dropping dangerously low, as if something had suddenly sucked out all the magic she possessed." Mavis told them.

"What!? Is she alright!?" rang out from several members of the guild.

Mavis held up a hand, silently asking that they calm down and listen.

"Despite this, I could feel Rette fighting. Even with her magic, her very life force, low and struggling, I know she fought and she, unconsciously I bet, drew on the power of Fairy Heart. If anything, her heart beat is stronger. I can feel her, even now." Mavis said, pressing a hand to her chest. "Her heart beat is strong and confident and she is growing stronger with every day that passes. Her magic has become so strong, I can feel it singing through my very being. Rette is alive...and she's on her way home. That much, I can tell."

Hearing this, smiles spread across everyone's face. Rette was coming home.

"But, to drag you all into this mess..." Mavis trailed off.

"First, please don't blame yourself so much." Erza told her.

"That's right. It's coincidental that the bad stuff kept piling up on you." Mira agreed.

"If you weren't here, we wouldn't have Fairy Tail at all." Lucy remarked.

"Which means we never would have met you." Cana added.

"You being here is what connects us all, Rette included, First." Gray said confidently.

"We want to protect the guild you built. So we'll fight." Wendy agreed.

Mavis couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her face. Even as no more than a spirit, she still felt the tears as if the warm liquid spilled down her true face.

"It's become a fine guild, First." Makarov told her.

Even Juvia started crying then. Confused, Gray questioned why she was crying. With tears still in her eyes, Juvia explained.

"Master Mavis has to fight the person she once loved." Juvia explained.

"That was a long time ago. Zeref has now become a threat to mankind. We have to defeat him." Mavis told her.

"But...even if we did do something about the Alvarez soldiers..." Bickslow started.

"Zeref's immortal, isn't he?" Freed finished for him.

"He can't be killed then!" Evergreen added.

"How do we do this..." Erza pondered.

Natsu started laughing then, drawing attention back to him. Everyone turned him as he jumped up onto a table, declaring for all of them to leave it to him. He clapped a hand down on the bandaged covered bicep of his right arm, a grin on his face.

"I'll take Zeref down. I've been developing this technique in secret anyway!" Natsu declared.

Clapping from a single person suddenly rang out through the guild hall. Everyone begun twisting and turning, trying to locate whoever it was that was clapping. Finally, all eyes locked in on the door to the guild hall. One side was open, a solo form leaning against the frame and clapping. Natsu turned, freezing on the spot when he saw who it was.

"Bravo. Such confidence, such bravery. I was not lied to when I was told you had both in over abundant levels, idiotic levels." There, standing in the door way, a small, crooked grin on his face, was the guy that had butted into Natsu's fight with the god that Avatar had summoned. "Yo, what's up. Long time no see, Natsu Dragneel."

"You!" Natsu jumped off the table. "You were the one that butted into my fight!"

"Yeah, something like that." the guy replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He...he looks like Rette..." Mira gasped.

"You know this young man?" Makarov asked.

"He showed up when we were dealing with a cult of Zeref a while ago." Erza answered.

"You're welcome, by the way." the guy called out.

"How long have you been standing there?" Gajeel demanded.

"Hmm...nearly the whole time?" Everyone stared at him, shocked that none of them had noticed him one bit. "I heard everything. Going up against Alvarez and the Black Mage himself? You all got some courage, that's for sure. Let me guess...you're banking on Rette showing up to help you at the last moment?"

"How do you know Rette?" Erza asked.

"You get outside of Fiore and more people than you think, know about her. You are aware that she's originally from an island that is apart of the Alvarez kingdom, right? She's well known in certain parts of Alvarez." the guy replied.

"You're from Alvarez!?" Natsu growled.

"I was born there, if that's what you're asking. But that's beside the point. You're all banking on Rette's return, right? But what if she isn't the Rette you remember?"

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked.

They watched as the look-a-like spread his arms, still leaning casually against the door frame. If anything, his grin became a little more crooked.

"She still had that demon in her and, believe me, she's been fighting a losing battle against that creature for years. She knew she couldn't keep up the fight any longer, she'd lose. It was why she went to seek out Lachlan." he told them.

"That demon could not completely take over Rette's body unless she died. I can still feel her heart beating, can still feel her magic." Mavis said.

"You can feel her _**heart**_. Her heart doesn't need to die for the demon to take hold. Only her spirit. You can't feel that dying, am I right?"

Mavis froze. He wasn't wrong, she knew that. But was he right? Was she really only feeling the beat of a heart taken over by a demon?

"All I'm saying is...don't be surprised if the Rette that shows up, isn't the one you remember." he added, his grin vanishing. "Zeref can pull some pretty cruel tricks. Especially where Rette is concerned. After all, she's defied him just as much as she's defied Lachlan. He's not happy about it."

"Just who the hell are you!?" Natsu demanded.

"Me? That's simple." the guy replied.

"Then answer the question." Gray snapped.

The grin returned to the guy's face and what came out of his mouth next, shocked them all into open mouthed silence.

"My name is Torin Starrilia...I'm Rette's brother."

END

Kyandi: Those who guessed that he was blood related to her...good job! You were right.

Rette: Yeah...I have a little brother.

Kyandi: But now, the question is...is he a good guy or a bad guy?

Rette: You've already seen one example of the males in my blood related family. What do you think?

Kyandi: I think they will have to continue to read.

Rette: True.

Kyandi: So, everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	61. First Confrontation

Kyandi: Hey everyone!

Rette: We've returned and this time...we have two chapters for you.

Kyandi: My muse had been over flowing for this story.

Rette: Mostly because we're approaching a part she's been waiting for.

Kyandi: There's that. Anyway. Without delay, let's get on with this.

Rette: Right. The next chapter is a big one.

Kyandi: Hush! Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette; Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 61 First Confrontation

"My name is Torin Starrilia...I'm Rette's brother."

Silence stretched out in the room, everyone staring at the newcomer in shock and disbelief. The guy, Torin, stood there, just waiting patiently for them to snap out of it.

" _ **WHAT!?**_ "

A crooked grin tilted up one side of Torin's mouth when they all finally broke the silence. He reached up and pushed his bangs back from his face.

"Really? It's that shocking? I look exactly like her, for crying out loud." Torin remarked.

"That means...you're Lachlan's son!" Lucy snapped.

Everyone was instantly on defense. Brother or not, none of them knew if that meant Torin was against them or not. For all they knew, he would be on the side of his father. Though some questioned why Torin had Rette and her mother's last name when Rette's mother had passed away just days after her birth. Was he...was he the son of Rette's aunt, Seraphina?

"Yeah, we share a father." Torin confirmed. "And our mothers were sisters. It's probably why we look so much alike. Something I'm grateful for. My father isn't exactly the most exotic looking, you know?"

"Sisters?" Erza asked. "Her letter did mention something about being looked after by her aunt."

"But Rette never mentioned anything about siblings. In fact, she said she was an only child." Mira said.

"I was born after she ran away from the Compound. My mother was too young, immature, for Lachlan to touch before that and by the time I was conceived, he had my mother completely brainwashed. She didn't turn on him like my Aunt Irini did." Torin replied. "Which is probably why Mother lived so much longer than her. She got the chance to raise me exactly as my father wanted her to. Something about a maternal figure being the best for molding young minds."

"So you're here as our enemy!" Natsu barked.

"Cool it, hot head. You really are as quick to combust as I was told." Torin remarked, shaking his head at Natsu. "I'm here under orders from my master to observe, not fight."

"You're master? You mean Lachlan?" Levy asked.

"Tch, hell no. That guy doesn't deserve the respect someone might pay the dirt beneath their feet. He's been slipping over the years, my old man, slowly losing what little sanity he had. I swear, his brain is rotting.. He couldn't even manage to capture Rette. Not that I can hold that against him. My sister is really good about being evasive. She's far more crafty than he ever gave her credit for." Torin remarked.

"Then it's Zeref that's your master." Gray said.

Torin's eyes, exactly like those of Rette's, turned to Gray. For a moment, he stood there in silence, but then he heaved a sigh. Torin pushed himself off the door frame, shoving his hands into his pants pockets and half turning, as if he was about to leave.

"Look, I only came here to see if you succeeded in getting the guild back together and to warn you." Torin told them.

"Warn us? About what?" Makarov asked.

"My sister. If you think you see her, be careful, keep your distance. She's not the same as she use to be. Not anymore. I know it would break her heart if one of you got hurt." Torin said, turning to start walking away. "I think my sister's heart has taken just about enough breaking in this life."

With that, Torin vanished through the door. Natsu ran after him, but when he stepped outside, Torin was gone from sight. Cursing, Natsu yelled before stomping back into the guild hall. It really got under his skin. While he fumed over the encounter, the others thought it over.

The way Torin spoke left the question of whether he was an enemy or friend, unanswered. At parts, it made it sound like he was the opposing side, that he was almost mocking his sister, but with some words, it almost sounded like he was concerned for his sister. It certainly left them wondering what his and Rette's relationship was like, if they even had one. Just so many questions.

Was Torin against Rette?

Was he siding with his sister?

Did his sister even know he existed?

Or was he just pulling their strings, lying to them in order to hurt his sister?

After seeing what her father was like, it was highly possible that, as his son, Torin was just as cruel to Rette as their father was. If that was the case, they weren't going to let it continue. Rette had enough going on in her life, she didn't need an abusive brother on top of an abusive father.

"Master?" Makarov looked up when Erza called him. "What do we do?"

"We don't know if he's telling us the truth. At this point, I'm unwilling to trust him. Until we find Rette and find out the truth from her, we will keep a close eye on him. Something about this doesn't seem right." Makarov remarked. "But for right now, we have other issues to concern ourselves with. Among the top issues being to find Rette."

The others agreed with that and they all continued on the topic of how to deal with Zeref. Remembering what Natsu had said about a secret technique, Erza and Lucy turned to him.

"What's that plan you were going on about?" Erza asked.

"It's a secret." Natsu said with a grin. "That's why it's called a secret plan."

"Quit wasting time!" Gray yelled at him.

"What have you got hidden in that arm!?" Elfman demanded.

The whole argument was just ridiculous. Wendy smiled, laughing lightly as she watched Gray start to wrestle with Natsu.

"But...I'm sure it's something really powerful, if Natsu's so confident about it." Wendy said.

"Anyway. I can only use this once. But it's something I created to take Zeref down...and I'm certain I can!" Natsu declared.

"Well, if Natsu is so proud of it, I guess we've gotta believe in him." Bixlow remarked.

"And his confidence is somewhat encouraging for us anyway." Freed agreed.

"Amazing how one man can raise this much morale." Evergreen mused.

"That's just how he is." Laxus remarked.

On that, everyone could agree. Natsu wasn't always the brightest person in the world, but when it came to raising the morale of his friends, there were few better at it than him. As Laxus put it, it was just how Natsu was.

"I have a few plans as well, but let's trust Natsu for now." Mavis said.

"Master, please tell us more about what we're going up against." Lucy requested.

"Let me tell you all I know then. First off, Emperor Spriggan. We know him as Zeref here in Ishgar. He has a small elite force under him called the Spriggan 12. I spent a year there but I've only met six of them. It could be because it's a lot bigger over there, so it's not often that they gather. Then we have the Winter General, Invel, Zeref's closest aid and consul. And just as his name states, he uses ice magic, but that's all I know." Makarov started.

The part about Invel's ice magic was what caught Gray's attention. He looked up from where he stood, repeating the word ice as he considered this.

"The Desert King, Ajeel is someone we already met during our escape...a mage with the power to control sand. One of the few in the Spriggan 12 that's always itching for a fight." Makarov continued.

"That guy, huh..." Natsu muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"The Nation Demolisher, Brandish...hates fights but she has the power to wipe a nation off the map if she needs to." Makarov added.

"We met her back at Caracall Island and if I'm not wrong...she probably has magic that could change the mass of another." Erza said, offering the information.

"And then we have the War Princess, Dimaria...I don't know anything about her magic but she's a female knight that has survived and triumphed in many wars, thus earning her that title." Makarov added.

"So she isn't a mage!?" Erza asked.

"That's not the problem, is it?" Cana asked her.

It seemed like Erza had more issues with Dimaria than she was letting on.

"The strongest of the Ten Wizard Saints, God Serena. I guess you'd call him someone deplorable but his strength is something not to be taken lightly. Trust me on this." Makarov insisted.

"Woah, having a former Ten Wizards Saint as an enemy though..." Levy trailed off at the thought.

"I wonder why he left Ishgar." Juvia mused.

"We won't know until we actually meet him, I guess." Evergreen remarked.

Whatever his reason, they all agreed that God Serena was a traitor to their kingdom.

"And the Magic King, August...he's...he's on a different level! His magic is nothing like the other Spriggan 12's. Rumor has it that he can control magic of every element, even the ancient ones and if compared to Zeref in terms of the types, it's probably even more than Zeref himself." The mere thought was enough to make all of them balk. "The only person I can think of who possesses a magic he would have never encountered, is Rette with her Nexus Magic."

Considering the fact that Rette was the first person anyone had ever heard of with the ability to learn whole types of magic and blend them together, they were all pretty sure that Makarov was right. Rette and her magic might take this August off guard if she was to fight him. Maybe.

"That's all I have on six of the members...but the remaining three...all I have is their names. Bradman, Neinhart, and Badd."

"We'll start planning now then. Please listen well, everyone." Mavis announced. "We need everyone in the guild for this. We are at a disadvantage at this point. The enemies we're about to face are nothing like those we've faced before. But what we have is the courage and our bonds to pull us through! Let's show them what this guild is made of!"

Cheering rose from the members of the guild. Mavis and Makarov watched all of them as they all started taking plans, discussing what they could do to prepare for the attack from Alvarez. Together, as a guild and as a family, they would prevail.

"First."

"Yes."

"What should we do if Rette really has been turned against us?"

Mavis glanced out of the side of her eyes at Makarov. He was watching the others with a worried look on his face. They both knew how much Rette meant to the other members of the guild. If by some spell or something else, she was turned against them, Makarov and Mavis both knew that the others would never be able to fight back against Rette. They just couldn't bring themselves to hurt her.

But if Rette was turned against them, she posed a huge threat to them. For one, she knew each and every one of them. She knew the magic each of them used and she knew their fighting styles. Secondly, there was her connection to Fairy Heart. That alone was dangerous. While Rette was clever and crafty, and her arsenal of magic was wide and flexible, it was the mere thought of her having a limitless supply of magic that was frightening.

Especially if she was fighting for Zeref.

"While the thought is truly frightening, I don't believe Rette will ever truly turn against us. All we can do is wait and see and hope that it isn't true." Mavis told him.

It was all they could do where Rette was involved.

For now.

-0-0-0-0-

"You're in my room without my permission again!"

Despite all the battle planning, all the preparation they were going through to prepare for war, the night found Lucy going through a familiar situation.

"Aww, c'mon." Natsu said, dodging the chair Lucy had just kicked at him and Happy.

"Aye! It's so quiet and boring out in the streets anyway!" Happy agreed.

"I see...so they've finished evacuating people already." Lucy said lowly, calming down.

"Yeah...so let's go hang out." Natsu suggested.

"I brought some stuff with me!" Happy added.

Lucy collected her chair, righting it and placing it back at her desk. When that was done, she sat down facing Natsu and Happy and crossed her legs and arms.

"Hey, we've got to get to the battleground early tomorrow. This is hardly the time to and unlike you guys, I'm not the least bit excited for it." Lucy told them.

"You've got that wrong. Sure, I love a good fight but what I like is contests of strength and not fights to the death." Natsu told her seriously. "My favorites are the kind of fights where I get to go all out and compare my strength with my opponent's, but this one's different. This is a fight where we've gotta do whatever it takes to win. Or else there's no future left for us. Plus I've got some things to do when all of this is over."

"Stop this...you know, they call that making "death flags" in the real world." Lucy warned him.

"Huh? Whuzzat?"

Lucy heaved a sigh. Of course Natsu wouldn't know what the term "death flags" meant.

"Well, talking about the possibility of a happy future before a big fight...and making it sound as dramatic as possible...that sort of thing." she explained.

"Yeah, whatever. Igneel told me to talk about the future. Because it's what's gonna make me want to live." Natsu replied with a wide grin.

"I guess that's fine too, huh." Lucy conceeded.

While the three were busy deciding to play a game, across town, in the guild's baths, Erza, Carla, and Wendy were talking while taking a soak.

"So Crime Sorciere will be helping us out too?" Wendy asked.

"Hmm...I guess they'd have to make their move as well if it's Zeref we're up against." Erza replied.

"That's good news then!" Wendy said happily.

"They're the people that destroyed Cait Shelter though..." Carla added in.

"Carla!" Wendy scolded.

"Oh yeah, do you remember the first time Rette and I invited you two to join us at Fairy Tail?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, and we're thankful for that." Wendy replied.

Erza wasn't so thankful now that she knew what enemy they had. She felt ashamed that she had gotten a young girl like Wendy mixed up in all the trouble they had gotten into over the years. But it couldn't be changed. It just meant that she would have to work harder to defend them all. She thought this as she climbed out of the bath.

"Erza." Erza was surprised when Wendy suddenly hugged her from behind. "Let us be the ones to protect you this time."

To Wendy's surprise, Erza twisted in her grip and hugged her back. Though she only really managed to squeeze Wendy between her bare breasts. Something that embarrassed Wendy and had her cheeks turning red.

"You've really become such a fine mage. The pride of our guild." Erza told her with a smile.

In another part of town, Gray and Juvia stood over looking the city, Gray promising give Juvia an answer for her feelings when the battle was done. Meanwhile, back at the guild hall, Makarov, Warren and Macao were busy.

"Warren, how's it looking?" Makarov asked.

"They're nowhere in Fiore yet." Warren replied.

"Can we really trust that though?" Macao asked.

"I made that super radar myself!" Warren snapped.

"Things would be a lot easier if we could pinpoint exactly which direction they will be coming from." Makarov remarked.

It was at times like this that Makarov missed having Rette and her heightened magical sense around. She could have easily sensed a large group of mages coming their way far quicker than anyone else.

"We could always place a diversion in the north and station our main forces in the south." Mavis suggested as she appeared in the room. "I've just finished checking up on everyone. And they're not the least bit worried about our situation. They've become so strong."

"So that's how you see them. To me, it seems like they're barely pulling through from all the uneasiness they're feeling and banding together like that only serves as consolation...that things aren't all that bad. I'm not saying that they shouldn't be doing so though. After all, if a parent is afraid, it's only natural that the children would feel the same too. It is the role of a parent to stand in front of their children and protect them even if their legs were to give out at any moment." Makarov said.

To that, Mavis agreed.

Just then, the radar that Warren developed, came to a stand still in it's swing, yanking hard to one side as a strong gust of magic blew through the guild hall and the town. All over town, everyone stopped in what they were doing and looked up as they sensed the magic sweeping over their empty town. Makarov turned to Warren.

"Warren! What's happening to the radar?" Makarov asked.

"What, it's my fault now!? I don't know!" Warren replied, checking the lacrima screen. The screen showed the enemy already right on top of them. "Why couldn't it detect them when they're already so close, dammit!"

"Everyone, get ready!" Mavis called. "The enemy is above us! We've got about fifty large ships in the skies above!"

"A ship that size could take out our guild in one go!" Wakaba exclaimed, peering out the window.

"That's only one part of what the empire is capable of." Makarov replied.

"Hey, nobody said anything about them coming from the skies!" Warren yelled.

"Ring the bells! The enemy is coming! There are about fifty ships in the skies west of here!" Mavis ordered.

Bells were rung, their sound carrying over the city to alert all the members of the guild to the threat of an enemy. Just as everyone was put on alert, the enemy attacked, only for the magic blast the ships shot, to hit a barrier that had been set around Magnolia. A barrier set courtesy of Freed.

"First! Freed might be strong but he won't be able to hold off all of them!" Makarov warned Mavis.

Mavis understood this, but she also knew that Freed would hang in as long as he could.

"We didn't think they'd come from the west!" Macao said. "What do we do now?"

"No...it's exactly as I've calculated. In fact, it's quite a pleasant surprise that the enemy's sent a smaller fleet than expected for the preemptive strike." Mavis said, much to Wakaba's and Macao's confusion. "Warren, let everyone know that we're moving to Plan D! Team Flying Dragon and Osprey, commence attack!"

"Got it!" Warren replied, getting in contact with Team Osprey, which was made up of Biska, Alzack, and Asuka.

" _This is Team Osprey, we're currently at the Eastern Forest. The enemy is too far_." Biska replied.

"Biska, you'll be fine." Mavis assured her.

While she wasn't completely sure of herself, Biska didn't argue with Mavis. While she got ready, Team Flying Dragon, made up of Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, and their exceed partners, came flying in, taking down one ship before moving on to others. The ships tried shooting them down, but all they succeeded in doing was driving them back.

"Damn it! We can't get any closer with this barrage!" Lily called.

"What's taking Biska so long!?" Carla demanded.

In the Eastern Forest, Biska had finished charging the lacrima powered gun she was going to use. With Alzack and Asuka cheering her on, she took aim and shot. Everyone throughout town, looked up as the shot flew over head. Atop the main enemy ship, though, Ajeel was waiting. Raising a palm, he was able to scatter the shot, saving his ship.

"Woah, to think that anyone could scatter Jupiter like that." Lily remarked.

"Guess we gotta do this the old-fashioned way then, take me down to the commander's ship!" Gajeel ordered.

While Natsu and Wendy continued to destroy ships, Lily dropped Gajeel down on the main ship, landing him right in front of Ajeel. Natsu and Wendy landed right behind him after one final attack.

"Look at the mess you've made..."

Ajeel trailed off as all three Dragon Slayer dropped to the deck, suffering from their motion sickness. They had completely forgotten that it was a ship they were landing on. Even Mavis had forgotten about the three's motion sickness.

"Wendy, what about your Troia!?" Lily asked.

"S...sorry...I...I can't do it...like this..." Wendy got out.

"What the hell is this? Well, whatever...the ship's pretty broken up, so we'll be landing in a few. Let me deal with these ones." Ajeel told his crew. He walked up to Natsu, grabbing him by the scarf to drag him up. "Remember what you said in that grand speech of yours back in Alvarez? Is this all you've got though...what a joke."

Before Ajeel could do a thing, he was forced to release Natsu as something managed to cut right through the ship, separating the part of the deck where Natsu and the others were and the part of the deck where Ajeel stood. Ajeel stood at the edge, watching as the other part of the deck fell towards the ground below. While Happy, Lily, and Carla swooped down to save the three Dragon Slayers, Erza landed on the deck behind Ajeel. Pissed off, Ajeel turned to face Erza.

Thus begun the battle between the King of Sand and Titania.

Natsu stared at the ship, but they couldn't stay there and he couldn't go to back her up. Not that he really thought she would need it.

"A number of ships have already landed...we'll be heading there." Wendy called to Gajeel and Natsu.

"I guess we've just gotta leave this to her. It's on board a ship anyway." Gajeel conceded.

"It's Erza we're talking about, after all." Lily remarked.

Inside the guild hall, Makarov and Mavis watched the battlefield.

"She's strong, but I'm afraid she won't be able to defeat one of the 12 on her own." Makarov remarked.

"We must believe in her." Mavis insisted.

"Our morale will definitely rise if we manage to stop the enemy and his fleet!" Warren exclaimed.

Be that as it may, so far, they were handling the attack well. While Freed's defense wasn't prefect and couldn't completely shield them, thanks to Natsu's team and Biska's team, the attacks of the enemy had been cut in half.

On the west cliffs outside Magnolia, enemy ships were landing, spilling enemies just outside the barrier Freed had raised. Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel chose this as their target, landing on the enemy soldiers with flying fist and feet. The common soldiers were easy enough for them to take down. It was their captain, a large man with scars on the lower half of his face, that put up a fight. While Natsu battle him, Erza continued to wage her war with Ajeel above.

As the battles carried on, Freed and the others at the guild hall suddenly became aware of a hole that had been opened in Freed's barrier.

"It can't be...could the enemy be using nullification magic?" Mavis asked.

"Such power...there was another one of the 12 with them!?" Makarov asked.

"They're coming through the streets! Everyone, prepare for battle!" Mavis declared.

Across Magnolia, everyone moved, getting ready for a fight. Lucy, still in her house, was getting prepare to move out herself when she heard a noise from her bathroom. Wary, she went to see what it was. When she opened the door to the bathroom, she found Brandish of the Spriggan 12, soaking in her bathtub.

"Oh, so this is indeed your house then?" Brandish asked off-handed.

"What is one of the 12 doing in my bathroom!?" Lucy exclaimed, shocked.

"I wonder why...You...left a rather deep impression." Brandish told her.

With Brandish, that made a total of three of the Spriggan 12 located in, or above, Magnolia. It was starting to look bad and to top it off, there was another three hundred ships coming at them from the north with another three of the 12 on board and another army of the same size with another three of the 12, coming from the south. And from the east...an army of, at least, a million people with the final three members of the Spriggan 12.

They were surrounded.

Even Mavis was starting to doubt that there would be a way to win this war. They were cornered and thoroughly so. To make things look even bleaker, Ajeel, in an attempt to do in Erza, created a sandstorm that seemed to surround the town, filling it with sand. Sand even came spilling into the guild hall. Everyone across town, even Ajeel's own comrades, were forced to shield their eyes as sand whipped at them from every angle.

The power to shrink an entire island, the ability to summon a sandstorm large enough to swallow an entire town...the power of the Spriggan 12 wasn't something to be taken lightly. Erza found herself with her back against a wall and Ajeel's hand around her throat. Slowly, his magic was draining her body of moisture. With the sand blocking sight and no way to counter against a mage that could move through the storm as if he was sand itself, Erza went with the first solid plan to pop into her head.

She swapped into her Morning Star armor.

Across the battle field, in the Eastern Forest, Biska spotted the light of the armor. She knew, without a doubt in her mind, that it was from Erza. Taking aim, she fired out of faith in her comrade. The shot hit Ajeel head on, giving Erza the opening she needed to land the final blow to win her battle with Ajeel. Afterward, though, she fell from the sky, too exhausted to save herself. Luckily, Natsu spied her as she fell.

Leaving Gajeel, Lily, and Carla to finish dealing with the small fry that continued to swarm them, Natsu, Happy, and Wendy took off toward Erza, Natsu catching her before she could crash head long into the ground.

Across town, thanks to all the pollen Ajeel's sandstorm kicked up, Brandish came down with hay fever, leaving her unable to keep her eyes open due to all her sneezing. It gave Cana the perfect chance to just simply knock Brandish over the head, rendering her unconscious. Hoping she could be of some use, Cana and Lucy took Brandish prisoner, carting her off to the guild hall to be locked up.

In another part of the town, Gray, Juvia, and the Strauss siblings were facing off against Badd and his soldiers. They found out quickly that these mage made soldiers were made to counter whatever magic they used against them. When Juvia tried to use her water body to avoid a punch, the soldier let out steam from his arm to cause her harm. When Gray used his ice magic, the soldier countered with fire magic. To counter Elfman, his enemy was super fast, while Lisanna's was reinforced, and, stupidly enough, for Mira, it was a soldier with Elfman's face.

Badd's magic, as they found out, was to construct soldiers that could exploit his enemy's weaknesses. A formidable magic indeed. It had Gray wondering, for just a moment, what the soldiers would use against certain friends of his; mainly Erza and Rette. Especially Rette who had a well rounded set of magic spells to cover for just about every weakness a person could exploit.

Deciding that his soldiers would be enough for Gray and his friends, Badd left the fight to seek out Freed. He was met with Bixlow and Evergreen as his opponents as they stood guard over Freed. Badd used his magic to create his soldiers. For Bixlow, it was a soldier capable of using white magic to purify his dolls. For Evergreen, it was a soldier that used mist magic, leaving her unable to use her dust magic. They switched to their alternate magic, both trying to use their eye magic, but against soldiers created from magic, it had no effect.

Evergreen tried turning her stone eyes on Badd, but, once again, it had no effect. It was then that Badd revealed himself to be a machina, one of the machine race. Lightning sparked through the air then, making Evergreen, Freed, and Bixlow think, for a moment, that Laxus had come to their aid. When they looked up, though, they were confronted by the sight of Ichiya.

The Thunder Legion stared at Ichiya in horror. They had forgotten all about him, despite having hijacked him and Christina in order to go help rescue Makarov. Badd turned to Ichiya, believe it just another weak enemy to deal with, but was shocked by just how many weaknesses, how many faults, Ichiya had. It was an over load, giving Badd an analysis error. But it only caused Badd to hesitate for a moment. Ichiya attempted to use his thunder purfum to fight Badd with electricity, but since Badd was not made with organic metals, he was not susceptible to electricity.

In fact, Badd absorbed the electricity, his form changing until he discharged it back at Ichiya, taking down him, Bixlow, and Evergreen. Freed became aware, then, that Badd would have been the worst enemy for Laxus to face and was grateful that it had been Ichiya who showed up and not Laxus. Thinking that his only hope was to undo his runes and fight Badd himself, Freed started to do just that. It was then that, through Warren's connection to everyone, Laxus' voice reached him.

" _Freed! Don't undo the runes! They're attacking the guild from the west!_ "

Freed instantly buckled back down on his ruins

"My my...it seems that you instantly dispelled you runes just now. Self preservation over your precious runes. If you don't dispel your runes, you'll be killed...and thus you dispelled them without hesitation." Badd mocked.

" _Freed! What the hell is your status over there!? I'm coming to back you up!_ " came Laxus' yell in Freed's head.

' _No!_ ' Freed thought back through the connection. ' _Do not come here! We are the Thunder Legion...your bodyguards. We exist to protect you, Laxus! No...not just you...the entire guild!_ '

Bixlow and Evergreen attacked Badd then, from behind. They wouldn't give up, not now. They had their whole guild to think about. There was no time for them to roll over and play dead.

"I see...you still have quite a bit of fight left in you." Badd remarked, glancing over his shoulder.

"The Thunder Legion is far from running on empty!" Bixlow declared.

"It'll take more than this to bring us down!" Evergreen agreed.

Badd sent the two flying, ordering his soldiers to deal with them. Elfman's voice came ringing into Evergreen's head at that moment.

" _If you have more than two over there, then let's switch opponents, Ever!_ "

Back over with Gray's group, some of them had switched opponents, Gray taking on Juvia's steam user while Juvia took on Gray's fire user. Once the opponents were switched, it became easy work for them to fight. They just proved that a even Badd's so-called Weakness Soldiers, had a weakness all of their own. Taking a page out of their comrades' book, Evergreen and Bixlow switched their opponents, easily taking on the solider that had previously given the other an issue.

But, they were one step too slow. Badd already had Freed's head clasped in his metal hand, ready to end Freed's life as he knew it. Just as Badd was about to end Freed's life, Natsu's voice came through, loud and clear.

" _Enemies from the west...elinated...Hey! Can you hear me!? Can of whoop ass opened on the invaders from the west!_ "

Freed couldn't help the smile that curled his lips. Leave it to Natsu and his group to come through at the last second.

"I'd expect nothing less of you, Natsu." Freed remarked. "Now then...I can fight to my heart's content!"

Badd never knew what hit him. Between Freed and Ichiya, who used one of his purfumes to make himself ripped, they took down Badd with one hit.

With that, they had managed to make it through the night and survive the enemy's first wave of attack. Three of the twelve members of the Spriggan 12, were defeated, one even taken prisoner. With this victory, morale among the guild was boosted, and hope bloomed to life in every member. Maybe, just maybe, they could win this war after all.

And then Kardia Cathedral...blew up.

Badd, in a last attempt to take his enemies with him, triggered a self destruct feature in his body, blowing up the church. In a bid to save Ichiya, who had been standing on Badd's head, Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow had shielded him with their bodies. With that, they were now down three fighters and with enemies still on their way.

To the south, heading for Hargeon was an army lead by Dimaria and Wahl. Still thirty kilometers from shore, Wahl fired his super long distance anti-material magic canon, a canon that could reach all the way to Magnoila, which was another four hundred kilometers past that. Warren's radar picked up on it as it was closing in on them and fast. Mavis tried to get Freed to recast his barrier, but he wasn't responding. Instead, someone else answered the call.

In order to save Fairy Tail and repay Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow for saving his life, Ichiya flew Christina into the path of the canon shot. Even with the ship now destroyed, Ichiya was able to get out one message to every guild that Fairy Tail had ever befriend. From Lamia Scale, to Sabertooth, to Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, and even Quarto Cerberus. The message was simply.

Take up the fight, together.

END

Kyandi: Ichiya's not that bad.

Rette: He's not too bad...in small dosages.

Kyandi: Not someone you can handle for long periods?

Rette: Can you handle your sister for long periods?

Kyandi: Which one?

Rette: Your Evil Idea Generator.

Kyandi: No.

Rette: Yeah, well...my answer is the same.

Kyandi: Oh, come on. That's completely different. She's my sister.

Rette: An annoying person is an annoying person no matter the connection.

Kyandi: Bu...Okay, yeah, I see your point.

Rette: Told you so.

Kyandi: Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: It's two in the morning so we'll be back with the other chapter tomorrow.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	62. Return of the Nexus Mage

Kyandi: Guess who's back...

Rogue: She says weakly while laughing sheepishly.

Kyandi: Okay, okay. I get it. It took me forever to get this chapter out.

Sting: She's been suffering from low muse and low motivation.

Kyandi: I couldn't write a single thing for a month! _**A MONTH!**_ Do you know what that is in Kyandiac years?

Rogue: Too long?

Kyandi: TOO FREAKING LONG!

Sting: Then get to it! I want to know what happened to Rette!

Kyandi: Not this again...Everyone, please enjoy and review...even though this chapter is probably the worst one I've written yet.

Rogue: I think Sting's going to enjoy it enough.

Sting: Huh?

Kyandi: Shush! I do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 63 Return of the Nexus Mage

"Lookie, lookie...not only do I have tigers and pegasi to eat, but some tasty fairies have arrived for me to devour. Ehehehe!"

Wait, had Sting just heard her right? Was this really the Rette he knew? It couldn't be. So many things were wrong with this picture. Rette, for one, would never look at her friends as this girl was doing now. And those words she had spoken...it made it sound like Rette on on the opposing side and was gearing up to fight them. No, that simply couldn't be.

"Rette..."

Sting took a step forward bringing those two tone eyes he remembered, to him. Her grin grew, if it was even possible, and her eyes traveled over his body. For a moment, Sting felt like he was being undressed with the way she was looking at him. Rette _**definitely**_ had never done that before. Just seeing him naked that one time when he had chased Weiss from the bathroom, had caused Rette to go red in the face and drop a plate. But this girl...the way she turned towards him, swaying her body as she licked her lips...it was almost like her every move was to tempt men into approaching her.

Something Rette didn't even think about let alone know how to do.

"Well, if it ain't the lil old kitty trying to play tiger. Do you want to play, kitty?" she mocked, giggling like a loon off their medicine.

"What the hell happened to her? She sounds like she's lost it." Orga remarked.

"Th...that can't be Rette." Lisanna added.

This caused the Rette before them to start laughing. Her grin twisted as the laughter shook her whole body. She wrapped her arms around her as she laughed, flashing her fang-like teeth as her grin grew. When she finally reined in the insane laughter, she bit down on her lower lip, pressing a hand into the side of her face.

"Silly fairy, of course I'm Rette. Well..." Her grin twisted again. "Somewhat. Ehehehe!"

She snickered as if she was enjoying a private joke. Moving with the same seductive sway to her body that she had already displayed, she moved forward, approaching Sting until she stood in front of him, grinning up at him. Reaching out, she trekked her finger tips up over his bare chest, practically purring as she leaned towards him.

"You look so confused, little kitty. You know I'm Rette, don'tcha?" she purred.

Sting frowned as he looked down at her. He knew Rette and she never talked like this. Her speech was polite and proper, if not blunt, and was almost always grammatically correct. She never used words like, "ain't" and "don'tcha". Just trying made her cringe. Not to mention, Rette didn't have a seductive bone in her body. She didn't even know how to begin to flirt.

This couldn't be Rette, but...it was her hair, her eyes, her voice. Something wasn't right, but...Sting found himself leaning forward as she slide a single finger along the underside of his chin, coaxing him into leaning down towards her face. Just a few inches shy of their lips brushing...something yanked on Sting's arm from behind, pulling him back just as sharpened teeth snapped at Sting's face.

"You idiot! Get away from her!"

Sting stumbled back several yards before whipping around to face whoever it was that had pulled him back. His eyes widened in surprise when he came face to face with a guy that could have been Rette's twin.

"Who the hell are you?" Sting asked.

Torin's mouth twisted as he glared at Sting, but before he could answer Sting's question, a growl sounded from behind Sting, making them turn to look at the Rette.

"Torin! You little spineless, half breed cunt! What the hell do ya think you're doing!?" she snapped.

Yep, definitely not Rette.

Even when in the midst of a rage, Rette never called others something like cunt.

Catching herself, they watched as she forced herself to calm down, the grin returning to her face. Torin, though, didn't release Sting's arm. Instead, he turned to look at the others.

"Don't be fooled! That is not my sister!" Torin told them.

"Sister?" Sting asked, looking at Torin.

Laughter from Rette cut them off from asking questions with another one of her looney laughs. Torin turned to look at her as she flipped him off.

"I hate to break it to ya, but I am Rette. Or, should I say...I'm Amoreta? Huh...who cares." She seemed a little confused on the subject, but shrugged it off easily with another laugh. She wrapped her arms tight around herself again, a grin curling her lips once more when she saw the looks on their faces. "Aww~! You don't get it, do ya?"

Sting was all but positive that this wasn't Rette. He didn't need this Torin guy to tell him that. Rette would never try to hurt him like she had just tried to. And then, there was her magic. He had only just now tuned into it. The magic he sense from her was twisted, dark. Rette's magic didn't feel anything like this. Not even when her demon form had been released. There had always been a core of pure light to Rette's magic, but this was just dark.

"What have you done with Rette? You can't be her. She doesn't act this way and her magic doesn't feel like this!" Sting snapped.

The Rette before them was surprised for a moment but then she broke into laughter, gripping her sides as she bent over at the waist. It seemed she found his anger to be laughable. Especially when she saw the angered looks on the others' faces.

"Well aren't you a remarkably sharp one. Aw, you must be in love." she said, snickering as if the thought was ridiculous.

Sting, who had long ago realized he had fallen in love with Rette, didn't find it to be funny. He found strength from his willingness to do anything, be anything, for Rette. She wasn't always easy to handle and she had a lot of issues to work through, but she was absolute in her loyalty and devotion and she was far more compassionate than she let on.

"You're right. She's not my sister. Not fully." Torin remarked.

"What do you mean? Torin, what do you know!?" Mira demanded.

Torin glanced at Mira before his eyes returned to the grinning Rette before them.

"I warned you to run away if you thought you saw Rette. This...this creature isn't my sister. Not anymore." Torin replied.

"Aw, poor, poor Torin. And poor little kitty. For all tends and purposes, I am Rette! Well...I'm a part of her."

All eyes turned back to the Rette in front of them as she snickered once more.

"What do you mean?" Rogue demanded.

"I'm the part that makes her Amoreta Banesbloud. So, I guess you could call her Rette and me, Amoreta." she replied.

It dawned on Sting, and a few others, just who this girl was and, in a way, Torin was right. It wasn't the Rette they knew. She was a part of Rette, though. A part that Rette hated with all of her heart and only bore against her will.

"You're the demon of tribulation." Sting said, his eyes going wide.

"Ding ding! We have a winner! Ehehehe! Not as stupid as you look, eh, Blond Kitty?" Amoreta, the demon, laughed.

It only served to piss off Sting more. It was one thing that she was saying these things, acting this way, with Rette's face and voice, but she didn't have to go and insult him with Rette's lips.

"How are you in control?" Rogue demanded.

Amoreta started snickering and giggling again. While she was giggling, Torin slowly started backing Sting up, making the others back up as well.

"She's not "in control". She has her own body now." Torin told them.

"Right you are, you piss poor excuse for a bastard. My dear Master Zeref gave it to me!" Amoreta said, practically wiggling on the spot in giddy joy. "You're stupid little Rette went lookin' for her dear old daddy after your guild broke up. The fucking idiot! She walked right into Master Zeref's brilliant plan! He used her to make an exact copy of her body before freeing me from her and putting me in here. It was a very painful process...ehehe...for her, that is. More painful than anything she's ever been through."

Amoreta's eyes widened as she clapped her hands to her face, her grin as wide as it could possibly be. It was as if she was the happiest in the world that Rette had suffered when she had already suffered enough. It made Sting want to wring her neck.

"Oh how she screamed~! It drew all the magical power out of her when they took me out. Not a drop was left! She didn't even have to strength to lift her own head! Ehehehe! I imagine she's died by now, all alone in that cold little cell they threw her in. She was already half dead, so they simply left her there to die. And what a fitting end for such a stupid girl!" Amoreta cheered.

Sting felt a chill crawl down his spine. He was sure the others were feeling it too. Rette, their Rette, dead because she had tried to rid herself of the nightmare that had plagued her her whole life? Sting grit his teeth. No. He wouldn't believe it until he saw her dead body himself. She had promised him, had promised to come back to him. He refused to believe that she had broken that promise. Especially since...Torin was perfectly calm. If he was really Rette's brother, if he cared...he would be upset, right?

"Ah, she was such a pitiful sight. Of course, she never said a word as they pulled me from her, but I could hear her every thought. Always so worried about the lot of ya! The girl was hopeless, over the top looney! I liked her better when she cared only about herself. At least then she had some sense in her head! And look at her now! She probably died in that cell, wonderin' if I had already killed her beloved family. I really hope she died in despair. Oh, what a delicious thought! Ehehehe!" Amoreta squirmed on the spot, as if the mere thought of Rette dying in despair gave her pleasure.

Every word that came out of Amoreta's mouth, despite it being Rette's mouth, made them all more and more angry. At the same time, Sting couldn't help the feeling of guilt and helplessness that washed over him. Rette...he couldn't imagine what she had felt during the whole thing. He should have gone after her after he got her letter from Lector. He shouldn't have assumed she would be fine. In anger, his fists curled at his side. Torin glanced at him, before his eyes went skyward, finally turning back to Amoreta as a smile curled his lips.

"Hey, Amoreta." Amoreta looked at him, blinking in questioning. Torin jabbed a thumb upwards. "Just thought I'd give you a heads up. Master's awfully pissed at you right now."

"Huh?" Amoreta blinked in confusion, but Torin just grinned.

"I mean, she's reeaaalllyyyy pissed. So, yeah...heads up!" Torin said, pointing upwards.

As Amoreta looked up at the sky, Torin yelled at everyone to hit the deck. Though they didn't know what was going on, everyone dived for cover...just as something came rocketing down out of the sky to land right on Amoreta's head. The resulting explosion kicking up a wind strong enough to send those not fast enough in taking cover, flying off their feet.

"What the hell was that!?" Elfman demanded, coughing as he shielded his sisters.

"I told you...Master's pissed." Torin replied getting to his feet and pulling Sting and Rogue to their feet. He turned to look towards where Amoreta had been standing. As the smoke cleared, it revealed Amoreta now standing several yards away from her original spot, having dodged the attack. "After all...she doesn't like people messing with what's hers."

Hearing this from Torin, everyone fixed wide eyes on the smoke dense spot where the attacker had landed. Sting held his breath, watching the smoke thinned to reveal the curvy form he remember. Long, pale silver hair was the first thing to appear from the smoke, the waist long length tied into a high pony tail and bangs cut to hang over the left eye, ending on level with cheek bones. When the smoke completely cleared, Sting gasped in a breath.

"...RETTE!"

Eyes just like Amoreta's and Torin's turned to look at Sting when he yelled Rette's name. Sting knew, the moment those eyes landed on him, that this was _**his**_ Rette. She turned, her eyes landed on him with none of the insanity they found in Amoreta's eyes. The expression was indifferent, but as her eyes landed on him, a soft smile curled her lips. This was Rette with her soft, restrained smile, with her expressive eyes that told him with one look just how much she missed him.

She wore the same barely there clothes in the form of shorts that barely covered what needed to be covered and a sleeveless, coat-like top with slits down the front and back starting at just beneath her breasts. The neck was open enough to show the lavender Fairy Tail mark still between her collar bones as well as the charm necklace that hung around her neck. But the choker was missing, showing that she no long had the seal around her neck. Her gloves were missing, showing crystal bands around each of her wrists that shifted from one color to the next in a constant stream, but one thing was there that Sting had not expected to see.

When Rette had died, a year ago, and had come back, all scars on her body had vanished. As if she had been completely reborn, her whole body a clean slate. As Sting's eyes scanned her, trying to assure him that she was there and in one piece, they snagged on her stomach. There, spreading across her otherwise scar-free skin, was a new scar. It was just as jagged and horrible as the last, but this one was longer and thicker. Despite the pain that must have come with the scar...Rette just wasn't Rette without the scar.

"Hey Master." Torin greeted, nearing his sister.

The moment he was within reach...Rette hauled off and smacked him over the head. Torin dropped into a crouch, clutching his head as he repeated "ow" under his breath. Rette stood over him, her hands on her hips as she glared down at her brother.

"You disobedient, mischief making, little brother...I do believe I told you to observe, not go get into a fight with Amoreta!" Rette scolded.

"Sorry, Master." Torin replied.

"And how many times have I told you not to call me that?" Rette asked.

"This week? Nine thousand, three hundred and seventy-three."

"So why are you still calling me it?" Rette asked.

"Because you've only smacked me for it nine thousand, three hundred and seventy-one times." Torin replied, as if it was an obvious answer.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Allow me to correct this grievance."

Those watching, winced when Rette smacked her brother twice over the head, reducing him to clutching his head once more. Rette anchored both fist to her hips once she had smacked him.

"There, counting error corrected. Now stop with that ridiculous nickname." Rette told him.

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, Sis." Torin told her, still rubbing his head.

This was definitely their Rette. She treated Torin almost exactly like she treated Gray and Natsu when the two got on her nerves. She was just as strict of a sister with Torin as she was an adopted sister with Gray and Natsu. With her brother handled, Rette turned to look at everyone, a smile returning to her lips.

"Hey everyone. It's been a while." Rette greeted.

"You're...you're really our Rette?" Mira asked.

Rette gave her a nod, Mira's hands flying to her mouth, tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry, Mira. We have a lot to discuss later, but, for now, it'll have to wait." Rette told her, before her expression shifted as she turned to face Amoreta.

Rette's smile vanish, her indifferent expression returning, but that expression could not hide the intense anger that blazed to life in her eyes as she looked at her double. Amoreta flinched when those eyes landed on her, but soon a crazed grin curled her lips.

"If it isn't itty bitty Rette. So you did make it out of that cell. That bastard beside you, helped, didn't he?" Amoreta asked, her eyes snapping to Torin as he got to his feet, moving a step closer to his sister.

"So what if I did. What all of you were doing to her wasn't right and she's my sister. Of course I'm going to pick her over the demon that calls himself our father. At least she hasn't experimented with my life!" Torin replied.

"You really are the spineless, half breed bastard of a cunt, ain'tcha?" Amoreta asked, her grin spreading when Torin took one angry step towards her.

Rette held out an arm, stopping her brother from going a step further. Torin looked down at Rette, who shook her head in return to his silent question.

"She's not worth it, Torin. We both know your mother was a saint. Nothing she says can change that." Rette told him.

"Yeah, but..."

Rette laid a hand on his arm. Torin met his sister's eyes and finally nodded. He stepped back until he stood with Sting and the others once more. Rette watched him for a moment before turning to look at Amoreta who was grinning as she lowly giggled to herself.

"That being said...you and your men have treated my friends, my family so shamefully. You have hurt them, humiliated them, and have now insulted both my aunt and my brother. For that...you will pay." Rette said lowly, her tone conveying her anger.

"Oh, yeah? I wanna see ya try it." Amoreta replied.

Then Amoreta was moving fast, enclosing on Rette quickly. Rette simply heaved a sigh. Raising her left hand, she shook her head.

"You may have my face, but you obviously lack my brain." Rette remarked before casting her spell. "Light of Creation...Pillar of Shame."

The moment Amoreta's foot came down, a magic circle appeared under her foot, making her look down. With an upward flick of Rette's hand, a pillar suddenly shot skyward, taking Amoreta with it. Amoreta let out a curse as she was rocketed into the air. Rette watched her upward progress until she couldn't see Amoreta anymore.

"Uh...do I want to be reminded of what that spell does to the person on the receiving end?" Torin asked.

"Not really. If she's dumb enough to come right back, then I'll deal with her. Now," Rette turned her attention to the Alvarez soldiers that had been watching with wide eyes. Rette curled her hand, cracking her knuckles, a truly scary look falling on her face. "Which of you lowlife soldiers were the ones carrying my friends?"

Men started running away from Rette, yelling. Rette wasn't about to let them off easy. Not after everything they had done to her friends. Already, her hands were moving, mixing magic together. The two magic types she was mixing, though, had her friends concerned.

"Abysmal of the left and Tribulation of the right."

"Wait, Rette don't!" Mira called in concern, starting forward.

Torin held out a hand to stop her. When she looked at him, he gave her a smile.

"Don't worry about it. With her greater magical energy and with her now mixing Arc of Tribulation magic with Abyss Magic, she's gained control of the magic. She doesn't suffer the side effects of the magic as she once did." Torin assured her. Torin turned back around to watch his sister. "I told you...Rette isn't the same as she was before. After having the demon removed from her body, she no longer has to hold back out of fear of losing control. She's stronger, more confident. These weakling foot soldiers...never stood a chance."

Above the battlefield, a large silver magic circle appeared as Rette raised a hand. Taking a deep breath, she let the hand fall.

"Abysmal Tribute...Retribution Void."

A dark light fell over the valley before her, covering a large mass of the soldiers before her. Everyone shielded their eyes against the black glow and the rush of air that exploded outward. When the light cleared and they all looked up, they stared wide eyed at the sight before them. Everywhere the black light had touch...was now barren save for those among Fairy Tail, Sabertooth, and Blue Pegasus. Aside from that, not a single form of life was left. Not grass, not flowers, and not the soldiers. All that was left of them was the armor they had been wearing.

Seeing what had become of their comrades, several soldiers made a break for it, running away. Some stayed behind, too devoted to their duty to run even when it was obvious they didn't stand a chance. With their hopes renewed with the appearance of their last missing friend, Rette's friends charged into the fight, taking on those that had decided to stay. Rette turned away from the fight, her eyes scanning her friends that hadn't rushed into the fight. Her eyes locked on one person before she was moving.

But it wasn't Mira or Lisanna she ran for.

Sting, his eyes wide in surprise, let out a grunt as Rette hit him in a dead run, her arms flying around his neck. Losing his balance, Sting hit the ground on his butt, Rette landing in his lap. Everyone stared in surprise as Rette buried her face in Sting's neck.

"Rette?" Sting asked, his cheeks turning a little pink.

"...I've missed you...so much..."

Sting twisted, trying to get a look at Rette's face, but she had it effectively hidden in his neck. He didn't quite understand what was going on. Rette never really hugged others, not like this and certainly not him.

"Rette? Are you alright?" he asked, concerned for her.

"Another thing," Sting looked up at Torin who had a sour look on his face as he watched his sister with Sting. "Since the demon was removed, she no longer has that barrier that keeps her from expressing her feelings. So you better listen to her closely. And if you hurt her, so help me God, I'll-"

"Torin." Rette called, her face still buried in Sting's neck.

"Y-yes?"

"Shut up and go away."

"Yes, ma'am!"

With that, Torin quickly turned on his heel and ran away as fast as he could, heading straight for the fight. The others watched him run away, knocking soldiers aside in his bid to get as far from his sister as possible. Sting didn't get this. He turned to look down at Rette's head.

"Rette? Is something wrong?" he asked.

Rette's arms around his neck tightened just slightly before she heaved a sigh.

"When I left...I feared talking to you the most." Rette started. "I was afraid you would be able to tell what I was up to and that you would stop me."

"Of course I would of tried to stop you! I didn't want you anywhere near that demon that calls himself your old man!" Sting told her. "Not that I could of stopped you, though."

"You could of. Even then, I kind of already knew." Rette said lowly.

"Knew what?" Sting asked.

"I knew...I knew that all you had to do was look me in the eye and ask me to stay and it would have killed me to leave."

Sting was confused. What was she trying to say to him? Mira laughing lowly to herself, had him looking up at the others. Every one of them had smiles on their faces as they watched. He didn't get it, what was so funny?

They, on the other hand, couldn't believe how dense he was.

"Sting," Sting turned his attention back to Rette. "You're loud, overly cheerful, sometimes too confident in yourself, and you can be immature."

"Gee, thanks." Sting grumbled.

It wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear from her.

"But..."

"But?"

"But you're also kind, loyal, and you make me smile even when I don't want to. You sometimes drive me crazy, but you make me feel relaxed every time we're near each other, like you were my calm in the middle of the storm. Your idiotic cheerfulness makes my days bright. Even when I was gone, even when I was in that cell...I only had to think of you to find myself smiling. It helped me get through my days."

Sting felt his face heat up. Was she trying to say what he thought she was trying to say? If so...he could already feel his heart pounding out a fast beat in his chest. He wished he could see her face but she was refusing to raise it from where it was.

"W-what are you trying to say, Rette?" he asked, praying to the heavens that she would just be straight forward for once.

Rette's shoulders rose and fell as she heaved a sigh. She seemed to debate for all but a second before she raised her face to look him in the eye. Her next action surprised the hell out of not just him, but everyone around them.

Rette cupped Sting's face...and kissed him.

It wasn't anything more than lips on lips, a chaste enough kiss, but the contact sent a jolt of electricity through him all the same. He could feel his face turning red all the way to the tips of his ears as his eyes widened. He didn't move an inch as she broke contact, pulling back enough to look him in the eye once more. Sting was surprised to find that her usual indifferent expression was gone, replaced by one that was almost shy looking, her cheeks turning pink.

"Sting, I...I love you."

Dumbfounded wasn't a strong enough word for how Sting felt. He stared at her for a long moment, his mouth hanging half open as his brain tried to process what she had just said, while failing to do so for a long moment. Rette...loved him. She was in love with him. It took him so long to process those three words that Rette started to move back as if she thought he didn't feel the same way.

He wasn't having that.

Sting jolted forward, surprising Rette when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against his chest. Rette stiffened up, unsure on what this meant as far as a reply to what she had told him. Sting buried his nose in her hair, breathing her scent deep into his nose before heaving a sigh. He had missed that scent.

"Sting?" Rette asked.

"Of course I love you, too!" Sting told her, his arms tightening just a little bit more around her. "When you left...I wanted to go after you, but I had no idea where to start. Don't ever leave like that again!"

Rette melted against him then, letting him hold her tight as her head dropped to lay on his shoulder. The others watched with smiles on their faces. It was about time the two had shared their feelings with each other, though most of them hadn't guessed at Rette's feelings for Sting until recently.

"I won't. Never again. I missed everyone so terribly over the last year. If we weren't in the middle of a fight for our lives, I wouldn't even move from this spot. Not for a long time, anyway." Rette replied.

And he wouldn't have complained one bit, but they were in a war and they couldn't stay like that. He gave her one, big squeeze before he finally released her, letting her sit back on her heels to look at him. Sting gave her the crooked grin of his that she liked so much.

"We'll talk after we've won this thing. Until then, don't leave my side. Ever." he told her.

A smiled curled Rette's lips and she gave him a nod of agreement. The two stared at each other for a moment before someone finally spoke up, making the two look away from each other.

"That's great and all, but we've got a fight to finish." Orga called.

Rette and Sting, both, went a little more red in the face before Rette smacked a hand to her face. She had just finally realized that she had spilled her feelings to Sting, had kissed him, with a lot of their friends watching them.

"I can't believe I didn't do that in a private setting. I apparently got ahead of myself when I saw you." she muttered to Sting, praying to the heavens that she hadn't embarrassed him.

Sting grinned proudly, puffing out his chest like he was the proudest man on earth. In a way, he was. After all, he had gotten the girl he liked, a girl like Rette who normally didn't express her feelings, to flat out confess her love for him in front of their friends. He couldn't be prouder to have a girl like Rette, whatever she might think of herself.

Getting to his feet, Sting took hold of Rette's elbow, helping her to her feet as well. They could be embarrassed over all of it later. For now, they still had a fight on their hands. It was then that Torin came back over to the group.

"Hey, Sis. Not to ruin your moment with your new boyfriend, but...where's Maddox?" Torin asked.

Rette looked at her brother as others exchanged looks. Rette opened her mouth to reply to Torin when something further in among the fighting, blew up, sending enemy soldiers flying into the air. Rette turned towards the explosion and heaved a sigh.

"There. He's there." Rette said, pointing.

Torin heaved an annoyed sigh, hanging his head as he ran a hand through his hair. He sounded so done with the situation. From the way she shook her head, Rette was too.

"Whose Maddox, Miss Rette?" Yukino asked.

"When I went looking for my father and got caught, I found out that I wasn't the only child Lachlan had. He had children with my aunt, Seraphina, as well. Torin here is the oldest of the children Aunt Seraphina gave birth to." Rette said, gesturing to Torin who bowed his head to Yukino in greeting. "He actually came out as my father wanted. A careful balance between human and demon with the ability to switch between the two effortlessly."

"I don't know about effortlessly, but it certainly is easier than your's, Sis." Torin replied, Rette nodding.

"The youngest of my aunt's children, is Maddox. He...well, he came out more demon than human." Rette said. The group watched as more soldiers went flying into the air. "He has the inhuman strength of a demon. It's not like he purposely tries to harm others. Sometimes...it just gets out of hand. Right now, I wager he's looking for me and isn't pleased with the enemy, so the flying soldiers would be on purpose."

Just then, the soldiers parted as another of the soldiers went flying through the crowd. It gave them enough of an opening to see the person at the center. Like Torin and Rette, he had pale silver hair and eyes of magenta and lavender. Unlike Rette and Torin, Maddox's facial features were a little more sharper. They still looked alike, but Maddox just had a sharper look to his face. He was roughly an inch or two taller than Rette, had a built similar to his brother, and wore an open vest over pants shoved into knee high boots.

His hair, on the shorter side compare to his siblings', was tied back away from his face with a scarf tied around his head. They watched as soldiers swarmed him, only to be seized and thrown over a shoulder with a single flick of a wrist, as if they weighted no more than a rag doll. Those that weren't thrown, ran into a boot as Maddox kicked them.

"He's really a sweet kid, just...not pleasant when his temper is sparked." Rette remarked.

"Then he's definitely your brother." Mira remarked, making Rette look at her.

Rette would have argued, but she could see Mira's point behind the comment.

After all, her temper wasn't the best in the world.

"There was a third, a girl, but..."

Rette trailed off, her eyes going to the ground. Torin reached out, laying a hand on his sister's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. He turned to her friends to finish for her.

"Jezabelle didn't survive our father's cruelty very long." Torin said.

"You don't mean..." Lisanna trailed off.

"Jezzy looked exactly like Rette, and after how angry Rette made Lachlan, he took out his anger on Jezzy. She was only seven when she died. Maddox and I did everything we could to protect her, Mother too, but there wasn't much we could do against Lachlan. He seriously buffed up security and everything after Sis ran away." Torin explained.

"So, in a way...it was my fault." Rette said, heaving a sigh.

"No, it wasn't! You didn't know about us, Sis. How could you have stopped it if you didn't know?" Torin instantly protested.

Rette gave her brother a smile, reaching up to grip his hand on her shoulder. She gave a squeeze in return.

"I know, it's just...I would have liked to have met her." Rette said.

"Jezzy would have loved you. Just as Maddox and I do." Torin told her confidently.

Right after he said that, there was a yell of, "I found you, Sis!" before something came flying at Rette, grabbing her tightly to lift her off her feet and spin her around in a circle. When Rette looked down, she found herself looking down into the face of Maddox who met her gaze with a huge grin.

"I looked everywhere for you! Don't run off like that." Maddox insisted.

"You do realize that _**I'm**_ the older sibling, right? Don't order me around. And could you sit me down?" Rette insisted.

Maddox instantly sat her on her feet and gave her a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head. He apologized, but he didn't look too apologetic for hugging his sister out of nowhere. Mira smiled as she watched Rette with her new found siblings.

"I see you've found yourself great, real siblings." Mira remarked.

Rette turned to look at Mira, her eyes widening when she finally realized how this might make Mira feel. She, herself, had felt the same way when Lisanna had come back and she had thought Mira wouldn't need or want her anymore. Rette instantly jumped forward, taking Mira's hands into her own, gripping them tightly.

"I might have found blood related siblings, but now, and always, you, Elfman, and Lisanna will always be my brother and sisters. I could find all the blood related siblings in the world but it will never change that." Rette told her.

Mira smiled brightly. She pulled her hands from Rette's and hugged the girl, glad to have Rette back. Lisanna and Elfman shared a smile behind Mira's back before joining the hug, Elfman briefly lifting the three girls off the ground to give them a squeeze before setting them back down. Maddox chose then to pop into the conversation.

"Hey, Sis, I got a question. Well, a few." Maddox said.

Rette stepped back from Mira to turn and look at her brother. He was watching her and the Strauss siblings very closely, his fists anchored to his hips.

"What is it?" she asked.

"If you claim them as siblings, does that make them our family too?" Maddox asked.

"Of course. Everyone is family in Fairy Tail and when this whole thing is done, I'm sure Master will welcome the two of you into the guild." Rette told him.

Maddox and Torin shared a look, smiles spreading across their faces. Neither wanted to be separated from Rette now that they had found her. Besides, after all the stories Rette had told them about Fairy Tail, they wanted to join as well. Maddox turned back to Rette.

"Alright, question number two. If we're family...is it alright if I have a crush on one of my new sisters?" Maddox asked bluntly, smiling as he glanced at Lisanna.

" _ **Maddox!**_ " Torin made a grab for his brother, but Maddox slipped out of reach easily, dancing away from the group with a grin. "Seriously! I have to watch you every second of the damn day!"

"I'm only being honest." Maddox replied as he ran away from his brother, Torin chasing him. "Sis has told us to always be honest!"

"Learn to read a moment, you little dumbass!" Torin shouted after his brother.

Rette simply shook her head.

"Use some of that energy to take out enemies!" Rette called after them.

Rette watched as Torin and Maddox vanished back into the fighting, Elfman, furious at Maddox's comment, following them. She shook her head as her hands went to her hips. She had a feeling that between her brothers and her adopted brother, that the enemy wasn't going to know what hit them. Well...at least not until it actually, literally, hit them.

"They seem like a hand full." Yukino remarked.

"You have no idea." Rette replied with a sigh, a small smile curling her lips. "But they're both good guys."

"They aren't going to try to kill me later in some weird, possessive sibling moment, are they?" Sting asked.

"Not as long as you don't hurt me." Rette assured him.

"Not happening." Sting vowed.

"Good."

Rette gave him a smile and turned. Her attention turned to the distant mountain top, her focus snagged by something else completely. Knowing the distant, thoughtful look that passed in her eyes, Sting looked in the direction she was peering into, but couldn't see or sense anything. That didn't mean she couldn't sense something, though.

"Rette? Is something wrong?" Sting asked.

"Thyme is crying." Sting stared at Rette as tears pooled in her eyes and spilled over without her noticing it. "I can feel her heartbreak even when the bond between us is suppose to be broken."

"What's wrong with Thyme!?" Lector asked from where he stood at Rogue's feet.

"I don't know if its related, though I have a feeling it is, but...Gajeel's magic energy has vanished from my senses." Rette replied.

All of her friend turned to look at her as she continued to stare into the distance.

"Is he alright?" Lisanna asked.

"I don't know. He, Levy, Lily, and Thyme were somewhere on the outer rings of my senses. He could have moved out of range for all I know, but I can't sense him right now. Not that I'm too overly concerned with Gajeel's well being. He's a tough guy and stubborn to boot. He'll be fine." Rette said, rubbing the tears away. She still hadn't gotten use to being able to cry once more. Let alone crying because of someone else's feelings. "That's not what's worrying me right now."

"What is it?" Yukino asked.

"Since I arrived, I've felt this overwhelming magical power coursing through the ground. It's massive and I do mean _**massive**_. I've never felt a magical power this vast before. I'm sure this magical power reaches all the way back to the guild hall, no, to every corner of Fiore." Rette said, her eyes going to the ground.

"That massive!?" Elfman exclaimed.

"Yeah. Pin-pointing its source would be a hell of a task, even for someone like me who specializes in the tracking of magic. It's just too big of a source. That being said...I do know where it's coming from." Rette remarked, her eyes traveling back to the distant mountain peak.

"If it's so vast, then how?" Rogue asked.

"Because whoever this power is coming from...just clashed with Acnologia. Now _**that's**_ a magical power I could never mistaken."

"You're kidding!? Acnologia is here!?" Elfman asked, the others turning a little white at the thought of the dragon.

"He is, but, from the feeling of this clash...he's thoroughly occupied, so, once again, I'm more concerned with the magic coursing through the land. It has to be some kind of spell and it's making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I don't like it." Rette told them.

Sting reached out, laying a hand on her shoulder. Rette's eyes turned to his face as he gave her a smile.

"It'll be alright. You said the castor is fighting with Acnologia, right?" he asked. Rette nodded. "Then they're too busy to do anything with whatever spell they've put on the ground. For now, we need to focus on the enemy before us."

Rette knew he had a point. While she was still wary of the spell that she could feel coursing through the earth like a heartbeat, she knew they had more pressing matters at hand. There were still enemies before them. Their fight was far from over.

Reaching up, she laid her hand on top of his, giving it a squeeze as she gave him a small smile.

"You're right, I know. Let's help our friends." she agreed.

Sting nodded. With all of them in agreement, they charged back into the fight. Rette stuck close to Sting's side, her brothers quickly finding the two and joining them. Sting found out quickly that Rette and her brothers tended to think along the same lines. The three moved and fought as if they all shared a single brain. When one ducked, another was already there to land an attack, and if that attack failed, the third was there with a back up punch. They swapped off roles, never letting their opponent guess who was on back up and who was playing back up to the back up.

It was quite clever, especially with how quickly the three moved. And they were even able to preform these evasion and attack tactics around Sting, leaving him to fight his own battles while handling the enemy left over.

Though there was one time that Rette landed right on the head of the soldier Sting was fighting with.

"Sorry." Rette told him from her position laying back down on top of the soldier that was currently twitching with pain.

"You won't hear me complaining." Sting told her, taking her hand and helping her up.

"I knew I liked you for some reason." she replied.

Sting grinned back at her. They were fighting for their lives, true, but he was currently happier than he had ever been in his life. He had Rette back and at his side. As long as that was where she stayed, than he could continue to fight with all he had. They had a long fight ahead and would need all the fighting spirit they could get. But Sting was sure of one thing.

Together, they could fight any fight.

END

Kyandi: Let's welcome back, Rette!

Rette: I wasn't gone that long.

Kyandi: Depends on whether your talking about in story time or out of story time.

Rette: If we get into that, someone is likely to end up with a headache.

Kyandi: True. Once again, sorry for taking so long.

Rette: It's probably her muse's way of protesting the fact that this story is coming close to an end.

Kyandi: You're probably right. But it has to get over it. All stories eventually come to an end.

Rette: True. Speaking of endings, shall we rap up the chapter.

Kyandi: Yes. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll try to return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	63. Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Hey everyone, it's Kyandi-sama here! Sorry for getting your hopes up, thinking this was a new chapter. While there is a new chapter coming, I have a few announcements that I just had to get out to everyone.

First and foremost, recently, I've been a slump. Long story short, a lot of things have happened to me recently. As I've said before, I've moved recently and with the move...a lot of things I've kept buried, have come to light. A lot of bad memories I really wish I didn't have and all that. Not to mention, I've been forced to realize that most of my family and those around me, don't really support me in my writing and drawing, despite the fact that it makes me really happy and has been how I've dealt with a lot of crap in my life over the years. So lately I've had a lot of stress and just haven't had the will or motivation to crank out chapters.

I even considered quitting writing and drawing.

Thankfully, that period only lasted for about four days.

Instead of quitting, I decided that this girl is going back to school! Starting in the fall, I'll be going back to college for a double major in journalism and photography. So wish me luck on that! Sadly, that means that I'm going to have less time for chapters, but I promise, I will still be bringing you chapters as often as I can! I really wish I could get my chapter release on a schedule, but, unfortunately, my brain doesn't work that way. To make up for this decrease, I have some big news.

First off, of course that means that I'm going to try to release as many chapters during the summer as I can. This does not, however, pertain to my Nexus Mage stories. I don't know if you guys have heard, but there was an announcement for a spin-off sequel to Fairy Tail!

EPPPP!

I'm so excited because, personally, I was rather disappointed with the ending to Fairy Tail. I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the whole story of Fairy Tail, but, come on Hiro Mashima should of had an ending in mind. Even I have my endings somewhat planned out way before I reach the end. But that's me. Hiro Mashima brought us the greatness that is Fairy Tail, so I can't be too harsh.

Anyway, back to my news.

So, yeah, with this announcement, I have decided to put Nexus Mage on a _**temporary**_ hiatus. Let me put your fears to rest now because I will **not** leave it that way. I simply want to find out more about this new series before I continue with the story. Depending on what the new series is like...Nexus Mage just might get a sequel, too.

We will see.

Now for the biggest announcement.

Drum roll, please.

 **I'M GOING TO ANIME FEST!**

That's right, everyone, I'm finally getting the time to go to an anime convention. So, this August, I'm going to be at the AnimeFest in Dallas. If any of you are going to be in the area, then drop by and say hello! I'll be dressed like my dear avatar, Kyandi.

Wolf tail and wolf ears, all.

The striped stockings were difficult to find, by the way.

So, yeah! I hope to see some of you there. I'll be there on the third day, so come and say hello!

With that, I've delivered all of my announcements. I will try to get some new chapters out for my current stories and be sure to check out the three new stories I've just released.

I love you all and thank you all for your continued support!

Love,

Kyandi Akatensei


End file.
